Dates visited: Way too many to list.

This is pretty much the only place we visited during the first month or so of lockdown. The park has lots of open space that normally would be used for youth athletics, but most days we had the park to ourselves. There are some funky trails in the woods that we've frequented many times as well. They are used for both mountain biking and hiking.

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The picture below was taken near Rye Street Park, on one of the side streets on the opposite side of the road. For a couple nights back in May of 2024, the Northern Lights were seen much further south than normal. It was said to be a once in a lifetime event. I was able to get some good photos, but couldn't figure out how to take a picture of Mandy & Lexi with the Northern Lights in the background. Well, as luck would happen, the "once in a lifetime event" happened again, almost exactly three months later. This time, I used a street light on the road as a source of light for the dogs, and the iPhone 14 Pro's low light mode with a 3 second exposure to take the photo. Somehow, Mandy and Lexi stayed completely still for 3 seconds and I was able to get the shot. The aurora effect isn't as pronounced, probably because of the interference from the street light, but you can definitely see the colors in the sky behind the dogs.

Dates visited: 3/12/2020, 5/21/2020, 2/6/21, 3/9/2021 & 5/7/2021.

This is probably the most popular park in South Windsor. It features a paved walking loop trail, a playground, fitness stations, wooded areas, and of course the South Windsor Bark Park.

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Dates visited: 5/21/2020, 2/6/2021, 4/26/2021 & 3/15/2022.

This is the first dog park we visited with Mandy. This is where we eventually met Lexi too. We've been here may times over the years, but not as often since COVID. When all of the Dog Parks were closed, they took the time to replace all the wood chips here. The new ones, while looking nice, are hard, and Mandy and Lexi don't seem to want to run much here these days.

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Date visited: 8/3/2020.

This is the area at the end of Viberts Roads near the boat launch. There are trails that run right against the Connecticut River. There are "No Tresspassing" signs on the trails that run north, but no such signs on the trails that run south until you pass I-291. I am still unsure if this trail is private property or not. We tried to hike the loop that we saw on the trail map and wound up in a corn field.

Dates visited: 5/21/2020, 8/7/2020, 9/25/2020, 3/9/2021, 9/7/2021 & 11/4/2022.

This is another popular park in South Windsor. It features an open field with mowed walking paths. There are abundant wild flowers throughout this section. The northern end of the part features a wooded section with two loop trails. There is another section not accessible from the main part of the park. There are plans to build a bridge over Plum Gulley Brook that would connect the two sections. This may actually be part of the proposed "South Windsor Cross-Town Trail". At some point in 2022, the town built another parking lot and trail head off Ellington Road. There's a new sign to go along with the paved parking lot. There is a new segment of trail that connects the new lot to one of the loop trails in the northern end of the park.

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Dates visited: 8/13/2020 & 5/26/2021

This is not a very exciting park. It is mostly some open space, with some short trails at the rear section of the park. We went here initially after Tropical Storm Isaias, and there was a lot of tree damage. We came back in May of 2021 with Cookie.

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Date visited: 5/7/2021

Consider this a sneak preview. The trail doesn't exist...yet. The South Windsor Cross Town Trail was officially designated in 2017. When complete, it will connect to the Charter Oak Greenway in Manchester and run through South Windsor into East Windsor. According to the State Of Connecticut's website, it will run through Wapping Park, Nevers Park and the Niederwerfer Wildlife Refuge, all places that we have visited frequently. The trail will roughly follow the Eversource right of way near the power lines. Those lines do go through or near the places listed above. The picture below is near Nevers Park, taken across the street from the park on Chief Ryan Way on the Eversource access path for the power lines. It seems like much of the trail is in place, and the remaining construction went out to bid in 2020. I'm looking forward to it's completion. It will be great to have a trail like this in town!

Date visited: 2/1/2023

This is a small area across the street from Nevers Park. It's used mostly for sledding in the winter, but we haven't had much snow this year so it's not getting much use.

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Date visited: 4/11/2023

This is the commercial shopping plaza in the center of town. There are a series of smaller plazas, as well as the large plaza with Stop & Shop. I often take walks in my own neighborhood during my lunch break, but it gets kind of boring so I am always looking for new places to go. So we came here as a change of pace. There's no trail here, so we kind of made our own route where we circled the entire area. There's a very nice foot bridge over a stream that is quite scenic. There's a gazebo in front of Stop & Shop and another one near a retirement community that borders the plaza. Of course, Wapping Park and the new Evergreen Walk Trail is nearby if you prefer a walk on an actual trail.

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Dates visited: 3/16/2020, 6/19/2020, 9/22/2020, 9/25/2020, 2/24/2021, 12/20/2021 & 4/11/2023

This is a nice area off of Sullivan Ave. Like many of the other parks in South Windsor, it is a combination of open space, and wooded sections. There are a few different loop trails to explore. One side trail ends right at Dairy Queen. It's a convenient way for Mandy and Lexi to enjoy their pup-cups!

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Dates visited: 3/21/2020 & 9/23/2020.

This is another nice hiking area in town. This is another combination of wooded trails and some more open areas. One section has a nice view of the Hartford skyline. We took a wrong turn and wound up in a corn field again.

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Dates visited: 9/25/2020, 12/1/2020, 12/18/2020, 1/27/2021, 2/4/2021, 1/31/2022, 9/11/2022, 11/23/2022, 12/12/2022, 1/9/2023, 11/27/2023 & 12/13/2023.

We used to visit here in the spring quite often after work while waiting for the East Windsor Dog Park to open for the season. This is a very pup friendly shopping plaza. The dogs are welcome inside most stores here. Of course, with COVID, non-essential shopping was shut down so we didn't go here until the fall. There are some great photo opportunities during the holidays.

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We come here to take Christmas pictures almost every year. We actually came twice in 2023. The first time was the end of November during the day. The tree was not yet set up, even though it was after Black Friday. We came back a couple weeks later when I had to pick up an order at the Apple Store. We used the opportunity to take more pictures now that the tree was up.

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Dates visited: 2/10/2021, 4/25/2021, 5/15/2022 & 10/12/2023

This is a walking trail behind Evergreen Walk. There is a new apartment complex in the back that features a walking trail, as well as some side trails that run down to Plum Gulley Brook. I didn't see any signs saying the trail was for the apartment complex dwellers only, so I think it's okay to walk there. An even newer trail was built recently, that connects with the original one. I can't really find any information about it. It's a wonderful, easy, walking trail with a wood chip surface. It runs for about 1.2 miles. It starts behind the pediatric office at the corner of Deming Street and Tamarack Avenue, and then proceeds behind the Costco and through the woods and fields behind Evergreen Walk. The wood chip portion ends near a pond connecting to the existing trails behind Evergreen Walk. I think the trail was built when the Costco was being built at the end of last year, but I don't know for sure. I happened to notice it when filling up the gas tank at Costco one day, so decided to come back and check it out. It might be the best kept secret in town!

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We returned to walk the wood chip trail almost a year and a half after our previous visit. We parked by the pediatrics office at the corner of Deming Street and Tamarack Avenue. We proceeded along the wood chip trail behind Costco. Leaves on the ground obscured the trail in some spots, and there are no trail blazes, so there were a couple places in the woods where it was hard to follow. The trail was brand new the last time we were here, but now it has been worn over the past year. The bright brown new wood chips are now old and gray, when not covered in leaves. One surprise since our last visit was that the wood chip portion of the trail has been extended all the way to the end near Cambria hotel. When we reached the end, instead of turning around and walking back the way we came, we made it a loop by using the streets behind Evergreen Walk. If you chose to go this route, you will pass a hotel, condos, apartments, a nursery school, various doctor's offices, retirement communities, a bank, LA Fitness, the new Whole Foods that's in the process of being built, and Costco. The whole loop was just shy of three miles.

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Date visited: 10/31/2021

We came here for the "Howloween" event! Mandy and Lexi entered the costume contest, but they didn't win. The place was packed and there was a lot of competition! It was so busy, I didn't even get a chance to see which dogs won. Even though Mandy and Lexi didn't win, they still had fun!

Dates visited: 10/9/2021 & 7/23/2022

Also known simply as "South Windsor Fairgrounds," this spot plays hosts to a number of town events each year, most notably, The Wapping Fair and this event, "Paws In The Park." Normally held in May every year, "Paws In The Park" is a fair for the dogs hosted by the South Windsor Jaycees (who also host the very popular Wapping Fair). The fair includes contests, live music, food and a many vendors. Not all of the vendors are pet related, but many of them are. Normally, we would enter some of the contests, but we sat out this time due to it being a very busy weekend. We spent an hour walking around and taking pictures. The fact that we are having fairs like this now shows that life is slowly getting back to normal. It was also Mandy's 7th Birthday, so it was nice of the town to throw her this big Birthday Party!

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The 2022 "Paws In The Park" was supposed to happen on May 7th, but it was postponed due to the threat of rain (it was terribly overcast that day, but it never did rain). For whatever reason, the new date picked was in the middle of the summer. We live very close, so we decided to make a quick visit, despite record heat in the forecast. The heat definitely kept people away, as it was much less busy than years passed. I made sure the dogs got in the kiddie pool to cool off. I also found a trail that almost connects to the Rye Street Park trails. It gets very close to the train tracks, but there is still some bushwacking that needs to be done to get it to the tracks and the rest of the park. The new sign for the Fairgrounds does read "John J Mitchell Fairgrounds at Rye Street Park", so it all should be connected. Anyway, I'm surprised this event wasn't cancelled because of the heat and I hope they pick a cooler day in the spring or fall next year.

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Date visited: 5/3/2023

See Also: Windsor, South Windsor, Manchester, East Hartford

This designated greenway starts at Windsor Meadows State Park and ends at the Charter Oak Trail in East Hartford. A large section of the trail in South Windsor is "on-road", as the dedicated paved trail ends after crossing the Bissell Bridge at Main Street. The "on-road" section follows Chapel Street into Manchester where the dedicated trail picks up again. My plan was to walk from Windsor Meadows to Main Street and back, but the trail is so boring and noisy (it runs along side I-291), that we turned around shortly after the bridge and headed elsewhere.

Date visited: 8/14/2023

It's hard to believe that there is a place in South Windsor we haven't visited yet. I think this is a relatively new area that was transformed to a small park when the houses were built on Frazer Fir Road. There is a very small pond, a few picnic tables, and a very short trail through the woods on the far side of the pond. It's a nice place to go fishing, have a picnic, or just get out and stretch your legs.

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Date visited: 3/31/2024

This is the area behind the Parks and Recreation Complex on Foster Road, which includes Orchard Hill Elementary School and Timothy Edwards Middle School. I was mildly amused by the picture of the cat on the "Please Clean Up After Your Pet" sign. There's a number of athletic fields, picnic areas and playgrounds here, so it's a full fledged park area. There are paved sidewalks throughout, one of them leads to Avery Community Gardens. We added some steps by walking through some of the nearby neighborhoods as well.

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