Harkness Memorial State Park: A place for my heart

One of my favorite parks in CT is Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford. The first time I went there, my then boyfriend got down on one knee and proposed. We were married there nearly ten years ago. Now it is a special place we bring our kids once a year. With beautiful buildings and gardens, a beach that is suited for digging up shells and sea glass, and a huge lawn for flying kites and picnicking, Harkness is the perfect backdrop to a day out with the family. 

You can host your big family get together at Harkness. Just get there early to claim a set of picnic tables and a cooker. We always walk past a smoking grill and probably drool a little! We definitely have to host a reunion there someday, so that our food can be the envy of other park-goers!

If you choose Harkness as your wedding destination, you can rent the outdoor stage area or the impressive mansion. Either way your guests will be wowed and your photos, beautiful. 

We have lost a kite in one of the tall trees skirting the edges of the sprawling lawn. 

On our most recent trip, last Sunday, we brought the girls' bikes and they road the big loop that passes by the stables, gift shop and gardens. The kids trotted through the Mansion gardens before the wedding that just happened to be scheduled started. They pretended to be fairies and yes , I'll admit, I was so inspired by the iron gates overgrown with ivy, the tranquil fountains and tiny pathways, I pretended to be a fairy too! Go for the entire day or just a couple of hours and know you'll have a good time regardless. 

Tips and cost:

We happened to go on the last Sunday that they were charging, but it was still only $6.00. If you were to go now, it would be free. 

Pack a lunch, kite, bikes, frisbee or throwing ball of your choice. 

Pets allowed but must be leashed and please clean up after it. 

Plan on doing a lot of walking and taking a lot of pictures! 

Beach Day

You really don't need me to tell you that the beach in Old Saybrook is one of the town's main draws. My husband and I always say, why go on vacation to some little beach town, when we live in one. Making Harvey's or Town Beach a must-do staycation activity.

Sheltered by Long Island, the stretch of beach along the Sound is perfect for kids. With its gentle waves, many sand bars, and various sea creatures dwelling between the tides, there is much to keep the kiddos curious and content for hours.

I personally like to go during the week, in the morning, getting there by 10am. Two or three hours is plenty of time for my young ones, and its easier for me to feed them lunch at home then it is to lug a cooler across the sand, along with all their toys, boogie boards, towels, chairs - you get the picture. If the morning doesn't work out, I will wait until the summer crowds have disbursed, grab a pizza from T.J's, and head to Town Beach to watch the sunset. Its still warm enough for swimming, and I don't have to worry about applying sticky sunscreen to three squirming bods.

I think all parents of young children have come to terms with the fact that the days of sun bathing face-down on a towel, reading a magazine until you choose to stop, and just slipping into the water effortlessly for a refreshing dip are long gone. Now, with children, going to the beach is slightly less relaxing. So me, I learn to find the humor in the situation. Take for instance the last time I headed out with the girls, arriving sometime in the late morning.

You know how there are beach people and non-beach people? Well Jaidyn, my 7 year old, is a Beach Bum. I think she's part fish, part sand crab. She will dig and swim, and bury and rinse - all day long. But Addy, my 3 year old has some different feelings about how everything at the beach - well, feels.
     At Harvey's beach you need to walk across some gushy mucky stuff during low tide, to walk to the waters edge and distant sand bars. You will most likely step on a few crunchy snails along the way. Addy squeals and climbs up my leg, adding to my already burdensome load.  When the wind blows her hair into her face she voices her frustration, ordering me to "pull it back." When she gets sand on her hands, she is upset that she can't wipe it off. So I show her how to rinse her hands in the water. But if a wave is slightly bigger then normal and splashes her in the eyes, she wails. And as soon as she makes it back to her towel with clean hands, she picks up a sand toy and her hands are "dirty" again. I ended up shaking out her towel, helping her rinse off, then carrying her to the center of her towel where I instructed her to sit "criss-cross applesauce" until it was time to go. She was happy as a clam, eating her snack, staying clean and dry, with just the occasional wind blowing a stray hair. I really had no choice but to laugh - either that or pack up and leave, but that wouldn't be any fun.  I'm hoping that with more visits to the beach Addy will become less sensitive to it.
Oh darn, I guess I'll have to go to the beach again soon, for little Addy's sake!

My 2 girls. Jaidyn literally digging right in. Addy refusing to have any part of it, and she definitely will not smile!

A picture of Addy at Town Beach at sunset. Taken a few days after her day of beach-sensory-overload. She almost lolls after she's come to terms with her "feelings" about it.