Location: Windsor
Top Things to do in Windsor
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The 10 Best Things to do in Windsor, Connecticut (CT)
Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population of Windsor was 29,044 at the 2010 census.
Restaurants in Windsor
1. Therapeutic Solutions Massage Therapy & Skin Care Center
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 9 reviews
Whether you want to pamper yourself or alleviate sore muscles, Therapeutic Solutions offers an array of services in a serene and relaxing atmosphere filled with soothing sights, sounds and aromas. To melt away body stress, we offer therapeutic massage treatments. For alternative mind and body health, we have ear candling, Reiki and Reflexology. For those of you looking for luxurious skin care, try one of our many facials or body treatments. Call Therapeutic Solutions today!
2. Oliver Ellsworth Homestead
3. Mondazzi Books
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
4. Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 53 reviews
Visit Connecticut's newest cultural attraction and learn how communications technology has changed our lives. It's fun, educational and entertaining! Tune radios over 80 years old... talk over candlestick telephones like your grandparents used... send a message in Morse Code... crank a phonograph and listen to 100-year-old records... see what television was like when the only color choices were black and white. Learn about the telegraph, telephone, mechanical sound recording, wireless telegraphy, radio and television, and the seeds of computers, satellite communications and the Internet.
Reviewed By epicure7 - Bolton, United States
A definite walk back in time. If you are of a certain age, you will have fun remembering all the old radio's and other tech equipment in their collection. We took our 7 year old granddaughter to visit, and there was enough interesting items for her to interact with. She enjoyed the juke box, but especially loved being able to actually use an old telephone switch board, and try her hand at Morse Code. While she was interested in their Tesla coil demonstration, their larger one made a loud noise that made her a little nervous, so a volunteer kindly took us to their 1930's Sound studio that was sound proofed. She thoroughly enjoyed creating radio era sound effects and listening to old records. And another hit was the opportunity to play a Theremin. If you are looking for a place to take your grand kids, this small museum is worth a visit.
5. Windsor Arts Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7 reviews
6. Northwest Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 83 reviews
Reviewed By kzsull01 - Windsor, United States
We have visited Northwest Park and Nature Preserve in Windsor, Connecticut many times over the past 30 years and have always enjoyed it. The park is a diverse habitat with forests, fields, streams and a lot of scenic views, with almost 500 acres and 12 miles of hiking trails. The park is really a beautiful resource and a hidden gem in Windsor, Connecticut. The many trails in the park vary in length, are well-maintained and are nice to hike. However, you definitely need a map to hike the trails. Some of the trails are unnamed and are not well-marked and could only be found by a map. The park offers a nice detailed map/guide of their trail system, which is quite helpful to navigate the trails because some of the Unnamed Trails connect with the named and marked trails. This map has been available near the Nature Center. Some of the main trails even provide a very good view of Rainbow Reservoir on the Farmington River and the associated boating activities happening on the river. A map is also available on a separate section of the Northwestpark.org web site which has directions to the park and a map of the park. The only drawback of the park to us is that although it has a very nice dog park with separate sections for small dogs and for large dogs, as well as signs to keep your dog on a leash, occasionally there are loose dogs on the trails or other parts of the park where they should be on a leash. We have even seen large dogs such as German Sheppards, Great Danes and Bull dogs loose. Letting dogs loose in this park, except for in the dog park, is potentially dangerous and a risk to everyone in the park, including children, families, other dogs on a leash (especially smaller dogs), farm animals and much more. I also get an uncomfortable feeling when I see a dog loose because I don’t know what to expect if I don’t know the dog, and how the dog may react to the numerous kinds of wildlife in the park and vice versa. The remaining sections of this review provide details on the various aspects of the park, including: information on some of the trails, the Nature Center, the gardens, the maple sugar house, the beautiful farm animals, the Tobacco Museum, picnicking, the playground, the dog park, and some history about the Rainbow Reservoir Dam, even about the Dinosaur Footprint located there. Information on Some of the Trails that We Hiked: Note that the below does not include all of the trails or all variations to these trails. 1). The Bog Trail - is a nice trail for a short walk through the forest and a bog that you could view from the trail. There are helpful interpretative markers with write-ups about the bog that make the walk interesting and educational. The markers are also written in Braille. 2). The Pond Trail - is quite scenic and even has an overlook. There are views of both the Beaver Pond and Rainbow Reservoir on this trail. We tried to take the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail) directly to the Rainbow Reservoir on April 10th but couldn’t because it was flooded out. Also, going this way is quite hilly beyond the sign that says “Oil City”. We ended up taking the Pond Trail, which may be a bit hilly to get to and even walking it, but is a nice trail for its scenery once you are on it. This trail is a ways beyond the sign that says “Oil City” on the Conservation Trail. 3). The Hemlock Trail – We got to this trail from the Pond Trail. The Hemlock Trail, was quite hilly and rugged with an area of rocks that was hard to cross. 4). The Rainbow Reservoir Trail - is quite long, over four miles long (from the Nature Center to the top/beginning of the trail, taking the trail, then heading back). There were some rugged wet areas that were hard to get through at the time of our hike in early April. We recommend getting to this trail by another trail, such as the Soft Forest Trail and an Unnamed Trail that connects to it, or other trails that lead to it using the map. However, you could see the dam and the current hydroelectric plant from this trail. 5). The trails that we prefer are a combination of trails. Each combination of trails is slightly over two miles from the Nature Center and back. Note that there are a couple of wet spots on the Wetland Trail (Yellow Trail), going the ways described in #s 5, 6 and 7, but they are not hard to get through): • Starting at the Nature Center, take the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail), which will be the main road at this point, towards the Tobacco Sheds. After the first Tobacco Shed you will no longer be on the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail). Continue straight on the main road alongside Long Field on the right, part of the way based on the map, and North Field on your left. • After the second Tobacco Shed take a left onto an Unnamed Trail alongside North Field on your left, • Follow this trail to the Wetland Trail taking a (slight) right onto the Wetland Trail (Yellow Trail). • Follow the Wetland Trail to the Reservoir. • Once you reach the Reservoir, take a left remaining on the Wetland Trail. There are some nice views of the Reservoir on this part of the trail. • Go past Rugar Field, which will be on your left. • While still on the trail, take a left onto an Unnamed Trail, which leads to the Conservation (Blue Trail) • Once you reach the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail) continue on it straight going by the Marsh. • Then take a left on the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail) heading back to the Nature Center. 6). There are multiple variations of what is described in #5 above. • Starting at the Nature Center, variations include following the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail), which is the main road at this point, to the first Tobacco Shed. • Take a left after the Tobacco Shed, remaining on the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail) alongside North Field... • Follow the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail) to an Unnamed Trail, going past the intersection with the Wetland Trail (Yellow Trail). • Take a right on the Unnamed Trail to go past Rugar Field heading towards the Wetland Trail (Yellow Trail). • Follow the Unnamed Trail, taking a right onto the Wetland Trail where you will see nice views of the Reservoir, • Continue to follow the Wetland Trail. Go right on the Wetland Trail before the Rainbow Reservoir Trail (Red Trail) marker, which will lead back onto the Unnamed Trail that will take you in back of the second Tobacco Shed. You could also stay on the Wetland Trail going right, instead of taking the Unnamed Trail. • In either case, continue back towards the Nature Center. 7). Another variation of #5 or #6 is to do the trails in reserve. • When going in reverse, you could follow the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail) from the Nature Center west towards the Reservoir to the Unnamed Trail, which is before the Wetland Trail that leads to the Marsh. There is a sign that says that the Unnamed Trail leads to the Marsh Overlook • Taking a right on the Unnamed Trail will lead you to the Marsh which has a nice boardwalk that overlooks the Marsh. Taking the Wetland Trail, instead of the Unnamed Trail, will also lead to the Marsh and its overlook. • From the Marsh Overlook Boardwalk, when facing the Wetland Trail, take a left onto the Wetland Trail. • Follow the Wetland Trail heading north to where it intersects with the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail). Take a left onto the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail). • Follow the Conservation Trail (Blue Trail) until you reach an Unnamed Trail. • Take a right on the Unnamed Trail to go past Rugar Field heading towards the Wetland Trail (Yellow Trail). • Follow the Unnamed Trail taking a right onto the Wetland Trail where you will see nice views of the Reservoir, • Continue to follow the Wetland Trail. Go right on the Wetland Trail before the Rainbow Reservoir Trail (Red Trail) marker, which will lead back onto the Unnamed Trail that will take you in back of the second Tobacco Shed. You could also stay on the Wetland Trail going right, instead of taking the Unnamed Trail. • In either case, continue back towards the Nature Center. The Nature Center: When open, the park’s Nature Center has an interesting assortment of wildlife, including snakes, turtles, frogs and fish as well as additional exhibits on the species of animals native to the park, all with good write-ups and is quite educational. Exhibits on the weather associated with the park and the center’s geothermal heating and cooling system are also included as well as a gift shop. The Gardens, Maple Sugar House, and Farm Animals: The multiple types of gardens, including the butterfly and organic demonstration gardens are interesting and so is the maple sugar house, which are all seasonal. The maple sugar house has been open in the April timeframe but I am not sure what other times of year that it is open. The animal barn is quite nice with various types of heritage breed farm animals, including a donkey (named Cisco). goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, pigs, and ducks. However, I have not seen any pigs there recently. Two separate areas in the park include a pasture with the park’s cows, Strawberry and Tara, and another large section with a mule and a hinny, all quite unique. There is also a pond with turtles and multiple types of fish that children really enjoy. The Luddy Tobacco Museum: Located within the park is a Tobacco Museum (Luddy Tobacco Museum and Archives) which is housed in two separate buildings, when open. One of the buildings has exhibits of the early and modern types of equipment and the process used in growing and harvesting the cigar tobacco crop. The other building is an archive exhibiting paintings, photographs, writings and other artifacts related to tobacco. Both buildings provide a good representation of the history associated with the park and of the tobacco growing industry in the Connecticut River Valley. Picnicking, Playground, and Dog Park: The park could be used for picnicking as well as group functions, having multiple picnic areas, including a picnic pavilion, a warming shed and a group of picnic tables under trees. Some of the picnic areas require a permit in order to use them. The park could be enjoyed by children as well as adults, and includes a playground with multiple activities for children. It is a nice place to walk a dog and includes a fenced in Dog Park with benches with two separate sections, one for small dogs and another for large dogs. The only thing is dogs are not allowed in most of the buildings in the park and should be on a leash, in other areas of the park, in particular on the trails. History Associated with the Rainbow Reservoir: The Rainbow Reservoir Dam, which could be viewed from the park (from the Rainbow Reservoir Trail), has an interesting history. It had a hydroelectric plant and dam (built in 1889, which was about a mile away from the current dam and plant) that produced power from water wheels powered by Farmington River operated turbines. The power was transferred to Hartford and powered the first polyphaser motor and was the first long distance transfer of power (11 miles, using copper wires) in the United States. Also, the area was at one time called “Oil City” with the discovery of oil on the rocks near the dam, which also has an interesting history associated with it. The old power plant was once called the Oil City Hydroelectric Plant!! There is also a Dinosaur Footprint near the Rainbow Reservoir Dam off of the Triassic Trail. The park is a hidden gem in Windsor, a great place to get away for a while, relax and enjoy nature as well as the exhibits on display (when the Nature Center and Tobacco Museum are open).. The park has changed throughout the many years that we have been going there, with many improvements. It has a lot to offer with something for everyone and changes with the seasons with several events throughout the year, including a country fair, coffee houses, concerts, and day camps. It’s a great place to visit for the whole family.
7. Windsor Historical Society
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9 reviews
The Windsor Historical Society, founded in 1921, preserves and interprets nearly 400 years of Windsor's history through exhibitions, education programs, publications, active collecting, and research. We offer a museum, historic house tours, research library and a hands-on learning center for children.
Reviewed By whmtnhiker - West Hartford, United States
A quick stop to spend some time on our way to the airport. We were very impressed with the amount of information packed in two exhibit rooms that really gave a thorough overview of Windor's history and still kept our interest. Unfortunately, because of our schedule, we didn't have time to tour the houses but we plan on doing that soon. The exhibits include hands on objects for kids to explore. Having visited many small museums around the state, this one gets high marks!!
8. Windsor Center River Trail
9. Windsor Meadows State Park
Overall Ratings
3.0 based on 2 reviews
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