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◂︎ Mandy & Lexi's Connecticut Adventures
Westport
Sherwood Island State Park
Dates visited: 2/13/2021, 3/20/2021 & 4/2/2022
This is another state park on the beach with some walking trails. We initially went here in the middle of February, when there was still snow on the ground. I was surprised at the number of people who were there, but with COVID, there's not a lot to do these days! We came back for a brief visit in late March when the weather was much nicer, and it was busier. As usual with these places, dogs are only allowed during the off-season. Most of the beaches that allow dogs in Connecticut, only allow them from October 1st through March 31st, but this one allows them through April 15th. So our third visit here was in early Arpril the next year, when we couldn't go to the other beaches.
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Compo Beach
Date visited: 2/11/2022
We were treated with a glorious, sunny, mid 50's afternoon in the middle of February. We spent the day at the beach! This is a great beach that allows dogs in the off-season. Not only that, the beach features an off-leash area for the dogs. We also walked down the road to Old Mill Beach. Days like this in the middle of winter are a real treat!
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Compo Beach
Date visited: 3/1/2025
We returned here over three years since our first visit. We were in town visiting the Riverwalk and the downtown area. It's hard visiting a costal town without stopping at a beach! It started off as a real nice beach day, as temps made it up to 60 degrees, but the clouds came and the winds picked up just after we arrived. On our first visit, we walked the length of the beach. This time, I just let the dogs play in the off-leash area. Lexi got the zoomies, and ran around like a crazy dog trying to get Mandy to play. Mandy was more interested in meeting the other dogs. The beach was quite busy. It's probably the busiest I've ever seen a beach on March 1st! There were many dogs for her to meet! We stayed for 45 minutes and the dogs had a great time!
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Canal Beach Area
Date visited: 2/27/2022
Canal Beach is an extremely small, rocky, public beach near Saugatuck Island in Westport. The "hike" we walked, started at Canal Beach. It was called "Beach Lagoon Trail" in the All-Trails app, but wasn't really a trail at all. 95% of the route was along streets in a very wealthy neighborhood. This is not to say that it wasn't a scenic walk. It was a very scenic walk on a gorgeous day. There is another rocky beach that runs along side Harbor Road. There was a sign indicating the beach was private property, but you could walk the beach at your own risk. Or at least, that's what I think it said. Part of the sign had broken away. We got some nice photos on that section of the walk. We also walked by the smallest wildlife conservation area that I've ever seen.
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Winslow Park
Date visited: 12/8/2023
This is a town park that features a paved walking trail, as well as a couple dirt trails. The trails are short, only a little more than a mile total. Dogs are allowed off-leash in a large section of this part. They must remain leashed in other sections, and there is one section near the road where they are not allowed at all. The Westport Country Playhouse is next door to the park. It actually shares a parking lot with the park, as well as Gabriele's Italian Steakhouse. The restaurant had some Christmas decorations that made a good photo backdrop. (I have their Santa hats in the car with me at all times this time of year). There was a Christmas display up at Winslow Park Animal Hospital that we took photos in front of as well. The hospital also shares a driveway with the playhouse and the restaurant.
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Library Riverwalk
Date visited: 3/1/2025
It was the first day of March, and it reached 60 degrees for a couple hours around mid-day. Luckily, that's right when we arrived. The Riverwalk is a scenic path near the Westport Library, and around Levitt Pavilion. In the summer they have concerts at the pavilion. I saw Umphrey's McGee play there on the 4th of July the previous summer. In the off-season, the pavilion area is open to the public. There are some sculptures around the library that are pretty interesting as well. After finishing up near the pavilion and library, we headed to the shops in in the downtown area.
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Downtown Westport
Date visited: 3/1/2025
After visiting the Library Riverwalk, we continued our walk through the downtown area. There are a lot of nice shops and restaurants. None seemed dog friendly, but it's still a nice place for a walk. It was a beautiful early March afternoon, and an enjoyable two mile walk around the town.
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