Since no one is traveling very far for their summer vacations this year, we decided to publish a list of places in Connecticut to explore, compliments of Linda Seretny Navin. Too often we neglect our natural surroundings; this is an opportunity to explore our own back yard.

Wadsworth Falls: A nature preserve on the Coginchaug River in Middletown, this 3.7 mile loop trail features a renowned waterfall.

Saville Dam: A half-mile long and 135 feet high, this “architectural marvel” in Barkhamsted is a perfect spot for a picnic, along the sweeping curve of the earth embankment overlooking Lake McDonough.

Hubbard Park: At an elevation of 976, one can view Long Island Sound to the south and the Berkshires to the north from the 32 foot Castle Craig stone observation tower.
Charles Island: Located a half mile off the coast of Silver Sands Beach in Milford, visitors have a two hour window to cross a tombolo only visible when the water recedes at low tide to reach this island with its storied past.

Indian Rock Shelters Trail: This one mile loop trail in Madison features, among streams and woodlands, two natural rock shelter home sites of early native Americans.

Enders State Forest: Granby offers hundreds of acres of trails in forests, along wetlands, and most famously featuring Enders Falls.

Drake Hill Road Bridge: A bridge of flowers in Simsbury built in 1892, it is one of the three surviving Parker truss bridges in the state and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Gungywamp: This enigmatic area in Groton is a complex of stone structures containing Native American artifacts and colonial and Early American structures, a source of much speculation.

Connecticut Audubon Society’s Coastal Center: This Milford Point refuge offers barrier beaches, salt marshes, tide pools, coastal dunes, a boardwalk and three observation platforms, including a 70 foot tower.