Hopeville Pond continues to a tale of two cities. During the week it is occupied for the most part…read moreby people enjoying the park for what is , the outdoors, nature, kids playing and having fun, fishing and canoeing/kayaking. For this it excels. On weekends it is whole different world . It is occupied by a larger crowd of Inconsiderate people. The general ignoring of the quiet hour rules , not cleaning up after themselves in facilities , playing music at volumes that be heard several sites away, and a new one: The constant running of generators from8:00 AM until 10:00 PM. Really unless someone in your party is on a medical device that needs constant power , I can't understand why you need to run your generator all day. An ice chest can keep your food cold at fraction of the cost of the gas required to run a generator all day. While there are no rules against this , common sense and consideration for others should be all the rule needed. The worst part is the generator people put the generator on the other side of the RV from where they sit so the RV blocks some of the noise . On the other hand it is right next to my site I get the noise from it further amplified by what bounces of your RV. None of these are by any means only issues at Hopeville but I notice a lot more of it here The staff this year were all pleasant , friendly and helpful. The facilities during the week were spotless and they did a good job of trying to maintaining decently clean facilities on weekends . Next year I retire so I will never have to come on weekend again and will be to enjoy Hopeville. Hopefully the inconsiderate will keep their attendance to weekends . It is is nice park but weekends it is not relaxing .

I stayed here 3 nights in a tent. Check-in process was smooth but they did not provide much…read moreinformation as far as any amenities or map/layout of the area. The first night was a struggle considering the ground was almost all gravel and because of this, staking my tent was a tedious task. As long as you have good tent stakes and not the typical ones that come with all tents like I did, you should overcome the terrain. The bathrooms on our loop could have been a little better. We used the cleaning products we had on hand to take care of ourselves but my worry is that the bathrooms were not kept to the highest standard. The flies were overwhelming. The bath houses were private and free but the shower did take a second to warm up. Hopeville Pond State Park offered a welcoming atmosphere and if I ever decide to stay here again, I hope that the experience improves.

We live nearby so we go there 4 or 5 times a week. It's a small beach with a large parking lot…read more You can watch private and military planes fly over from the nearby airport, also watch sailboats and ferry boats going back and forth. The snack bar has good hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings, salads, grilled cheese, ice cream, and specials like steak sandwiches with peppers and onions, or fresh cod sandwiches at very reasonable prices. We really like it there and would recommend it for families with small children and older folks who like to just sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Teens and 20 somethings probably would not like this beach because there are no clubs, etc. It's just a small family beach with basketball courts and a little playground.

So, I have a number of gripes about this beach. Firstly, the parking. They want $30 dollars to park…read moreyour car. $30!!! That is obscene. They do not take card and they do not have an ATM on site. I am out of state visiting and so had to turn around and find a gas station with an ATM so I can get the cash for their obnoxious parking rate. There was no option to pay by mail and again they do not accept cards which is ridiculous. Once you finally get into the beach, it is OK for what it is but it is quite small and not a lot to do. The water and sand is nice but for the $30 price tag to park I was disappointed with the amenities, or lack their of. My daughter had fun which I guess is what matters but based on this experience I will not be returning.

Baseball hoops and…read moredogs Preston Community Park is a great local recreational center. They manage to put a whole lot of features in this park and it is well used in the warm weather and a pleasant place to visit in the winter. The park has sand volley ball courts, baseball and softball fields, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, basketball courts and even a little pond for skating in the cold weather. The park also has picnic tables and nice pavilion with benches, places to cook as well as bathrooms. There is also a walking path around the park as well as a dog walking trail. A nice community park that really does have something for everyone.

Nice place. There's a playground, track, trails, tennis court, basketball, base ball fields, dirty…read morepond like in all parks

The most beautiful, relaxing walk I've had in quite some time. A perfect trail spot for pets, very…read morepet friendly. The homeowner of the house facing the parking lot was very kind while working in his front yard, the whole area was a great experience.

I had a pretty decent experience at this park, but the weather was a factor in perhaps a lower…read morereview than it could be. This park is located off of a residential neighborhood in Groton, close to the coast and with hiking and cycling trails. One of the issues with this park is that none of the trails are really blazed, so although there's a trail map, there are a lot of deer paths and twisty trails that make navigation difficult. Rain makes this a little more tricky. We were there to see the Canopy Rock, which is a historical landmark, the site of a religious revival. Sadly, the rock is covered in graffiti, which was really disappointing. I plan on coming back to give this park another chance, because what we saw was interesting, but the rain really forced us to cut our visit short.

So my visit here started with a dream - I wanted my dog to see the ocean. The internet claimed this…read morewas a dog friendly beach, so off we went! Yes, it is technically on a bay, but it's salt water, there are sea shells and sea glass, and considering my dog is two feet tall and hats the water, this is an ocean beach (for him). I will die on this hill. Williams Beach is adjacent to the YMCA and like, three giant steps from their parking lot. It does seem the internet got it right that the beach is without life guard after Labor Day, and there is signage asking dogs to stay off the sand and out of the water. There are also "park" areas, I assume owned by the YMCA, including but not limited to, a volleyball court, playground, and baseball fields. Picnic tables are plentiful. It was nice and quiet in the middle of September on a weekday, although it must be packed in the summer. It was pretty clean, although any litter I saw was definitely from irresponsible humans and not the inexplicably banned dogs.

We were looking for a beach or park close by, to catch some afternoon rays after our busy day in…read moreMystic, This scrubby little park was close and has a small pebbly beach on a bay. There are some positives: + Playground + Free Parking + Picnic Area + Open Field + Easy Access + Shallow, protected water good for children + Lifeguard on duty in summer There are some negatives: - Very small beach - Small swimming area - Beach has pebbles and the sand isn't comfortable to walk on - Limited shade - Not very attractive - A modest view - Porta Potty's for rest rooms - No other services A go to place for beach goers? I don't think so, but likley not a bad spot for locals with kids.

This 134-acre parcel of land is a great place to go for a hike, no matter the weather! I visited…read morein the wintertime and had the opportunity to trek around the multiple trails in this location in the snow. There are a couple spaces set aside to park at this trailhead located in a somewhat residential area. Hikers are almost immediately rewarded with a high vantage point overlooking Winnapaug Pond, Misquamicut Beach, and the Block Island Sound. There is a healthy mix of ups and downs, flat terrain, rock walls, and so much more. Maintained by the Westerly Land Trust, there are more than 2 miles of marked pathways. Benches, ponds, birdhouses, and poetry are part of the sights along your route. Former farmland, this protected land is quite picaresque. Check it out!

One of my favorite places to go and walk my dog. The trails are well maintained. I usually do the…read moreouter loop, which is about 2.25 miles.

A walk by a…read morecreek The Birch Plain Creek Wildlife Area is a pleasant place for an easy hike or walk by the water. Birch Creek is a salt marsh estuarine system that attracts all kinds of large aquatic birds and other critters. The creek is tidal and the amount of water varies at lot depending on the tides so it can look quite different depending on when you go. Sometimes the coolest things are seen at very low tide when the creepy critters that live on the bottom are visible. The area has several miles of hiking in the woods and depending on the time of year can be extremely over grown with dense foliage and always infested with both mosquitoes and nasty flies that love this type of environment. Or course ticks are a constant menace in the warm weather. Not a large place for a strenuous workout but a pleasant little place to see the wetlands and the critters and plants that live there. Probably best in the late fall or winter when the horrid biting insects and ticks die off but interesting all year long.

This place is such a little treasure. This place is so well-maintained. It's stunning. There are so…read moremany different types of trees here and they are labeled so you can get an idea of what type of trees that you're looking at. There are several loops in this place that you can loop around different sections. The main loop is around the pond but there's other shoots so you can spend a couple hours here just wandering around checking out the different things. The trails are well maintained. You may get turned around a little only because there are so many loops but just keep your eye on the pond and you won't get lost. I recommend thisplace. It's very easy walk. My friend and I walked around for about an hour and a half half or so just taking in all of the scenery. We definitely plan to come back here in May or June when the mountain is at its peak because there is so much mountain Laurel here. I think that will be stunning at this time of year. I also want to come back in September October to watch the colors of the leaves change. The parking is off street parking. There are signs for two hour parking. I did not see any charged parking, but it looks like you can park on both sides of the roads up and down the street.

What a hidden gem! Wanted to take a walk along the water on a summer weekend day but finding a good…read morespot that allowed for social distancing was a challenge. Although the arboretum is not on the the sound, this place was perfect. Very quiet and incredibly expansive. I didn't do tons of exploring in here but it looks like there are plenty of paths to walk! The paths aren't paved but to be expected in this environment - very natural wooded area. If walking isn't what you are looking for there is space to spread out and have a picnic (no tables) overlooking some small ponds. This place is easily accessed from a Williams Street. Many of the addresses online have you enter through the gates on Monhegan Ave, you won't be able to access the arboretum here. Had to up on theto drive back out to the main road and drive to the other side of campus where you can access the arboretum. Easily found free 2-hour street parking. Not sure how easy it would be during the academic year but it wasn't an issue when I went but spots had definitely filled in by the time I got back to the car. Looking forward to coming back and this time more prepared to fully experience this wonderful spot!