Family Values

You know how they say the best things in life are free? Well, we like to think the song was referring to the many free family activities in Connecticut. Yes, free! 

If you want to get the kids excited about spending time together, just tell them you’re taking them maple sugaring. After all, what kid would turn down anything to do with sugar? Springtime is prime season for maple sugaring, and the scenic Litchfield Hills of Connecticut are full of maple sugar making farms. There is Sweet Wind Farm in East Hartland, Lamothe’s Sugar House in Burlington, Warrup’s Farm in Redding, Great Brook Sugarhouse on Sullivan Farmin New Milford...you get the point. Each of the farms offers something a little different from fun and interactive tours and demonstrations to recipe classes and story times for kids – plus samples of syrup for your tasting pleasure. Check out the one nearest you, or make a mission of it and tour the entire maple sugaring bunch. 

Join other families in the “Great Park Pursuit Spring Sprint” available in Connecticut’s State Parks and Forest. With a line-up of clues, hints and featured locations, you will be journeying around the state to learn about new places while having fun in the great outdoors. Explore a forest on foot and in a canoe, try to set a new record for the largest caught fish, celebrate 20 years of bird conservation and “get wet.” If you meet the “challenges” at each game location, then you and your family have a chance to win some prizes. 

For yet another sweet stop, head to the Fish Family Farm Creamery & Dairy, where milk and ice cream are bottled and churned daily. You and the kids can observe the milking and bottling process in an open barn, pet the cows and maybe even taste a scoop of the home made ice cream. May we suggest Oreo? 

Still fishing for more to do? Check out the Quinebaug Valley Trout Hatchery in Central Village. One of the largest hatcheries in the east, the facility produces 600,000 brook, brown and rainbow trout annually for recreational fishing. A glass wall lets you peer into the hatchery. Here is something to keep the kids busy —challenge them to count the fish! 

Face it. There is still a kid in all of us, and the Barker Character Comic & Cartoon Museum has just what it takes to bring you back. On exhibit for your viewing pleasure are countless memorabilia from the past: Roy Rogers lunch boxes; Ronald McDonald’s phones, Charlie McCarthy puppets and more. It is all there to let you recapture your old memories and make new ones with your kids. The question of the day: who had more fun – you or the kids? You may have to settle for a tie.

For just under $5, each family member can take a tour of The Trash Museum in Hartford. Tour includes educational exhibits beginning at the Temple of Trash. You get to learn about problems of old-fashioned methods of disposal; from problems, the tour goes to solutions including recycling and trash-to-energy. You even get to watch the recycling facility in operation. At the Sustainable Dave’s exhibit, see the amount of trash one person can make in an entire year. 

Spring Break Made Simple

The operative word in spring break? Break. For you, the kids, for everyone. So, why subject yourself to the stresses of traveling far and wide, when some of the simplest, most exciting (not to mention economically sensible) shoreline escapes are right here in Connecticut? 

On-site spa. Now that we have your attention, let us talk about the countless other amenities you will find at the Water’s Edge Resort in Westbrook. For kids, there is an arcade and indoor activities center with board games and movies. For you, a truly indulgent spa and an incredible fitness center – you know, the kind that actually makes you want to work out. When the time comes for the entire family to join together, family night comes naturally with plenty of seasonal activities, such as arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, volleyball and beach discovery walks. And did we mention the spa? 

Further along the shoreline, the Hilton Mystic offers an array of solutions for those inevitable April showers. In addition to offering Sony PlayStations in each room, the hotel features a fitness center, indoor heated pool, movie room playing classic children’s movies and game desk that lends favorites like Monopoly. Plus, an on-site restaurant and room service not only provide convenient dinner plans, but more importantly, you will not have to cook. Of course you are not restricted to staying inside and it won’t rain forever. Plenty of nearby attractions like the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, Mystic Seaport, shoreline beaches for kite flying and nature walks, downtown Mystic’s stores and restaurants and Olde Mistick Village provide the perfect excuse to get outside and enjoy. 

If little planning and lots of fun is what appeals to you, look no further. Reserve the “Under the Sea: Flicks & Flippers” package through the Four Points Sheraton in Norwalk, and get an overnight stay, two complimentary adult tickets and two children tickets to the Maritime Aquarium and an IMAX movie. Plus, once you have seen all there is to see at the aquarium, take advantage of the hotel’s proximity to historical South Norwalk and the Stepping Stones Museum for Children. 

For another no-hassle, big fun getaway, take advantage of the Connecticut Science Center Discovery Package at the Hartford Marriott Downtown. From the Earth to the Moon and beyond, marvel at the continually changing exhibits. Fly to Mars, forecast a blizzard, design a heliflyer or even test your own inventions - the possibilities are endless. The package includes overnight accommodations in Hartford's only four diamond hotel, full buffet breakfast for two adults and two children in VIVO Trattoria and two adult and two children's tickets to the exciting Connecticut Science Center right next door. 

Back to Nature

All that time you spent indoors this winter, you and the kids could probably use some fresh air and a reintroduction to nature. Why not venture into the great outdoors with your little explorers for a fun and educational experience at one of Connecticut’s many nature centers. 

The New Britain Youth Museum at Hungerford Parkin Kensington features interactive exhibits, and programs on science, natural history and the environment, including a puppet theater, the "Bear's Den" slide and an old time Ice Cream Parlor. The kids will love visiting with the resident barnyard animals on the grounds of the museum and learning all about their care. 

Without even trying, the Stamford Museum & Nature Centeris naturally exciting. There you can visit farm favorites at Heckscher Farm, see the world from an animal’s point of view at Nature’s Playground or meet non-releasable exotic animals at the Animal Embassy Building. Sounds top secret, right? Make sure you get a chance to take advantage of the museum’s new Outdoor Adventures series of family programs, led by local naturalists, and explore the natural wonders found at the museum or right in your own backyard. Special spring adventures include an on-site hunt for amphibians in their natural habitats and a date with snakes from around the world. 

Located in the heart of the 4,000-acre White Memorial Foundation, the White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield consists of a wildlife sanctuary, environmental education center and nature museum with exhibits focusing on the interpretation of local natural history, conservation and ecology. Take the kids along to enjoy a wide range of spring events, including presentations on reptiles, amphibians, bats and butterflies (oh my!), plus guided hikes and scavenger hunts and bird watching. 

Last, but certainly not least, is the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic. Get acquainted with Mother Nature through exhibits highlighting the habitats of wildlife in southeastern Connecticut, eight miles of trails winding through the 300-acre wooded preserve and a multitude of family and children’s programs. From family eagle-viewing expeditions to bird walks and guided hikes, the center is buzzing with educational activity throughout the season. So, go on and get out there!