Are you looking for fun and exciting things to do in Litchfield Hills for vacation? Enjoy this Litchfield Hills travel article to help you plan your Litchfield Hills travel itinerary!
If your only experience visiting Connecticut has been driving on Rt. 84 from Danbury to Stockbridge, or along I95 from New York to Providence, then you haven't experienced the true beauty of the Litchfield Hills in Northwestern Connecticut. Driving through the scenic and sometimes mountainous areas of the area, you are surrounded by lakes, rivers and beautiful farm country. You won't see strip malls, or even grocery stores in most of the towns here. It is a quiet and peaceful region, where people come to get away from it all.
Our family trip began in New Hartford at Farmington River Tubing on Route 44 at Satan's Kingdom State Park. On a beautiful August day, after enjoying a picnic, we rented tubes (along with life preservers) and we floated on a relaxing 2-2.5 hour journey down the Farmington River. We were challenged by a few short white water sections, where the water picked up speed and twisted us around on a fun adventure, but our family (with two kids ages 10 and 12) had no trouble maneuvering the current and staying safely in our tubes. The water carried us on a slow and steady pace, so that we were able to relax and enjoy the ride with no effort on our part. We were forced to slow down our usual fast-paced daily lives to enjoy spectacular scenery of nature along the way. At the "take-out" area, there was a bus waiting to pick us up, returning us to our car at the park, where changing rooms were available for us to change in to dry clothes for the next leg of our trip.
We continued along Rt. 44 West, arriving in Lakeville at the Interlaken Resort and Conference Center. Situated between two lakes, this Inn offered everything we needed for a few days of relaxation. It was also a perfect base camp for our day trips. Nestled only a few miles from the New York border, the Interlaken Resort had plenty of outdoor features which included an outdoor heated pool, lake front beach (with canoes, paddle boats and kayaks), tennis, volleyball, and nearby golf and running track. Indoors they have a fitness center, executive lounge, gourmet restaurant, and game room. Their beautiful landscaping makes this an ideal spot for weddings and indoor/outdoor functions. The rooms were clean and the service was outstanding.
Our first day trip was to Cornwall Bridge to visit Rob Nicholas, owner of Housatonic Anglers, for fly casting instructions and fishing guide service. Rob gave us a 1/2 day lesson on learning the basics of fly casting. He was patient with us, all of us being newbies to fishing, and gave us lessons on technique, before taking us down to the Housatonic River to wade through the river. We all casted in our lines and watched while Rob made it look so easy. Rob showed ushundreds of different flies available at the fly shop, explaining how important it is to know which bugs are flying over the water so that you use proper flies which simulate what the fish are eating, and he showed us how to fish many sections of the river, until we found where the fish were biting! Rob is an expert on fly fishing, and not only supplied us with all of the equipment we needed to spend a fun day of fly casting, he added the element of fun for all of us.
After heading back to the hotel and taking a dip at the crystal clean Lake Wononskopomic, we headed out to the town of Litchfield, a 30-minute drive (southeast) from Lakeville. We enjoyed terrific Italian food that we had on an outside patio at a quaint restaurant on Main Street, before heading to Chi Day Spa for a stress-relieving massage. Owned a operated by Pearl O'Loughlin, since November of 2004, the spa was welcoming and relaxing. With years of experience studying the Eastern medicine and philosophy of Chi, known as your energy of life, everyone here at the spa is gifted with the ability to help lead you toward achieving a state of well being. Seana (our masseuse) gave us a "to-die-for" Swedish massage. She has magical hands and left both of us feeling relieved of stress. We met mother/daughter team Pearl and Donna, who were gifted in the art of giving facials and pedicures (and a large variety of skin care, body treatments, reflexology, as well as sunless tanning), while we relaxed and got treated like royalty. A must stop for anyone traveling through the area, and you'll want to repeat your visits if you are fortunate to live in the region.
Country Fairs are a must stop for anyone during the harvest season! We were lucky to hear about the Bridgewater Country Fair, located in Bridgewater on Rt. 133 (less than an hour south of Lakeville). This fair has been sponsored by their volunteer firemen (and their families) since the early 1960's. These town folks really know how to organize a fair! From live concerts, circus performances and the typical cow, sheep, poultry and rabbit buildings to tractor pulls and lumberjack competitions, everything was well organized, and good clean fun. The kids enjoyed rides and games and we walked through the arts and crafts buildings, then enjoyed good old fashion summer food, from pulled pork, to bar-b-que chicken and hot corn on the cob. Most of the food was cooked on premises by the volunteer firemen and their community helpers. It was affordable and delicious. We wished we had more time to stay for the full menu of events going on for this well-oiled, three-day fair.
Though you won't find any interstate highways running through this region, the main roads are in fantastic shape, and the driving is safe and enjoyable. Northwest Connecticut's Litchfield Hills, Housatonic Valley and Waterbury Region have been making visitors feel welcome for hundreds of years. For more information about visiting the area, visit the Northwest Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau.
By Kim Smith, Vice President of WeGoPlaces Tourism
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