Search Results for: hiking in Connecticut

7 Family Friendly Hiking Spots in Central Connecticut
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7 Family Friendly Hiking Spots in Central Connecticut

One of the good things to come out of the COVID 19 pandemic for our family was the desire to spend more time outdoors. While our family has always enjoyed outdoor spots like the beach, the zoo, and various parks, we’ve never really been “hikers.” Until 2020, we also didn’t have many opportunities to explore our state parks. Connecticut has 142 state parks and state forests, covering 255,000 acres of public space and thousands of trails for both amateur and veteran hikers. We’ve been fortunate to have time this past year to “hit the trails”; read about some of our favorite spots in Fairfield County, western Connecticut, and the Mystic area. This week, we’re sharing seven great spots in Central Connecticut. Note: this is not a comprehensive list- there are so many more spots that are on our “to do” list- but it is a good start:

10 Family Friendly Hiking Spots in Fairfield County, Connecticut
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10 Family Friendly Hiking Spots in Fairfield County, Connecticut

We’re back with another index of places we’ve explored in the past year. (We’ve previously posted about places to hike in Western Connecticut and places to hike in the Mystic area.) Many of these spots are practically in our backyard and it’s taken us an embarrassingly long time to check them out. They are all free to visit in the off season (October-May), although some locations do rely on donations for upkeep and programming. Most of the locations in this collection are somewhat of a stretch for “hiking” for true hikers, as many of the trails are under three miles and fairly easy to navigate. But we think they’re all great spots for family fun, especially families with younger kids.

13 Places to Hike in Connecticut for National Take a Hike Day
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13 Places to Hike in Connecticut for National Take a Hike Day

This coming Friday, November 17th is National Take a Hike Day and while we wouldn’t label ourselves big hikers- we use the term “hiker” loosely- we have come to love getting exercise while enjoying the beauty of nature and fresh air. During the pandemic, and since then, we have explored many of Connecticut’s state parks; you can read about the many reasons we love state parks in this post.  Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection oversees 142 state parks, forests, and beaches sprawled across a quarter million acres. There are SO many hiking trails and paths to explore, but over the years, we have returned to a few areas that are super kid friendly. 

Summer 2023 Connecticut Bucket List
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Summer 2023 Connecticut Bucket List

Every summer, our family makes individual bucket lists of things we want to do and places we want to explore. We usually have a good mix of perennial favorites and new-to-us spots. This week, we thought we’d share some suggestions of things to do in Connecticut this summer (most of which can easily be modified for your neck of the woods).  We’re sharing this list now because 1. We always like to be ahead of the game and 2. Some of these activities require reservations that will fill up quickly. 

Eight FREE Places to Explore with Kids in New Haven, Connecticut
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Eight FREE Places to Explore with Kids in New Haven, Connecticut

Probably best known as the home of Yale University and the pizza capital of America (it may be self proclaimed, but we agree!), New Haven is the second largest city in Connecticut. It’s situated two hours north of Manhattan and about two hours south of Boston, right on the I95 corridor. The city of 130,000+ residents has many cultural neighborhoods, rich history, and several family friendly attractions that are FREE to visit. 

10 Things to Do with Kids in Hartford, Connecticut
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10 Things to Do with Kids in Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, the capital city of Connecticut, is located smack in the middle of the Nutmeg State- less than two hours to Boston, New York City, and Providence, Rhode Island. First settled in the mid 1600s, Hartford has become known over the centuries as the home of authors Mark Twain and Harriett Beecher Stowe, the insurance capital of America and home to several colleges and universities including Trinity College, University of Hartford, and the University of Saint Joseph. 

We’ve lived in Connecticut since 2004 and since having children, we have explored dozens of family friendly attractions and restaurants- see our index of CT blog posts.

This week we are sharing 10 great spots in (or super near) Hartford the whole family will love.