Ellington is located in the Connecticut River Valley about 20 minutes from Hartford, This quaint…read morelittle town is a blend of agriculture and industry and vested in a culture of hard-work and pride. Incorporated in 1786 on land that had once been known as the Great Marsh, Ellington still remains one of the largest agricultural production towns in Connecticut, a drive down West Road at the right time of the year with the prevailing winds will erase any doubt, the farming culture is still alive and well in the valley. I still find it fascinating that much of the roadside advertising is centered around fresh eggs, suckling pigs, fresh manure, farm sheds and grass fed beef which adds to its rural charm, yet there's a feeling of suburbia as well with its close proximity to the Hartford suburbs. You'll have to travel by car to get into town, there isn't any bus or train service to Ellington, it's not uncommon to see tractors or other farm vehicles leading a line of cars through town so show a little patience or the local authorities will remind you not to be in such a hurry. I've had many opportunities to meet and interact with the locals and I can't say I've found any better people than right here, whether it's doing business or having coffee or lunch in one of the local eateries they never fail to extend a warm welcome to all. In the seven or so years I've been coming here I haven't seen any significant changes and I applaud the citizens of Ellington for holding onto their past and embracing their future, they are very protective of their community, their culture, and their people and are committed to holding up the morals and ethics that has made them successful for over 200 years, it's kinda tough to argue that point.

The only spot where you have a complaint about a department and told to go to the department. Ex. I…read morewant to make a complaint about the DMV in hartfors for example. I go to hartford who tells me go to the DMV and complain. Other words complaint does nothing. The department does nothing. Besides trespass on your property and sit on their town back sides. Dogs early in morning sorry buddy. Construction 7am sorry. Do nothing.

The Collinsville Green is located right on Main St. Near Lasalle's Deli. Across the street is…read moreLisa's Crown and Hammer. Various businesses can be found all along the main street. The parking lot is adjacent to the town green and so is the Canton Town Hall. Parking can also be found on street. On the cement areas there were a couple of picnic tables. There is a small grassy area as well. There are many town events that takes place there. Music on Main is one of them; it's a live concert that happens weekly. Many people bring their chairs and watch the event from the grassy area. A brief history, Collinsville was founded because of the Collinsville Axe Factory. The church was built in 1836 and the town green was added approximately at the time. Homes were built for employees of the axe factory around the town green. This area was a focal point for the towns people back then and even so now. The area is small but the history is rich.

3.5 stars. Granby Public Library is one of two libraries in the town of Granby. The building looks…read moredecent with plenty of parking spots. The person that I spoke to at the front desk was friendly. The children's room was on the smaller side but had plenty of toys for the little ones. There was a train table and various toys. There were two librarians there; I spoke to one and she was very friendly. The play area was very small and cramped. There were a handful of chairs for the adults. There were a few other children there playing; so not much space to sprawl out. Out of all the libraries I've been to, I think is one is average. There are great resources at the library; books, DVDs, audiobooks.

I needed some important documents printed, my printer at home wasn't cooperating, so I went to the…read morelibrary in Granby. This library is located in the same area as the Granby Town Hall and the Police Station. As I walked towards the computers, I found two elderly people complaining about how "they need to upgrade the whole system because nothing is working". I was thinking, why did I come here? I proceeded to print what I needed, and it printed out just fine and quickly. With my papers in hand, I decided to stay a few minutes and check out this library. This is a nice library, very well organized and has plenty of resources. They even have boxes of puzzles, you can check out. I also checked out the kids area. They have plenty of books categorized by holidays, like Christmas and Halloween. There was a very unpleasant lady eyeing me who was working at the children's department. She asked "may I help you?" a few times. I told her, I'm just looking, she kept eyeing me. Is it because I didn't have a child with me? Maybe I'm a teacher or maybe I have a child at home... For this discomfort, I'm l giving this library four stars. I went to the front desk, where I was greeted by a very pleasant lady who I paid 0.40 cents for the four pages I printed.

It's a free-for-all institution for the whole entire community of Newington…read more They have a lot of non fiction volumes plus they have a beautiful Children's room. They also have an ongoing book sale. The Library hosts a book sale twice a year at the Senior Center P S. They changed the address from Cedar St. to Garfield St. in 2020 several years after the Cedar Street driveway was blocked by concrete.

Love this library! Plenty of parking. Great selection of books. The staff is so nice and…read morepersonable! I also love the online system- for hold requests and renewals especially. It is so easy to request books and you get a week to pick it up. I love the rapid read section as well if I really don't want to wait for a high demand book. The only thing I would suggest is to modernize this library as it definitely is in need of a sprucing up to make it more inviting- kind of hard though with all the renovations going on at the town hall next to it (construction city). All in all it's a great perk of this town. Very happy to have this library close by.

The new library is spectacular! The opened of the rooms and the open with Dow lighting is amazing…read moreand beautiful! There is plenty of space between stacks of books for accessibility on all levels! The community room is large and the acoustics are great for musical performances and speakers! Many great daily weekly and monthly events are planned!

As of 2024, the Bloomfield Public Library has temporarily relocated combined Prosser and Wintonbury…read morelibrary buildings to MetLife building because both of these buildings will be undergoing new construction and that these new buildings should be set to completion by next year or so. It's a very nice library portion of an office building. In order to get to the library at MetLife, you can take an escalator from the lobby next to a huge water fountain. Nice staff, some good selections of books, media and many more. There's a lot to offer at this library -- children's room, printing and scanning, museum passes and more.

This library is top notch in every way. It is also very enormous. One full very large floor for…read moreonly kiddos. The second floor is for teens and adults. The staff is great, and they have lots of events.

I did not expect to find the Farmington library as part of a larger town government complex. If I…read morewere a betting person, I'd blame the seventies. The outside of the building is very austere and gray. There is a fair amount of parking available, so watch out for pedestrians. The building itself is huge; there is a map in the lobby and it is helpful. The lobby has so much on its own - a used book sales area, movies, space to sit.... There used to be (if memory serves over several years) a coffee station but now holds maps for planning information. There is, off the lobby, also a whimsical duck statue. The Friends of the library do a book sale once a year. On the last day, it starts as a normal sale, and in the afternoon goes to $10 per bag you fill with books. There is a gap between those two sales, and a place to queue until the bag sale opens. You're not going to pull one over on the Friends and sneak in as the first part of the sale ends. You'll be asked to wait outside.

"But I remember us riding in my brother's car Her body…read moretanned and wet down at the reservoir" (Bruce Springsteen) Want a low impact walk on a paved trail where you'll see some beautiful scenery and water views? You'll find all of that right here in New Hartford on the Nepaug Reservoir Trail. The mile long trail is wide, paved, flat and about as easy to walk on as any trail we have visited. We parked at the main parking lot on Route 202, walked through a chain link gate, and found the start of the trail to begin our scenic walk around the reservoir and across the historic 109-year-old Nepaug Dam, established in 1917. The 600-foot long dam has a concrete spillway in its center. The spillway is over 100 feet tall and is quite spectacular. The trail around the dam has a few cutouts that serve as observation platforms to take you out over the top of the dam. You will love the views ! The overall scenery is fantastic with great water views of the enormous reservoir. We saw quite a variety of folks out there today - kids on bicycles, young families with strollers, couples of every age, joggers, and lots of leashed dogs.

I have been eyeing the pristine blue water of the Nepaug Reservoir and the dense emerald green…read moreforest surrounding and protecting the watershed over the past 55 years. FINALLY, I took the time to park at one of the two access gates. My preferred gate is near the intersection of Torrington Lane and Country Lane, map-it because this gate is off the beaten path. The other gate is off Litchfield Turnpike, CT Route 202. Both locations have limited parking. This is a very simple walk, not necessarily a hike. 1.0 mile from gate to gate, then the same 1.0 mile back to your original gate, 2.0 mile loop. Not a strenuous walk along it's well maintained paved road. At about the halfway point is the stunning 109 year old Nepaug Reservoir Dam, built between 1912 - 1916 (some say 1917). If you're shy of heights, keep your eyes on the Reservoir side, the downstream side of the dam is rather an extreme drop. Either way both views are worth the experience. Access is limited to only the paved maintenance road, going past the road & into the woods down to the Reservoir is strictly enforced and posted along the road. Despite, this is a beautiful place to visit, greet other walkers with or without a pup, and bikers.

If you're driving by on route 44 in Avon, CT, you might see this giant rocking chair. It's located…read morenear the traffic light and one of the entrances to the Old Avon Village. It's a 9-foot high rocking chair that used to be located at a furniture store in West Hartford. As of the 1960s, it's moved to its current location in Avon. I think it's random but unique; it's definitely an Avon landmark. I heard that they decorate it for the holidays. If you're in the plaza, go up close and admire this old random gem.

"Drive up Route 44 and turn by the giant 9' tall rocking chair...." What ????…read more Yes, there really is a giant 9' tall rocking chair standing guardian at one of the entrances to Old Avon Village The big rocking chair started it's life as a roof ornament on the old Spinning Jenny furniture store in West Hartford. When the store owners moved the business to Avon, they took along their 9' tall rocker and it quickly became a landmark as the symbol for Old Avon Village. It's been repaired and repainted a few times over the year, and on one windy day it was blown off its foundation and ended up in the street. It is very noticeable from the road. Many a wedding photo has been taken in front of the Giant Rocker.