NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Looking for a free way to stay cool this summer in Connecticut?

Parks, recreation centers and beaches across the state are opening as temperatures continue to climb.

See News 8’s developing list below:

New Haven

• Foote Park in Brandford
• East Haven Town Beach
• Quasy Amusement Park in Middlebury
• Lighthouse Point Park
• Nolan Athletic Complex in Ansonia
• Villano Park in Hamden

Hartford

• Verplanck Elementary School in Manchester
• Nathan Hale in Beach in Manchester
• A.W. Stanley Park Pool in New Britain
• Willow Brook Park Pool in New Britain
• Chesley Park in New Britain
• Willow Street Park in New Britain
• Beachland Park in West Hartford
• Fernridge Park in West Hartford
• Kennedy Park in West Hartford

Middlesex

•  Watrous Park in Cromwell
• Clinton Town Beach
• Veterans Memorial Park in Middletown

New London

• The Dinosaur Place in Montville

Windham

• Paderewski Park in Plainville

Splash pad locations operate at different times. Contact each location for specifics on parking, opening times and residency requirements.

Have a splash pad to add to our list? Email webproducer-wtnh@nexstar.tv

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — As high heat and humidity stretch across Connecticut for the next couple of days, experts are warning pet owners that this weather can be tough on their furry friends.

Old Lyme Veterinary Hospital chief surgeon Dr. Cornelius Marrinan joined News 8 live with some safety reminders on Thursday.

To watch the full video, click on the player above.

This two-house, two-barn compound includes the oldest home in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and stands right on the town’s historic and famously charming Main Street.

“It’s actually two distinct houses, two really iconic landmark properties on Main Street” that have been carefully restored and renovated, said listing agent Laura Ancona, of William Pitt/Julia B Fee Sotheby’s International Realty. 

“Over $10 million has been spent in top-of-the-line improvements and designer appointments inside and out,” according to the listing.

The older home, known as the Hawley House, was built in 1713 for the Rev. Thomas Hawley, a minister who was also the schoolmaster and town clerk, Ancona said. “It’s quite a stylish home for the time, with high ceilings, wide-board floors and multiple fireplaces,” she said.

Other features include a gambrel roof, original paneling on the fireplace wall of one living room, original fireplace mantels, many of the original hand-blown glass windows, an original Dutch door and hand-hewn beams, according to information provided by the agent. An original double-seated, white clapboard outhouse rests about 100 feet behind the home.

The 300-year-old house is on the National Register of Historic Places as well as being one of the 32 “Stations of History” on Ridgefield’s “Museum in the Streets” tour, Ancona said.

MORE: Tour More One-of-a-Kind Homes In Out Listing of the Day Series

The 1777 Battle of Ridgefield in the Revolutionary War was fought on Main Street and it was also where Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold’s horse was shot out from under him, she said. “We’re very historic, very Colonial.”

“It’s one of the top Main Streets in the country,” Ancona said. “It’s a Norman Rockwell-esque, tree-lined Main Street. Ridgefield is very protective of its Main Street.”

The second house on the compound, a Gothic Revival Victorian, was built by Hawley’s descendants in 1826, she said. “It’s very grand, very colorful,” now with four finished levels. 

“It was not as well upkept as it should have been” when the sellers bought it in 2002 and began a multiyear renovation soon after, Ancona said. They were able to recreate much of the original architectural details from old photos.

The gray barn/carriage house associated with the Victorian has been renovated to now include a kitchen and great room that opens to the pool area, a gym and sauna, a poker room, a game room with a bar, an arcade and a movie theater for 30-plus people, she said. “It’s a completely tricked-out party barn.”

There’s also a circa-1900 red barn that now holds an indoor basketball court, an arts-and-crafts studio and a second-floor office with a conference room, according to the listing. It was updated and redone in 2012.

Both lots, which together are 3.16 acres, are quite deep with long driveways, which offers a great deal of privacy, even while being on Main Street, Ancona said. 

“You can walk to town and still have all of this privacy,” she said. 

Stats 

The 8,934-square-foot compound has eight bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and two partial bathrooms. It sits on a 3.16-acre lot.

Amenities 



Amenities include a heated pool and spa, a pool/carriage house, two two-car garages (one with two Tesla chargers), seven fireplaces, a gym and sauna, an indoor basketball court, a brick courtyard, a pergola, an outdoor kitchen, a home office with a conference room, an arts-and-crafts studio, a bar and game room, a poker room, an arcade and a movie theater.

Neighborhood Notes 



The home is within walking distance of everything Main Street has to offer, including museums, the library, Ballard Park, an old-fashioned hardware store and lots of independent shops and restaurants, Ancona said. “There is no fast food in all of Ridgefield.”

Ridgefield is adjacent to Westchester County in New York, and it’s about a 30-minute drive to the Westchester County Airport, she said. Ridgefield is about 90 miles from Manhattan. 

Agent: Laura Ancona, William Pitt/Julia B Fee Sotheby’s International Realty

View the original listing.