No Shoes? No Problem!
Summer is the Time For Barefoot Exploring in Connecticut
HARTFORD - June 26, 2007 - Put one bare foot in front of the other and visit Connecticut this summer for plenty of warm weather outdoor activities. Drifting down a river dappled in sunlight, building sand castles at the beach and wriggling barefoot toes in the sand are iconic images that define the summer. Throughout Connecticut, there are a myriad of places to go barefoot this summer.
Beach Time
Beach visits are a summer vacation must and with well over 100 miles of coastline, opportunities to go barefoot are plentiful in Connecticut. Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison is the largest in the state stretching two miles along Long Island Sound. It also features a nature center, picnic areas, snack bar, boardwalk and campground and was ranked by National Geographic Traveler as one of the top beaches in the state along with Ocean Beach Park in New London. Ocean Beach offers a mile-long soft “sugar sand” beach and provides endless entertainment with its new boardwalk as well as a carousel, mini golf course, food concessions, Olympic-size swimming pool, water slide park, fitness center and nature trail. Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven offers fishing off the pier, boating and a carousel, along with a salt water hands-on “touch tank” at the ranger station. Visitors can also experience an interactive sailing ship deck, complete with a ship’s wheel, sailor’s hammock and sails that can be raised and lowered.
No shoes and no salt
For those who prefer a salt-free swimming experience, Connecticut’s ponds, lakes and quarries offer hours of endless summer delight. Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park in Portland is a new recreation area that features Scuba diving, swimming, canoeing and kayaking in a former brownstone quarry. Nipmuck State Forest and Bigelow Hollow State Park in Union are the only state parks in eastern Connecticut to offer a pond deep enough for Scuba diving. Situated in one of the largest unbroken forest areas in the state, there is also a boat launch on Lake Mashapaug. Hopeville Pond in Griswold gives visitors the chance to fish, swim or camp on the serene shores which offer a mix of quality recreation and local history. The area surrounding the pond offers 82 wooded sites for curious explorers.
Wet Feet
Visitors will have plenty of chances to get their feet wet at Splash Harbor Water Park at Lake Compounce in Bristol. This is the state’s largest water park and is the place to float along in the Lazy River or fly down the Twisted Sisters water slide. Other ways to get drenched include a 300 gallon water bucket that tips over to soak excited visitors below as well as water cannons, a wave pool and Mammoth Falls raft adventure.
Vacationers have numerous ways to enjoy Connecticut’s rivers, streams and coastline while floating barefoot on the water. The Thimble Islands, an archipelago of small islands off the Branford coastline, are among the top choices for paddlers, in part because Captain Kidd, the notorious pirate, is reputed to have buried treasure on one of them. The Norwalk Islands are another paddling playground. This chain of islands continues for six miles beyond Norwalk Harbor and three of the islands are part of the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge, a sanctuary to many waterfowl. Huck Finn Adventures in Collinsville offers the Lost Park River Tour which combines history with the outdoors during its underground canoe trip through tunnels under the city of Hartford. Farmington River Tubing is one of the most popular ways to enjoy the Litchfield Hills and a drift down Satan’s Kingdom State Recreation Area. Floaters can spend hours on the river in a tube and enjoy a ride back upstream.
For complete information about all the ways to go barefoot, including recreation companies and attractions that make it easy, and for more information about Connecticut’s 52 Getaways, country inns, B&Bs and other places to stay, please call 1-888-CTvisit (1-888-288-4748) or log on at www.CTvisit.com. Connecticut offers visitors a multi-faceted wealth of attractions, historical, cultural and recreational activities, diverse and beautiful natural landscapes, parks, beaches and wilderness sure to fulfill any getaway need.
www.CTvisit.com
source : Megan Casper
National Public Relations
M. Silver Associates, Inc.
www.msilver-pr.com