As the snow begins to melt and the warmer weather of spring starts to creep in, many people will be heading back outdoors into nature, and for many, that means returning to a local public park.

Whether you prefer to enjoy the spring weather with a run, a bike ride, a picnic or a simple walk, Connecticut has plenty of public parks that make for a perfect spring day.

If you want to immerse yourself in history as well as nature, Connecticut also has plenty of historical parks, with the state’s first park, Bushnell Park, opening almost 200 years ago.

Here’s how to visit Connecticut’s oldest park this spring.

History of Bushnell Park

Located in front of Connecticut’s state capital, Bushnell Park was first established in 1861. However, the idea for the park was first suggested by Rev. Horace Bushnell, pastor of Hartford’s North Congregational Church and graduate of Yale University, in 1853.

According to the Bushnell Park Conservancy, Rev. Bushnell proposed the park for multiple reasons – to clean up the city, create a space where poor children could play and build a beautiful setting that would establish Hartford as the state capital over New Haven, which shared the title of capital with Hartford at the time.

While plenty of parks were popping up in the states in the 1800s, one of Rev. Bushnell’s ideas made this park proposal unique – the sourcing of the park through public funds.

A Hartford City Council meeting in October 1853 unanimously approved Rev. Bushnell’s idea, and in January 1854, Hartford citizens voted the idea through, making Hartford the first city to use public funds for the creation of a park.

After years of securing land and creating a design, Bushnell Park, then called City Park, was established in 1861 under a design by Swiss-born architect Jacob Weidenmann. The original park contained 157 varieties of trees and shrubs, graceful paths, the Park River and several bridges.

Over the years, Bushnell Park has gained many additions, including the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch, the Capitol building overlooking the park, the Corning Fountain, the Carousel and the Performance Pavilion. Due to flooding, the Park River was buried in an underground tunnel in the 1940s, resulting in the destruction of its bridges.

Today, Bushnell Park remains a scenic place to connect with the Hartford community and escape the business of city life.

How to visit Bushnell Park

Bushnell Park is open daily from dusk to dawn. For those driving to the park, 99 Trinity St. in Hartford is the best address to use in a GPS. Metered parking, which is free on weekends, is available around the park’s perimeter.

Bushnell also frequently hosts community events like yoga classes and movie nights, as well as free tours of the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch from May through October.