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Outdoor Action
Airvertising and Airventures
Simsbury, CT 06070
Tel. (860) 651-4441 or (800) 535-2473
Hot air ballooning.
Antique Carriage and Sleigh Museum of New England at Allegra Farm
Route 82, East Haddam, CT 06423
Tel. (860) 873-9658
An authentic livery stable offering old-fashioned pony rides, carriage rides, and sleigh or hay rides.
Berkshire Balloons
Southington, CT 06489
Tel. (203) 250-8441
Year-round hot air balloon flights lasting one hour from the Southington/Farmington Valley areas. Spectacular views during fall foliage tours; overnight, champagne celebration, and other special packages available.
Bishop’s Orchards
1355 Boston Post Road, Guilford, CT 06437
Tel. (203) 458-7425
A farm market and a pick-your-own opportunity throughout the growing season, with more than 200 acres of fruits and vegetables.
Blue Hills Farm Apple Orchards
141 School House Road, Wallingford, CT 06492
Tel. (203) 269-3189
A 300-acre orchard on the northern slope of Sleeping Giant Mountain, with apples, peaches, pears, and Italian plums in season.
Bushnell Park
Elm & Jewell Streets, Hartford 06103
Forty-acre municipal park adjacent to the state Capitol and grounds offers free concerts and live theater, as a 116-foot Civil War memorial arch, a small public art gallery, a children’s play environment, and a 1914 carousel with forty-eight horses, two lovers’ chariots with many mirrors and lightbulbs, all orchestrated to the sounds of a Wurlitzer band organ.
Calder’s Stegosaurus
Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103
A massive and whimsical steel sculpture by Alexander Calder located in Burr Mall, a small park on Main Street between the Wadsworth Atheneum and Hartford’s city hall.
Charter Oak Landing Cruises
Daily riverboat cruises from Hartford’s Charter Oak Landing on the Lady Fenwick; reservations not needed.
Connecticut AMAIZing Maze
278 Chamberlain Road, Middletown, CT 06457
Tel. (860) 346-3360
Two miles of winding paths that create a maze interwoven with a living cornfield; the theme changes from year to year.
Deep River Navigation, Mark Twain Cruises
152 River Street, Deep River, CT 06417
Tel. (860) 526-4954
Riverboat service that connects with the Essex Steam Train, also sightseeing cruises from Old Saybrook and Hartford; inquire about fall foliage and eagle watch cruises.
Eagle Aviation, Goodspeed Landing
East Haddam, CT 06423
Tel. (860) 873-8658 or (800) 564-2359
Year-round sightseeing flights.
Elizabeth Park
Prospect and Asylum Avenues, Hartford, CT 06105
Tel. (860) 242-0017
Rose garden with 15,000 bushes in more than 900 varieties (at peak in late June), greenhouses open to the public; warm-weather outdoor concerts; winter outdoor skating; pond house café with fine dining.
Emerald City Ballooning
154 Oak Street, Manchester, CT 06040
Tel. (860) 647-8581
Hot air ballooning.
Essex Steam Train and Riverboat Ride
1 Railroad Avenue, Essex, CT 06426
Tel.(860) 767-0103
A narrated steam train ride covering folklore and the natural scenery along the way.
4-H Farm Resource Center and Orchard
Simsbury Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002
Tel. (860) 242-7144
Animals, pick-your-own farm.
Farmington River Tubing
Farmington River Outpost, New Hartford, CT 06057
Located 12 miles west of Hartford on Route 44 (across from Foothills Plaza). Rental of flotation devices and specially designed river tubes, with put-in and takeout (bus shuttle) at Satan's Kingdom State Recreation Area.
First Company Governor’s Horse Guard
232 West Avon Road, Avon, CT 06001
Tel. (860) 673-3525
Horse guard that serves as part of the state’s organized militia. Drills and other events.
Goodwin Park
1192 Maple Avenue, Hartford, CT 06114
Tel. (860) 543-8876, (860) 956-3601 (golf course)
Twenty-seven-hole golf course; driving range; fitness trail; baseball and soccer fields; playground; swimming pool; basketball, volleyball, paddle tennis, and tennis courts; and playscapes; call about special events.
Hammonasset Beach State Park
Boston Post Road, Route 1, Madison, CT 06443
Tel. (203) 245-2785
The largest of Connecticut’s shoreline parks, with a two-mile beach, concessions, restrooms, and changing rooms; accommodates swimming, camping, fishing, scuba diving, mountain biking, hiking, rollerblading, and boating.
Heritage Trails Sightseeing Tours
P.O. Box 138, Hartford, CT 06034-0138. Tel. (860) 677-8867
Two-hour narrated guided tours run daily in air-conditioned minibus from Hartford and Farmington hotels; sights include Hartford, Charter Oak, Mark Twain’s Hartford, Amistad sites, and ancient graveyards, with step-on guide service.
Hubbard Park and Castle Craig
West Main Street, Meriden, CT 06450
Tel. (203) 630-4259
A 1,802-acre park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted that includes a lake, tennis courts, pavilion, and playground with swings, with a replica of an ancient tower 1,002 feet above sea level.
Huck Finn Adventures and Sales
Collinsville, CT 06022
Tel (860) 693-0385
Canoeing and tubing; call for reservations.
Kat Balloons
Farmington, CT 06032
Tel. (860) 678-7921
Hot air ballooning.
Leonard’s Sugar House
555 Cherrybrook Road, Canton, CT 06019
Tel. (860) 693-8514
Sugar house open February-April for tours; call for boiling times. Maple sugar products for sale year round.
Livingston Balloon
70 West Street, Simsbury, CT 06070
Tel. (860) 651-1110.
Lyman Orchards
Route 157, Middlefield, CT 06455
Tel. (888) 995-9626
A farm store, cider mill, pick-your-own, and corn maze.
Main Stream Corporation
P.O. Box 448, New Hartford, CT 06057
Tel. (860) 738-7419
White- or flatwater canoeing, day and weekend trips, camping on the river, sales and rentals; call to reserve.
Meriden Aviation Services
213 Evansville Avenue, Meriden, CT 06450
Tel. (203) 238-4400
Fall foliage rides, aircraft rentals, certified flight instruction.
New England Outfitters and Range Center
342 Quinnipiac Street, Wallingford, CT 06492
Tel. (203) 284-9999
Hunting, fishing, and archery equipment; indoor ranges are available.
North American Whitewater Expeditions
170 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT 06443
Tel. (800) 727-4379
Whitewater rafting on the Housatonic River, Class IV and V, including technical drops and spectacular waterfalls, with licensed guides, equipment, and shuttles.
Pickin’ Patch
276 Nod Road, Avon, CT 06001
Tel. (860) 677-9552
A large pick-your-own farm.
Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine
Newgate Road, East Granby, CT 06026 (Exit 40, I-91)
Tel. (860) 653-3563
A colonial prison and copper mine with caves and ruins that can be explored today. Guided tour available.
Prime Climb Rock Gym
340 Silversmith Park, Bldg. 28, Wallingford, CT 06492
Tel. (203) 265-7880
A rock-climbing gym with more than 15,000 square feet of indoor climbing—novice level to expert—on textured walls as much as forty feet high. Lessons available.
Rocky Hill – Glastonbury Ferry
Route 160, Rocky Hill, CT 06067
Oldest continuously operating ferry service in the United States, dating to 1655; crosses the Connecticut River several times daily between May 1 and October 31.
Rose’s Berry Farm
295 Matson Hill Road and 1200 Hebron Avenue, Glastonbury, CT 06033
Tel. (860) 633-7467
Pick your own strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
Saybrook Point Cruises
Saybrook Point Dock, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
Tel. (860) 526-4954
Summertime cruises from Saybrook Point aboard Aunt Polly.
Schooner Sound Learning
60 South Water Street, New Haven, CT 06519
Tel. (203) 865-1737
A marine educational organization offering cruises for adults and children as well as summer or school-year programs on the schooner Quinnipiack.
Stafford Motor Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT 06076
Tel. (860) 684-2783
NASCAR Auto Racing.
Stony Creek Kayak
327 Leete’s Island Road, Stony Creek, CT 06405
Tel. (203) 481-6401
Sea kayaking for all ability levels; instruction available.
Sunbeam Express
Saybrook Point Dock, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
Tel. (860) 443-7259
Excursions in February-March to view bald eagles.
Talcott Mountain State Park
Route 185, Simsbury, CT 06070
Tel. (860) 242-1158
One-mile hike to the historic 165-foot Heublein Tower on Avon Mountain, with superb views of Hartford and the Farmington River valley; picnic and hiking areas, music festival and other activities in the summer.
Thimble Islands Cruises
Stony Creek, CT 06405
(1) Sea Mist II (45-minute cruise): Capt. Michael Infantino, Jr., P.O. Box 3138
Tel. (860) 488-8905
(2) Volsunga IV (45-minute cruise): Capt. Bob Milne, P.O. Box 3284
Tel. (860) 481-3345
Narrated cruises in the Thimble Islands, featuring anecdotes about Tom Thumb, Captain William Kidd, a badly behaved mother-in-law, and other local notables.
Windriders Balloon
Farmington, CT 06032
Tel. (860) 677-0647
In
nearby Massachusetts
Zoar Outdoor
On the Deerfield River, Charlemont, MA
Tel. (800) 532-7483
Rock climbing, canoe and kayak instruction, sea kayak trips, whitewater rafting, and an outfitters’ shop.
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