So Long, Summer!

Three Days. Three Beaches.

Summer of twenty twenty-one was all about day trips, tennis and swimming.

Harkness Memorial State Park

Built in 1906-1907, Harkness Memorial State Park is a historic preservation area with a lovely garden and a 42-room Renaissance Revival mansion located on Long Island Sound in the town of Waterford, Connecticut.

Pros:

• Mostly locals so less crowded
• Gatsby-era mansion
• Fishing
• Bird-watching

Cons:

• The beach is not that big and rather pebbly
• No swimming

Bluff Point State Park

Bluff Point State Park is a nature preserve on an undeveloped peninsula located between the Poquonnock River and Mumford Cove on Long Island Sound in the town of Groton, Connecticut.

Pros:

• The park is open to swimming (no lifeguard), horseback riding, fishing, crabbing, shellfishing, boating and kayaking.
• Plenty of trails for hiking and biking
• Photo-op with a boat wreck and some pretty shells

Cons:

• • Too many bugs on the trails that lead to the beach
  • Too many pebbles on the beach

Hammonasset Beach State Park

One of the more popular beaches of Fairfield County, Hammonasset Beach State Park is a public recreation area occupying two miles of beach front on Long Island Sound in the town of Madison, Connecticut. It is the state’s largest shoreline park, has long stretches of campgrounds and a Nature Center that’s wildly popular with kids.

Pros:

• Swimming, salt water fishing and camping
• Nature Center

Cons:

• Fills up quickly on weekends