***** Please keep in mind that although the State of Connecticut has begun a phased reopening, most events have been postponed or cancelled due to the Coronavirus.*****
Events:
The Newington Parks and Recreation Department celebrates the Grand Opening of the newly installed 9-hole miniature golf course at Mill Pond Park, adjacent to Garfield Street. The miniature golf course is an activity that is COVID safe and is played in the great outdoors! All state COVID sanitation protocols will be in place. The clubs and balls will be sanitized after each party uses them. The fun begins with a Miniature Golf Tournament at 11:00 a.m. The tournament is a fundraiser for the Life. Be in it. Extravaganza Fireworks Fund. The fee will be $5.00 per person, and foursomes must register in advance. There are three categories to play in for the tournament. The first category is the “Family” category (program # 2120027-A1). The family foursome can consist of either one adult and three children, or two adults and two children. The second is the “Open” category (program # 2120027-B1) which consists of an adult foursome age 18 and over. The third category is the “Children’s” category (program # 2120027-C1) which consists of a foursome including four children between the ages of 8 and 15. First and second prizes will be awarded to the top two foursomes with the lowest combined scores in each category. The prizes will be a $20.00 gift card for 1st place and a $10.00 gift card for 2nd place, per foursome, to the brand-new Community Café, the snack bar located in the new Mortensen Community Center. The menu includes items such as hotdogs, chicken tenders and tantalizing sauces, popcorn, soft serve ice cream, nachos, pretzels and soft drinks. Anyone that registers for the Miniature Golf Tournament will receive a free train between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on the multicolored five-car trackless train. This train is a new amusement ride that can carry between 16 and 20 children/adults.
The train will circle Mill Pond Park and will be playing lively train songs throughout the trip. Those wishing to ride the train who are not signed up for the Miniature Golf Tournament, can purchase tickets for only $3.00 per person. You can conveniently register online at www.newingtonct.gov/parksandrec
The Meriden Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) team hosts the Amphibian and Reptile Mini Bioblitz on Saturday. The bioblitz walks are free and open to the public. Reserve your spot by e-mailing MeridenNRI@gmail or texting 203-631-2130. Registration is encouraged. You can also visit www.facebook.com/MeridenNRITeam for any last-minute updates. At 7:30 a.m., David James will host a walk at the power line starting at the Preston Avenue dead end parking area. Driving north on Preston Avenue, just before the overpass and entrance onto I-91 North, follow Preston Avenue right as it parallels the highway up to the parking area and trail. The walk is moderate, but there are some wet areas so dress accordingly. At 2 p.m., Carter Shay will host a walk at the Blue Trail where the gas line crosses Edgewood Road about 1 mile past DeMaria Farm. The walk is moderate, but the trail may be rocky and features brook crossings, so dress accordingly. Text Carter for the location if you arrive late: 203-443-3026. Also at 2 p.m., Dave Rauch will host a walk in the Bishops Pond area. Meet at 639 Research Parkway.
The walk is easy, but dress to avoid ticks. Text Dave for the location if you arrive late: 203-631-2130. At 5 p.m., David James will host a walk at the Blue Trail off Chamberlin Highway, on the left going north just before the Berlin town sign. The walk is moderate, but some areas are rocky and wet so dress accordingly. Volunteers conducting the Mayor’s Clean Up are being asked to send photos of creatures they discover to MeridenNRI@gmail.com.
The 40th Annual Southeastern Connecticut Home and Garden Show is Friday 5-9pm, Saturday 11am-9pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm at Mohegan Sun's Earth Expo and Convention Center. $10 Adults, $8 Seniors, 12 and under are FREE. Styles and prices for every taste and budget. Builders, remodelers, designers and contractors. Free parking. Tickets available at the door.
Quassy Amusement Park is open weekends for its 113th season! Lake Quassapaug, Rt. 64, 2132 Middlebury Road, Middlebury, CT. For daily passes, season passes and parking information, please call 1-800-FOR-PARK or visit www.quassy.com
Lake Compounce celebrates its 175th this year in Bristol! The park is open Saturdays and Sundays, plus Memorial Day, now through June 26. Then, the park will be open Thursdays through Mondays until August 22. Park leadership will carefully monitor attendance trends and conditions in the region with the hopes of expanding operating days and hours during the summer months. For the best deals on tickets and season passes, please visit www.LakeCompounce.com , where information on health and safety measures, special events, and more can also be found.
The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center and The Mark Twain House & Museum are reopened to the public for guided tours beginning Saturday. Situated in the historic Nook Farm neighborhood in the West End of Hartford, these adjacent tourism attractions welcome tens of thousands of visitors and field trips annually. Both museums will resume tours with safe visitation protocols including reduced tour capacities and frequency and mandatory mask use for guests and staff. Due to the smaller tour sizes, advance online ticket reservations are highly recommended for both sites to avoid disappointment. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center new tour hours are Thursdays, 12:30pm-8pm (last tour at 7pm); Fridays, 11:30am-6:00pm (last tour at 5pm); and Saturdays, 8:30am-5:30pm (last tour at 4:30pm). Tours will run every hour on the hour Thursdays and Fridays. On Saturdays tours will expand with start times every 30 minutes. The museum highly recommends purchasing tickets online ahead of time; for more information, visit stowecenter.org/visit/tour. The Mark Twain House & Museum tours will go out every hour on the half hour, with the first tour departing at 10:30am EST and the last tour departing at 3:30pm EST. Tours will be limited to six guests to allow for social distance between visitors in every room of the house. To ensure the best possible visitor experience, the museum highly recommends purchasing tickets online ahead of time. For the most up-to-date information on hours and to purchase tickets, please visit marktwainhouse.org/visit.
The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks hosts the Flights of Fun Family Programs offering social distanced activities for families on Saturdays and Sundays 10am to 4pm including Flight Science Demonstrations, the Investigation Station, and take-home versions of our popular Build and Fly Challenges. Additional activities include QR Code Tours, Scavenger Hunts, and opportunities for visitors to peek inside select aircraft cockpits. All programs are included with general admission. Limited Capacity and Covid-19 safety measures are in place. Please visit www.NEAM.org before you go!
The New England Carousel Museum and Museum of Fire History, 95 Riverside Avenue, Bristol are open to the public and offer free FREE general admission to visitors that live in the cities of Bristol and Burlington through December 31, 2021. Residents should be prepared to show and ID or proof or residence. This was made possible by the museums receiving grants from local foundations. General admission includes guided tours at noon and 2:00 PM during public hours and one carousel ride per person. Additional carousel rides are $1 each or $3 for an unlimited ride bracelet. Presently masks are required for all visitors over the age of 2. Other towns may make a reservation online or visit the Museum for ticket prices and special events. www.thecarouselmuseum.org
Hike from Giuffrida Park to Chauncey Peak in Meriden along the Mattabesett Trail to enjoy marvelous views atop the state’s famous traprock ridges.
Or there’s Campbell Falls State Park in Norfolk, where you can hike to see a 50-foot waterfall. The waterfall at this park features a rugged form that is not often found in New England.
And Bluff Point State Park in Groton, is great place to hike along the Long Island Sound. Hikers can enjoy both wooded trails mixed with spectacular views of the water and maybe even spot some wildlife along the way.
And don’t forget Talcott Mountain State Park in Simsbury, where you can hike to the famous 165-foot Heublein Tower and look out to see amazing views of New Hampshire, the Berkshires and parts of Long Island Sound.
Mohegan Sun is open! Comix Roadhouse has also reopened. Safety measures have been instituted including reduced attendance, sanitation procedures, social distancing, physical barriers and more. www.mohegansun.com
Foxwoods Casino is open. Safety measures have been instituted including reduced attendance, sanitation procedures, social distancing, physical barriers and more. To learn more, visit www.foxwoods.com.
MGM Springfield Casino is now open! www.mgmspringfield.mgmresorts.com/
Nomad's Adventure Quest, 100 Bidwell Rd, South Windsor is re-opened with limited capacity and some activities restricted. Hours are Friday 4pm-10pm, Saturday 12pm-10pm and Sunday 12pm-8pm. www.nomadsadventurequest.com or 860-290-1177
Revolutions Bowling and Lounge, 60 Bidwell Rd, South Windsor, CT 06074 is open daily. Please make a reservation and follow mask and social distancing guidelines! Call (860) 282-2695
Farmington Miniature Golf & Ice Cream Parlor is open daily, weather permitting! Great family fun on route 4 in Farmington!
Mystic Seaport is open with many family friendly outdoor activities.
Mystic Aquarium's outdoor spaces including the Penguin Pavilion, Marsh Trek, Pacific Northwest habitats and the Arctic Coast habitat featuring New England’s only beluga whales are open! Hours of operation will be 10am to 6pm daily for timed-ticket visitation. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.mysticaquarium.org/visit/tickets/
Theater/Streaming:
TheaterWorks Hartford in partnership with Goodspeed Musicals announced today that CHRISTIANE NOLL: COMING ALIVE AGAIN will stream on demand Sunday through May 30, 2021.
Directed by Rob Ruggiero with Music Direction by William Waldrop, tickets will be available at twhartford.org. This virtual concert includes a heartwarming collection of beloved songs from Follies, The Bridges of Madison County, Company, Fun Home, Grey Gardens, Hello, Dolly!, Dear Evan Hansen, Jagged Little Pill, Ragtime, Next to Normal, Wicked, Anyone Can Whistle and Sunday in the Park with George. Tickets, priced at $25 can be purchased online at www.twhartford.org or by calling 860.527.7838
Tune in for an exciting virtual Sunday Serenades presentation from two vibrant Hartford institutions: The Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art every Sunday till June 10, 2021. Chamber music curated by HSO Concertmaster, Leonid Sigal will include HSO musicians perform music by Samuel Barber, Astor Piazzolla, Richard Strauss, and Ludwig van Beethoven surrounded by the shimmering sculpture of Paul Manship. Tickets are $15, and $10 for HSO subscribers and Wadsworth Atheneum members, and are available at hartfordsymphony.org To visit the exhibition Ancient Made Modern, check thewadsworth.org for current museum hours and covid precautions.
Unique Dining Options:
Visit J Restaurant Bar, 297 Washington Street in Hartford for the Gazebos and Box Car Dining Experience. A large area of their secure parking lot has been transformed - their parking lot is now a Paved Paradise complete with tables, lighting, heaters, fire pits and safety! (And don’t miss Tuesday Night Trivia which is hosted by Mike Stacy, is free and a ton of fun! It also benefits Christmas Wish CT 860-527-7764 or www.jrestaurantbar.com
Mykonos Mediterranean Restaurant, 2414 Berlin Turnpike in Newington has expanded their dining room into Outdoor Dining, inside. 3 walls are all glass with screens and sliding windows allowing a constant flow of fresh air. UV lights and Heaters in the ceiling have also been added for your safety and comfort. The expanded outdoor patio is also open for the season. Complete Family Meal To Go Offerings are still available for $35 & $45. 860-594-0900
Millwrights Restaurant and Tavern in Simsbury has Igloos! Dine in your own outdoor bubble! www.millwrightsrestaurant.com or 860-651-5500.
