A warm, English-Tudor style cottage built in the 1920s on the top of a meadow surrounded by…read moregardens. Fields filled with birds, butterflies and dragonflies. I wish I could describe it better... I'm not going to, because I'm tired. I guess you can always just look at the photos. Unless you decide to actually go and experience it for yourself. Either way...

Since moving to CT, we discovered a great program that gives a little incentive for visiting a…read morenumber of CT state parks, the DEEP Sky's The Limit Program. In 2017, Topsmead was among the parks listed, so we decided to go give it a visit. Winter was not the best time to visit, and it's hard to give it a really good/fair rating. The main farmhouse area was closed for the season, and the weather wasn't really great for hiking. It would be a great spot for cross country skiing in the winter, though. The outstanding negative at the time of our visit were the state of the toilets. They're pit toilets, which is fine, but they were not dug at all deeply, and if not for the freezing weather, I can imagine it would be rather unpleasantly fragrant. We'll definitely be visiting again and reevaluating at some point.

Burr Pond State Park is a very beautiful and peaceful park. The pond is the showstopper here, hence…read morethe name. Driving up to the park was enjoyable; there's a big hill with a small waterfall you can see from the street. The parking area was a decent size but I can see it being packed in the summer and on weekends. The park is on 438-acres and the man-made pond is 85-acres. Popular recreational activities in this park are hiking, fishing, swimming, and boating. The pond was created in 1851 to help produce power buy building dams. There are two trails within the park; 2.5-mile blue blazed Walcott Trail which goes around the pond and 2-mile John Muir trail which goes through multiple parks. The beach is quaint but does the job on a hot day rather than driving an hour or so to the beach. There were so many picnic tables throughout; definitely a nice area for picnics. There is a seasonal boat rental and concession stand. If you want to go boating, there is a boat launch. We went in the winter for an event, the parking lot was packed so they were offering shuttles. The park was beautiful in the winter with the pond being frozen. There were people ice fishing and playing on the ice. I went recently on a spring weekday, temperature was perfect and the place was quiet. We walked on the trail and it was lovely with the view of the pond. Overall, a great park and will be there as often as we can.

"Don't say a word Don't say anything…read moreDon't say a word I'm not even listening You better watch your step" (Elvis Costello) Trust the Mayor. You'd better watch your step as you're walking the three mile trail that circles Burr Pond, or you'll end up face first on the dirt trail with a broken ankle. The dirt trail sure has its share of dangerous tree roots and rocks, followed by relatively hazard free stretches to walk. You sure get some gorgeous views of the water! We saw people fishing, swimming by the small beach, a big group hanging out by picnic tables playing salsa music, and two dog owners whose well behaved dogs were swimming in the pond. The trail itself is flat with just a handful of inclines, but most of those inclines are tree trunk related. It really is a lovely park.

This conservation and recreation area in Harwinton, has plenty to offer. There's a library, town…read morehall, senior center, baseball field, basketball courts, tennis courts, sand volleyball court, picnic pavilion, fishing pond, hiking trails, lacrosse field, a concession stand, and a playground. The parking lot was large. Everything looked nicely maintained there. The library is small but has everything you would need in a library. On this visit, we played at the playground. The playground had a few swings, a couple of slides, playscape, a climbing playscape, and a ball pit. There were a couple of benches. Overall, a great spot to hang out! Everything is in close proximity and it's a great spot to get some fresh air and exercise.

At first glance, a neighborhood park with a few cottages, a field, and a large dirt parking lot…read more The cottages were for the Girl Scouts based on the sign I saw on them. I was here for the playground so I walked across the field to the back and found it. I didn't realize there were parking in the back lot and closer to the playground. The fenced in playground was big and had plenty of swings and space for my toddler to run around. The weather was perfect (55 degrees in February) so there were a few other people there. There was snow on the ground in certain parts, so it was very muddy/slippery in some spots. A few of the playscapes were taped off with caution tape; I'm assuming they were broken. This park is on 200 acres of land and has many events. There is a 50 acre lake area. The spring fed lake is called West Hill Lake; people can swim, fish, and boat in it. In the summer, you will need to buy a beach pass. They also have tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, and basketball courts. Nearby and across the street, you can find the Franklin P. Kearney Conservative Trail. Overall, a great spot to get some fresh air and exercise. Hopefully they will fix the broken playscapes and it will be less muddy when it gets warmer soon.

Just not great. Has a lot that could be improved. Not well kept, run of the mill regular park.read more

This recreation and conservation area in Harwinton has a pond, playground, picnic pavilion, beach…read morevolleyball net, benches, and trails. The trails are used for hiking and mountain biking; trailheads are located at multiple locations, such as Bentley Drive and South Road. The trails were a little muddy and buggy since it just rained; it was easy to walk on with a few roots here and there. I saw a structure that looked a like a teepee. These trails are connected to the library, sports complex, and town hall. There were plenty of parking and the road going into the parking area was narrow and on a hill; it almost looked like a private driveway. The entrance was in front of a traffic light. We went to the playground shortly after it rained so it was damp. It was a small playground on mulch. There were a couple of slides, a handful of swings, and ladders. The pond was beautiful with all the water lilly pads and flowers; I saw quite a few fish. Per the town's website, it's stocked with trout every spring. There was an old looking tennis court; it appeared to be run down and taped off, so I'm not sure if it's open. Overall, a great conservation and leisure area.

Bull Pond Preserve aka Allen M. Heflin Wildlife Sanctuary, is on about 70 acres, 50 acres of…read moreforest/marshland, and 20 acres of pond. It's part of the Harwinton Land Trust and donated by the Heflin Family in 1988. There is a paved parking lot across from the Harwinton Fairgrounds; it's easy to miss so drive very slowly. It can fit maybe 3-4 vehicles; there's a boat ramp for the fire department to use, so please don't block it. There is parking along Locust Road also. The path leads to an observation deck with a bench and kiosk. The view of the pond was lovely on an autumn day. Beware though, there was a mound of dog poo because some, you know what, didn't pick up after their dog and I stepped on it. There were benches along the way, for me to sit and clean my sneakers (angry face emoji). The path leads to a small boardwalk and multiple trails. We did the short white loop trail and it was peaceful and easy. There are 2 miles total of trails, out and back. The foliage is starting and it was nice to see. We saw geese and turtles basking on a log in the pond. The pond is shallow but fishing and non-motorized boating is allowed. In the winter, there is ice skating allowed on the pond; cross country skiing and snow shoeing is also allowed on trails. All in all, I enjoyed this peaceful walk. There's plenty to look at. There were a few other people on the trail. Aside from the dog poo, the preserve was 5 stars.

I went on the Broadwalk Trail years ago with my dog Emma. She loved it, except for one small thing…read more- the space it takes for two humans, one lifting medium sized dog, is about the width of the trail over the water and in the swamp. You can take strollers, but it may cause careful maneuvering around each other. The area in general is beautiful and colorful in the fall. In the summer it is bland New England green, and watch out for ticks! The new parking lot is pretty big and gets cars off the road.

This place is so serene!…read more The trail is a 1.2 mile loop; the elevated wooden walkway is built around a pond called "Little Pond". The views of the dense forest and wetland is picturesque. We saw birds and wildlife tracks. The trail also goes of over Bantam river in a couple of spots. There were plenty of parking on the gravel. The sign at the entrance states "White Memorial Boardwalk Parking". First you walk on a flat dirt path and take a right onto the boardwalk, which is marked black and white. There is a huge power line going through the wetland. Some of the boardwalk got narrow in certain spots. We were able to bring our baby stroller on; thankfully it was a jeep offroading one, because there were steps, rocks, and roots in certain areas. We did notice a handful of dog poop baggies on the ground; why would someone bag it and just leave it on the side of the trail? The expectation is to take only pictures and leave only footsteps. How can you pollute such beautiful grounds when you're using it also? Think people..... Aside from that, I love the boardwalk concept. I wish I had this closer to me, I'd definitely be there daily.