City: Portland, CT

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (860) 342-0624

Address: 1503 Portland-Cobalt Rd. (Route 66)

Description: This family-run motel in Portland is a great hub for the area, as well as being only 15 miles south of Hartford. Both smoking and nonsmoking rooms are available among the 47 options. They have wheelchair-accessible rooms in the back, with roll-in showers, though those are larger and go for about $10 more. You’re still paying almost nothing for a clean room with a refrigerator and air-conditioning. All that, along with complimentary coffee and pastry every morning and Wi-Fi, and every room has a ground-level entrance. That’s more than a deal, that’s a fine vacation.

City: Portland, CT

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (860) 342-5017

Address: 161 Brownstone Ave.

Insider Pick:

Description: Built in a brownstone quarry in operation since 1660, Brownstone Park is one of Connecticut’s newest and most creative attractions. The two quarries that make up the park are flooded, of course (since the 1938 hurricane, in fact), and now are fed by natural springs. There are so many activities here that it is difficult to even list them. You can swim, snorkel, and scuba dive in these amazing pits; there are even carefully mapped underwater scuba stations and training platforms. You can rock climb, cliff jump, wakeboard, canoe, water bike, water ball, and kayak. There is a zip-line and a challenge course, along with ample hiking and biking opportunities on well-cleared trails. This is a growing attraction, and things may be more developed by the time you get there, with a museum, learning center, and other activities in the works. It’s great to see this creative way of reclaiming these quarries for recreation, and Brownstone Park is sure to become one of Connecticut’s most popular summer attractions in future years.