This is a great little spot on the CT River, that is quiet and relaxing. This isn't a park with…read moreactivities for kids. Pack a lunch, bring a fishing pole and get back to basics. There is plenty of open space for a gathering, if you wanted to bring some lawn games, a cooler and a grill. The grounds are always clean and there is ample parking. Unfortunately, this park is directly across from a stable. On warm days, you can not escape the smell of manure.

Crystal-clear water + sunny spring day = perfect hike…read more Spent a beautiful spring sunny day at Wadsworth Falls State Park, and it did not disappoint. I took so many pictures of the clear river. It's seriously that stunning. The swimming water vanished. We hiked the Wadsworth Falls Loop (3.6 miles, easy, great waterfall views) and also checked out part of the Main Trail. Trails were in good shape; just a little mud here and there, but totally manageable. Bonus tips from my visit: · Dogs welcome on leash · Free for CT-registered cars; $10-15 for out-of-state · Restrooms, parking, and picnic tables available · Get there early on a sunny day to beat the crowds If you love clear water, peaceful forest walks, and two distinct waterfalls, don't miss this spot. Already planning to come back with an all-terrain wheelchair for a friend (you can reserve one in advance). Would I go again? 100%.

Gorgeous gorges! Although this park has ample signage against swimming, the Coginchaug River is…read morelovely on the eyes and ears, and being centrally located, Wadsworth Falls is a great local escape. If you have the right footwear in winter, it's a place for a rewarding hike! Boots and grips and the occasional side stepping is good for your winter trip. Mind the tracks, or crews tending the still in-use tracks, then enjoy the lovely views of multiple waterfalls, some frosted over, but water audibly rushing beneath the ice. Starting out, we didn't see the blue trail marked on the yellow and orange junction map, but the trails were well-marked with vertical tree blazes, so if you take the orange, yellow, or blue trails, you should be in good shape. If you don't have the time for a decent hike and just need a restful stop, large falls are just below the parking lot (those no access signs on the trails don't kid!). All year, enjoy! There are zero facilities here, and the only amenities appear to be accessible recreation and a dog waste station beneath the parking lot, but you aren't in the middle of nowhere. Pack in, pack out, and enjoy as much or little woods as you like, and enjoy the peaceful sounds and sights of the many falls.

The playground is huge and has recreation for kids of all ages, and comes complete with athletic…read morefields. The community-wide Trunk or Treat is worth the admission, and comes with a kid-friendly Halloween movie projected at the football field. and on snowy days this is an excellent spot for sledding, bumps and all. It's also great for a quiet walk beside the stream or visiting the butterfly selfie-stands.Food trunks and food vendors like Neil's Donuts have appeared at trunk or treat some years, so it definitely lives up to community park on these nights. This is a great community park all year!

This is our favorite playground for our son, who's now three. We have been visiting this…read moreplayground for about a year. It has been great to watch him grow and explore. While the playground is geared toward the play school age child (up to 12 years old), there is a sandbox and swings for younger children. There are 2 large playscapes. One unit is smaller, for the less adventurous child. They also have a small rock climbing wall, a rope web, a sea dragon to climb, a few bouncing trucks and a bouncing seesaw. Outside of the playground, there is a walking/running track, football and baseball field and a party pavilion. Kudos to the Town of Cromwell for such an awesome, clean and kid friendly park!

PLAYGROUND WITH AN APP!! What a great park! Butternut Hollow is located on a cute little pond that…read moreactually gets stocked with trout in the spring (a great spot to take your kid to catch their first fish). The park was newly renovated in 2017 with a brand new playground. Slides, shapes, swings, monkey bars, and more. There are even several music stations. They also have an expression swing, which allows guardian and child to both be seates face to face. There is even a phone app you can download that coordinates with some of the equipment. The park gets busy during summer and weekends, you you might need to park on the street.

A great place to bring the kids to have fun in the sun. They have plenty of large slides swings and…read morejungle gym area. There are two covered picnic areas perfect for eating lunch or having a Bday party. The parking lot is a bit small but you can park your cars on the road if you need too. The pond has geese that will come up to you if you have food. It's a nice stroll to walk around.

Harbor Park is located right off the highway in Middletown. This park offers a beautiful view of…read morethe Connecticut River. The grass is nicely manicured, there's people walking, some jogging, dogs walking, most people are fishing. This is a small park, don't expect to make 20,000 steps here. There are some benches where you can have your lunch. Since this is right off the highway, it isn't the most peaceful park, the highway makes it a bit noisy. The parking lot is substantial, but it is shared with the restaurant, Tate's. This restaurant's outdoor seating, overlooking the river is very popular. Harbor Park is a nice park if you're in the area, but I wouldn't go out of my way to access it.

Harbor Park has a really nice walking path in Middletown, Connecticut that is along the Connecticut…read moreRiver. Along with the path there is greenery for all sorts of activities. Lots of people use it for yoga or having a catch. Others use the shade while they fish in the Connecticut River. Nearby is a dock that can be used to launch boats. Local high schools and Wesleyan use the dock for crew. The walking trail is accessible right off Main Street. There is an underpass that gets you there safely. I wish the trail was a little longer as it only takes about 10 minutes to walk one way. Still has beautiful views. There is a section of Harbor park known as Middletown Lions Park in honor of military veterans. Thank you to Lions International for this great work! Located in Harbor Park is the Canoe Club. It is a restaurant with beautiful views. It just re-opened under new ownership. Altogether, Harbor Park is a really nice spot to go for a walk in Middletown!

Beautiful scenic nature with hidden gems throughout! Definitely a great place to bring the fur…read morebabies to have a swim! The park is clean and litter free Just be careful as some of the areas near the "island" are dirty and littered partially due to wash up and rising/sinking water levels. This is the only part that is concerning.

was looking for a picnic spot to eat some sandwiches and saw on there sign there was a picnic area…read morebut the gates were closed and we saw people walking with there dogs, seemed like nice spot. until we started to walk in the direction of the pinic spot and it was a very very far walk and it was very cold, we gave up on walking to the picnic spot and we ate on the road instead. would not recommend going if the gates are closed and the weather is cold.

Ehh it was littered and underwhelming. Also far too busy for the size, there was poison ivy on the…read moretrail to get to the waterfall and at the base of the waterfall, and parking was not good. You have to parallel park on the edge of a non-level curve .... in a residential area. This wasn't for me and I don't recommend it and I believe the trails need some maintenance at the least. If you decide to follow the river down a little, you will be right underneath a busy highway. I also thought this was not nice and it contributed to my very low star rating. I would truly give 0 stars if I could.

There was no water!!!…read more End of August!! 91 degrees!! NO WATER!! Lol Hard to find! Literally looks like a side wall. Only two cars could fit!! Glad it's close to home!! I would definitely give it another try on a more rainy season!!

Excellent CT State Park with a number of trails with varying degrees of difficulty. The White Bar…read moreTrail is the longest, around a 55 minute hike, perhaps the most difficult but only in certain spots. There is one area on that trail with a 104ft 35° verticle ascent which will get your heart pumping, the rest of the White Bar is fairly easy. Because the Park is predominantly a hardwood forest the best time to hike would be in the Fall foliage season. This place is a gem, don't miss it..!!!

River Highlands State Park is made for people like me. People who say they like to hike, but who…read moredon't want to work super hard. People who expect a hike to provide some kind of natural payoff, but who don't want to work super hard for it. From the time you park, it takes about 15 minutes (with a dog who likes to sniff everything) to transverse the forest and reach a part of the trail with a Connecticut River view. The way there winds up and down, over and around - but never too suddenly. When you reach the CT River, the trail splits and you can go north along the River or south. The trail at that point is fairly high relative to the River. Hence, the name of the State Park is (1) "River" because the trail is adjacent to the CT River, (2) "Highlands" because you are on high land. Explosion! Mind blown emoji! In my experience, River Highlands is never too crowded. The parking lot is small, but I've never seen it full. I've encountered families, couples, dog walkers, mountain bikers and sight-seeing birds. You know - the usual. May be best to avoid this park when professional golfers are in town. Four Stars.

This is an interesting park. George Dudley Seymour State Park is adjacent to Hurd State Park, it's…read morejust to the south of it. Access to the park is at the end of Clarkhurst Road, which basically dead-ends at what used to be a bridge for cars, but now is a pedestrian bridge. There's a small gravel lot here, across from a private residence. The first part of the park is interesting - after you cross the bridge, you're still hiking on old roadway, down the hill. Once at the bottom of the hill, there are a number of meandering little trails, none of which are blazed. If you follow the main trail, you eventually end up in a semi-marshy area, where paths have been mowed. This would be a great park if there were a little more signage and trail blazing. Just even an entrance sign would be enough.

I have launched kayaks from this location a number of times over the past seven years. Since that…read morefirst launch to now, the Park has been renovated, the parking improved, and last year the boat launch cup-de-sac significantly improved. Cromwell has been putting a notable effort forward to recapture the scenic beauty of the Connecticut Riverside. Previously, unkept and over utilized by unsavories and the desperate. Now, not perfect, but on the rise should the oversight and funding continue maintenance, promotion and safety. I like this location as a direct access to the CT River, Middletown Harbor Park area, the tail end of the Mattabassett River. If you're a boater or kayaker like me, this launch provides easy access to numerous aquatic activities. Just check the Middletown tide charts for best time to play. For a canoe/kayak, the variance of tides are okay, but craft with a draft of more than a foot will need some consideration when to best launch. This in itself is exactly why the kayaker in me likes this locale. Footnote, the Park Area, on the upper plateau, appears to have public access and facilities for rent. I personally do not know about rentals at this point, but if interested a call to the Town Parks & Rec should render an answer. There is a covered "bandstand" at grade level, picnic benches, paved parking, and non-gender neutral comfort facilities.

Considering I don't actually boat, it's very nice. I visit this park more for viewing the…read moreMiddletown Fireworks