Beautiful park in the center of Hartford! The carousel, fountain, Pond (when well maintenanced),…read moreand direct access to the Capitol building make this one of Hartford's most popular tourist destinations. The train station is directly across the street making it easily accessible. A lot of people don't know that this is America's oldest publicly funded park, but they offer tours that allow you to find out more about everything that has gone into the park over the years. The views of the city from the top of the arch on Trinity Street are gorgeous. Many events and clubs are hosted in the park like the annual Jazzfest and weekly run club and yoga.

Bushnell Park is pretty pleasant and relaxing, particularly during the daylight hours. Once the sun…read morestarts going down though, I wouldn't recommend hanging around. The number of homeless and people doing drugs openly goes up significantly.

Stunning park! I've always heard such great things about this area and it was nice to finally check…read moreit out for myself. I went for a picnic and sat for a bit in the grass near Lot E. I would say this was the most peaceful part of the park as it seemed most people didn't really come out that far or if they did it was just to turn around. After we took a nice stroll through the Irish, English, and Oriental gardens. My favorite parts had to be the tree maze and hydrangea garden. I also got the chance to touch lamb ears for the first time... What an interesting experience! Can't wait to return to this park to explore more of the gardens and finally see the view of Hartford that everyone is always talking about.

I thought this would be a great place for a date, and it is beautiful, however some areas are not…read morevery well kept. The museum/nature center was very dirty, dead bugs in most of the exhibits. The gardens were beautiful, however three of the main ones I wanted to see were reserved on the day we went. I wish it was advertised somewhere which gardens are available on which day, I assume they get reserved weeks or months in advance, so it was disappointing when we assumed they were open to the public right up until we almost walked in on someone's party. Some of the other areas are very worn and need work. In addition the birds are kept is very small cages, and it broke my heart :/

I come here quite frequently and enjoy sitting on the second story of the boathouse. I also enjoy…read moresitting on the docks, waking on the paved waking paths, and walking on the unpaved trails to the dog park with my pup! I've been a regular here for ages! There are public bathrooms at the boathouse and note that there are often events (like weddings) at the actual structure. This happens all nights of the year (or so it seems and by that I mean random weeknights is when I often stumble upon a wedding). It used to be PACKED during COVID. You will almost always find parking in the main lot but occasionally if there are kids sport games on the fields, and lots of kids on the playground, and boats being launched (boats plus trailers take up two spots)... well then you will maybe need to park in the overflow lot. I'm not sure if both of those lots are ever simultaneously full but there is a little parking garage a tiny way up the road by the Glastonbury library (if needed). It's a quick walk up to town & there are some little free libraries (and Poke-stops) nearby! Thank you :)

This beautiful park in Glastonbury is located right on the Connecticut River. It's not far from the…read moretown center and has many amenities. There's a dog park, boat ramp, picnic pavilion, athletic fields, trail, playground to name a few. There were plenty of parking. There are multiple access points. We walked through a trail which was located off Main Street and past the dog park. Then we walked towards the main entrance which was where the picnic pavilion was located. We also explored the playground and boat ramp area. This was a large and beautifully maintained park.

This is a beautiful park to walk through. They have different flowers planted for different…read moreseasons. Parking can be difficult to find when it is busy but it is not too bad. Great place to take pictures of flowers and a cute little photo shoot with friends and family.

I absolutely love love love it here!! I was surprised how good it was even in o river!! Just…read moresplendid!!

This little hidden spot is a gem if you're looking to get away from the busy life. It is peaceful,…read morewith manicured grass, a little stream of the Connecticut River, and some geese staying cool in the water. It is super easy to access, just an easy drive down the road from Old Wethersfield and past the dreaded DMV. You can bring your lunch here and have it on the bench. Be sure to dispose of your litter in the trash can. There was a very kind older gentleman who was working to pick up the litter of the ground, he said "it gives me something to do". There's no reason for this, as there's a substantial amount of trash cans. This is a nice place to go on a boat ride down the Connecticut River, and to try to catch some fish. The Wethersfield Cove is a beautiful place to rest your mind and your eyes.

Wethersfield Cove is an inlet which connects to the Connecticut River. There were warehouses built…read morein the 1600s, to store goods such as food and lumber to be sent out to trade with places like the West Indies; products traded in return were rum, molasses, and sugar. The Cove Warehouse Museum still stands today and is open seasonally to the public. There is the heritage trail that runs through it, a boat ramp, rocky beach, picnic tables, porta potty, and a huge parking lot. As far as beach goes, I wouldn't advise swimming in it because of a huge sewage leak back in the 1990s. It is a beautiful spot to walk, picnic, and just enjoy the vista. I'm sure it's fun to go boating on it too. Overall, a nice little neighborhood park with tons of history.

This is a great park located in West Hartford. There were parking available when we went. There is…read morea pond with a ton of geese. The playground was in good shape and big. There's a big kids playscape with climbing and ladders. The little kids playground had a sandbox, swings, slides, tunnels, etc. There were benches and picnic tables as well. The pool and splash pad is adjacent and fenced in; to enter the pool, there is a fee. The splash pad has benches and a grassy area to put your stuff down. The restrooms were clean and there was a Little Free Library right near there. What I loved about the park was the ample amount of shade. Definitely a fun place to take the kids in the summer.

"I'm gonna hang out in the park, hang out after dark I'm…read moregonna be with the gang tonight" (The Ramones) West Hartford's Fernridge Park has so many nice features! We had a very enjoyable time strolling on their trails and taking in the pretty scenery around its big pond. We saw a ton of features on the park grounds - a wood bridge over the water and a splash pad, playground and playscape where the kids were having a blast. We saw families hanging out at their grills and picnic tables, plus a Little League field, basketball, volleyball, tennis courts and a big swimming pool. The leisure and entertainment opportunities here are fantastic. What a great place to relax and enjoy!

I adore walking in the park every day on my lunch. I usually walk across the bridge into Hartford,…read moreloop back and then loop down and through the park to get a bit of fresh air. The statues are cool to see during the different seasons, and it's just a nice, quiet, contemplative area to visit. My office overlooks the park too so it's cool to see what's going on if I ever need to daydream out my window.

The Great River Park is a small park right off the highway, in East Hartford. This park is right on…read morethe Connecticut River. There were a number of people fishing and some were walking. There are some picnic benches if you'd like to be the one with nature while enjoying your lunch. This park is very clean, the grass has been cut recently. There's a substantial amount of trash cans, so no one should be littering on the park. On the other side of the river is where you'll find the capital city of Hartford. With some tall insurance buildings as well as the historic Colt Armory building, that is in plain sight. This is a nice place to step outside, if you happen to be working in one of the close by offices. This however, isn't my favorite or go to park because of how noisy the highway traffic can be.

It's a bridge. It gets me to work. It doesn't collapse. What else can you ask from a bridge!…read more Well, besides the part I drive in, the foot path is an excellent walk on a nice day with the juxtaposition of the city, Constitution Plaza, and the city. Turns out you can ask more from a bridge. This one at least,

With access to Riverfront Plaza, Founders Bridge not only connects East Hartford to Hartford -- but…read morealso links Columbus Boulevard to Constitution Plaza with one of my favorite bridge walkways in CT. Skating, biking, strolling, or running; the pedestrian walkway is perfect for enjoying great views in all directions as you walk into Hartford. When you have some time, park in East Hartford and walk along the river's edge. You'll experience a part of Hartford not many are familiar with!

I'm amazed by the beauty of this place!…read more MDC operates the water treatment plants located at this reservoir. This is a privately owned area and not a public park. There was MDC Police that patrolled the area when I was there. Parking was plentiful when we went on a beautiful spring weekday. There were clean porta potties onsite. There were trails in the woods and out in the open; the trails were paved and gravel. It is opened daily from sunrise to sunset and closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. There were two trails; 3.4-mile loop red trail and 2.0-mile loop yellow trail. We started off with the gravel yellow trail that has a slight incline. Then we got onto part of the red loop which was near the bridge overlooking the water. We saw a couple of deer in the woods, geese, and turtles in the water. This is where we walked on pavement. Some of the trees were marked by type. The trail was busy with walkers and bikers. Overall, I really enjoyed the hike/walk and can't wait to go back.

The WH Reservoir has been my peaceful playground and refuge since the '70's…read more Hard to believe that State Connecticut had a planned to construct ring highway through the hills beside the Reservoir. Following public protest and legal battle(s) the project was shelved indefinitely back in the 70's. This was also about the time, vehicle traffic was barred on many of the back MDC roadways. What was left, beautiful network of paved and foot beaten paths. Everyday day of the week, the public are welcome to walk, jog, saunter, bicycle these mapped trails. Mountain biking has been throttled down significantly due to excessive wear and tear on the wooded areas. Biking still remains popular long designated routes and in a one-way pattern (for everyones safety). Pedestrians: Please mind the painted walking path, eyes on drifting into the bike path - that way ALL will enjoy. Kilkenny rock has been one of my favorite destinations (refer to an MDC map) this is a nice overlook of the Hartford sky scape. Trails also connect from the Farmington Avenue entrance across to Route 44 passing over Avon Mountain. GPS and one of my favorite apps "All Trails" are helpful even to a season chap like me.