The northwest corner of Connecticut is the setting for Litchfield County and the foothills of the Berkshires, often called the Litchfield Hills. The county spreads outward from the villages of Salisbury and Canaan, south through Kent to New Milford, east to Barkhamstead and southeast to the village of Litchfield and on to Torrington and Watertown. This scenic area contains a treasure trove of things to do and places to visit. There are marvelous restaurants, historic sites, wineries, covered bridges, parks and lakes and many other things to see. While the area is very popular in the summer and fall, there is so much to do and see here that any time is a good time to visit.
The heart of the county and its namesake, the village of Litchfield sits about an hour west of Hartford and two hours from New York, along US Route 202. This little town is right out of a history book with its town green, which hosts many annual events including an Annual Gallery on the Green. The Gallery is the second Saturday in June with over 100 local artists showing their watercolors, oil paintings, leatherwork, quilts, pottery, stained glass and more.
One of the most popular events in town is the annual Litchfield Hills Road Race, which takes place the second Sunday every June. This 7 mile race begins and ends on the Green and has some of the best runners in the world. Adding to the charm is the white clapboard Congregational Church which sits just across the street and nearby is the Tapping Reeve House and Law School, the first law school in the United States.
Litchfield lawyer and resident Tapping Reeve created the first formal set of law lectures and built a small school next to his house in 1784 to educate his growing body of students. Here he educated 2 Vice Presidents, Aaron Burr and John Calhoun, 28 senators, 14 governors, 3 Justices of the Supreme Court and over 100 members of the House of Representatives. Just down the street is the Litchfield History Museum, a wonderful place to learn about the history of the town and area.
Just southwest of Litchfield off of Rt. 202 on Whitehall Road is the White Memorial Conservation Center, located on the 4,000 acre White Memorial Foundation wildlife preserve. The preserve has a diversity of ecosystems with hiking trails, a museum, and campgrounds. The Center is adjacent to Bantam Lake, a popular recreation lake, and has campsites for families and boating facilities for those who want to use the lake. The Museum has a variety of exhibits depending on the season and is open daily, year round. For more information visit their website at www.whitememorialcc.org.
Venturing to the other side of town on the southeast, the hillside along Wigwam Road comes alive every spring with thousands of daffodils. For those who love flowers, White Flower Farm is located in Litchfield, just south of the village on Rt. 63. This world-famous farm (www.whiteflowerfarm.com) is a mail-order source for plants, bulbs and gardening supplies and has a five acre display garden that is free and open to the public.
Also nearby are two state parks, Mt. Tom State Park and Topsmead State Forest. Mt. Tom is 3 ½ miles west of Bantam off 202. This is one of the oldest state parks in Connecticut and it surrounds the small peak of Mt. Tom. There is a mile long trail to get to the top, and the park also has a pond for fishing, swimming and canoeing. Topsmead is off Rt. 118 about a mile east of Litchfield. This 500+ acre area has hiking trails and cross country skiing in the winter.
The town of Litchfield has many things, indoors and out, for visitors to do, but it is just one small part of this area. In the next installment we will move down Rt. 202 to New Preston, Washington and New Milford.
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