1. Black Rock State Park
City: Watertown, CT
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (860) 283-8088 (May through Se
Description: This 439-acre park of pine and oak ledges was named for the dark rock around this part of the Naugatuck Valley, and was once a popular haunt of Native Americans. Ninety-one open and wooded sites are open from Apr to Sept, with the sites in the 80s and 90s the most secluded, if you’re looking for that. Black Rock Pond has a small beach and is always full of happy children. This is also a great place to hike, with its own trails, as well as the Mattatuck Trail, which heads through the park to the northwest on its way to the White Memorial Foundation in Litchfield. Across Route 6 to the east and slightly up the road, the Mattatuck Trail heads back into the forest, and in half a mile you’ll reach the Leatherman Cave, one of many in Connecticut but probably the most impressive. Really not a cave at all but a collection of gigantic rocks leaning on a cliff, this spot was one of 34 the strange character known as the Leatherman stopped at during the 365-mile circuit he made continuously through the state.
2. Crestbrook Park Golf Course
City: Watertown, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (860) 945-5249
Address: 834 Northfield Rd.
Description: This public course in Watertown is also considered the best 18-hole course in the county. Once a 9-hole course, Crestbrook was expanded in 1980 after the town bought the course from a private club. From the back tees, the length is 6,930 (though there are 4 sets of tees for all abilities), and its fast-sloping greens are considered to be challenging. Carts will cost you extra at Crestbrook (as usual), and you need special permission to use a caddy. There’s a pro shop and a restaurant at the course called Cavallo’s Crestbrook Inn, open for lunch. It’s a popular-enough course that it is self-supporting, and costs Watertown nothing, so it must be doing something right.