Connecticut

Where to see flowers in Connecticut this spring: 10 photo-worthy places to visit

Published

1 year ago

April 3, 2025

Where to see flowers in Connecticut this spring: 10 photo-worthy places to visit

Spring is finally here, and along with the season’s warmer weather, its blooming flowers are sure to brighten your day after a long, cold winter.

Luckily, Connecticut has plenty of parks, gardens and public spaces with beautiful blooms that make for the perfect spring day – and the perfect photo-op. Whether your favorite is daffodils, tulips or cherry blossoms, the state is sure to have a field of flowers for you.

Here are some of the best places to see flowers in Connecticut this spring.

Elizabeth Park

This historical Hartford park offers over 100 acres of gardens, green space, walking trails and recreational facilities. In early spring, the ten gardens of Elizabeth Park see daffodils and tulips, followed by irises and perennials in late May.

The center of Elizabeth Park is the Helen S Kaman Rose Garden, which sees its peak blooms in mid-June. With over 15,000 rose bushes and 800 varieties of roses, the garden is the third largest rose garden in the country today.

Elizabeth Park is free and open to the public.

When: Dawn to dusk daily

Where: 1561 Asylum Ave., Hartford

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens

The Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens in Stamford has hundreds of species to explore across 20 gardens and collections, including a cottage garden, a tropical garden and a wildflower garden.

Spring blooms include bluebells, lilies and mountain laurels, Connecticut’s state flower, in over 150 forms. Admission to Bartlett is always free, but donations are welcome.

When: Dawn to dusk daily

Where: 151 Brookdale Road, Stamford

Wickham Park

With over 280 acres of gardens, Wickham Park has flowers like rhododendrons, azaleas, crocuses and lilacs separated into 10 unique themes, including a sensory garden, a lotus garden and a Scottish garden.

Along with the many beautiful flowers for viewing, the park has various woodlands, ponds, picnic areas, sports facilities and playgrounds.

Wickham Park charges entry fees by car, with prices at $7 on weekdays or $10 on weekends.

When: 9:30 a.m. until sunset starting April 5

Where: 1329 Middle Tpke. W., Manchester

Lavender Pond Farm

Killingworth’s Lavender Pond Farm is the largest lavender farm in New England, filled with over 10,000 lavender plants across 25 acres.

With no entry fee, guests can wander through the lavender fields, ride around the farm on the Lavender Express, play yard games and look through tons of lavender goods in the gift shop.

When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday starting in spring; date TBA on Facebook

Where: 318 Roast Meat Hill Road, Killingworth

Mill River Park

Fans of cherry blossoms can head to Mill River Park in Stamford for the famous cherry tree grove, which happens to be the largest one in New England. The park is also home to over 400 other trees and wildflowers, along with bike paths, a carousel, a playground and a discovery center.

Mill River Park is free to the public.

When: 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily

Where: 1040 Washington Blvd., Stamford

Hollister House Garden

Situated in the Litchfield hills, Hollister House Garden is an American interpretation of classic English gardens which unfolds in successive layers of space and color.

In April, Hollister house has lots of daffodils, bluebells and magnolias, and in May, forget-me-nots and tulips start to bloom. Admission to Hollister House Garden costs $10 per person.

When: 1-4 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday starting April 16

Where: 300 Nettleton Hollow Road, Washington

Hubbard Park

Each spring, Hubbard Park erupts in a vibrant display of over 600,000 daffodils of 60 different varieties. The park is the site of the annual Meriden Daffodil Festival, where the town celebrates the colorful arrival of spring with food, crafts, live music, carnival rides, a daffodil market and a giant daffodil parade.

A full schedule for this year’s festival can be found on the Daffodil Festival website.

When: May 3 from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and May 4 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: 999 W. Main St., Meriden

Colorblends House & Spring Garden

Outside a 1903 Colonial Revival mansion in Bridgeport’s Historic District is Colorblends Spring Garden, a garden bursting with snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, tulips and various perrennials.

Though Colorblends is small at a quarter of an acre, the Dutch-designed garden is jam-packed with color and charm in creative designs. Both the house and the garden are free to visit.

When: Dawn to dusk daily from March 29 through May 11

Where: 893 Clinton Ave., Bridgeport

Harkness Memorial State Park

Stretching over 230 acres, this scenic park has beautiful views of Long Island Sound, an elegant summer mansion, picnic tables, hiking trails and multiple formal gardens.

Each of the estate’s six gardens has its own theme, from a formal Italian garden to an Alpine rock garden. Colorful blooms like daffodils and heliotropes bring the lush green space to life.

Harkness is free to enter for Connecticut residents with in-state registered vehicles. For out-of-state vehicles, admission costs $10 on weekdays or $15 on weekends. Guests can choose to wander the property on their own or join a guided tour of the mansion and formal gardens.

When: 8 a.m. to sunset daily; tours from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on summer weekends

Where: 275 Great Neck Road, Waterford

Lee Memorial Garden

This small garden in New Canaan is packed with an expansive variety of spring flowers. Azaleas, rhododendrons, bluebells, lilies, irises, hyacinths are just a few of the spring blooms that can be found in this wooded garden escape under a canopy of oak, maple and tulip trees.

Admission to the Lee Memorial Garden is always free.

When: Dawn to dusk daily

Where: 89 Chichester Road, New Canaan

Source link

Click to comment

Connecticut

Connecticut ticks back with a vengeance this year

Published

5 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Connecticut ticks back with a vengeance this year

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — After a record year in 2025, the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station said that in under two weeks there have been more than 200 reported tick bites.

“I do not know whether this trend will continue or slow down,” Connecticut Tick Surveillance Program Director Dr. Goudarz Molaei said. “I suspect that it will continue and will get worse.”

In 2025, there were more than 6,000 reported bites, which is double the average.

It would be a mistake to think that this winter’s cold weather killed the ticks. In fact, many ticks were saved by this winter’s snow.

“It’s like a warm blanket for ticks,” Dr. Molaei said. “They hide underneath the snow and they are protected.”

These early ticks are almost exclusively blacklegged ticks. Research shows more than 50% are carrying Lyme Disease. Come this spring, four more tick species will arrive in Connecticut, with each breed carrying different diseases.

Ticks in Connecticut usually live in the woods. But not just in trees or in the grass, they could also be in leaves on the ground.

“Even though it looks goofy, I always make sure I have a thick sock and that it covers the lower half of your calf,” Ji Xue, who runs in East Rock Park, said.

Experts say you should spray on a pesticide before going outside. Upon returning, thoroughly check the body and put all clothes in the wash.

“I actually had Lyme Disease as a kid because I grew up in upstate New York,” Sean Cohen, a father of two young boys, said. “We are just extra aware of it, especially because the kids have very thick, dark hair. We just try to be on top of checking out for it.”

“I know some people who already refuse to take their dogs on hikes anymore because they are so scared,” Xue said.

Most importantly, if a tick bites you, either send it in for testing or keep the tick. If you get sick, the doctors need to know what kind of tick infected you.

Source link

Connecticut

UGA student dies after fall while hiking in Connecticut

Published

17 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

UGA student dies after fall while hiking in Connecticut

article

William Cooper Gatch. Photo courtesy of Joiner Anderson Funeral Home

ATHENS. Ga. – A University of Georgia student from Georgia has died after falling during a hike in Connecticut, according to UGA’s Red & Black.

What we know:

Police identified the victim as 23-year-old William Cooper Gatch of Statesboro. Gatch was a senior majoring in agricultural education at the University of Georgia and was set to graduate in May.

Investigators say Gatch was hiking with his sister at Sleeping Giant State Park when he fell along an unmarked trail. He was later located in a wooded area and died from his injuries.

Officials with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Environmental Conservation Police are investigating the incident. Early findings suggest the fall was accidental.

What they’re saying:

According to his obituary, Gatch was known for his curiosity and compassion, qualities that shaped his interest in agricultural education and mentoring others. During his final semester, he was completing his student teaching at Madison County High School.

His obituary describes him as someone who was deeply loved by those around him.

Athens-Clarke CountyGeorgiaNews

Source link

Connecticut

CT Attorney General Tong wants Aquarion deal reconsidered after ‘massive math error’

Published

1 day ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

CT Attorney General Tong wants Aquarion deal reconsidered after ‘massive math error’

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said the sale of Aquarion needs to be reconsidered following a ‘massive math error.’

Tong and the consumer counsel said that the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) missed out on nearly $500 million in potential rate increases.

Aquarion, Eversource’s water company, was to be sold to the South Central Connecticut Water Authority back in November 2025. But a judge ordered PURA to reconsider, which led to another approval in March. Aquarion is the state’s largest water supplier, servicing hundreds of thousands of people across 60 municipalities.

But now, Tong and Consumer Counsel Claire Coleman said PURA missed out on just under $500 million in additional rate increases needed to pay for the sale. PURA was reviewing a compressed spreadsheet that omitted information about rate hikes after 2035, according to Tong.

That number could add an estimated $19 million a year over 25 years to customers’ water bills.

“These aren’t new numbers; this is a bombshell,” Tong said on Wednesday. “A deal breaker.”

This will be the third time PURA would have to take another look at Eversource’s plan to sell off Aquarion.

“$500 million more in rate increases pushes it off the knife’s edge and makes it clear this deal is terrible for rate payers,” Tong said.

The top Republican in Connecticut’s House of Representatives agrees that PURA should take another look, but said the sale is in the best interest of consumers.

“At this point, I question anything that the attorney general really has to say about this deal,” said Rep. Vincent Candelora (R-Minority Leader). “He’s cried wolf about this deal. He’s been against this deal since day one, and he’ll clearly do everything in his power to stop it.”

Other lawmakers oppose the sale and continue to push for legislation that would maintain PURA’s authority over rates, even if Aquarion becomes quasi-public.

“The same oversight that we require for any natural monopoly in almost all gases, in electricity, in water, in many utilities,” said Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-Greenwich).

NBC Connecticut has not heard from PURA on when they may take up the petition, nor has it received a response from Eversource and Aquarion.

Source link