WALKING DISTANCE (500 feet):
7,840 acre Yale Forest - www.yale.edu/schoolforest/
Still River Café www.stillrivercafe.com Boston Magazine: "#1 Destination Restaurant in New England 2008", Zagat: "One of America's Top Restaurants 2008", New York Times: "Extraordinary", Yankee Magazine; "Editor's Choice Destination 2008", Hartford Courant: "Connecticut's new dining destination". Take a look at the cars in the parking lot here on a Friday evening and ask yourself if they appear like they could afford to stay at a B&B.
Eastford Baptist Church and King's Kids daycare.
3 TO 5 MINUTES:
Bigelow Hollow State Park, Mashapaug Lake and the adjoining Nipmuck State Forest in Union.
 Mashapaug is a natural lake made larger by man. Many would argue that the 300 acre lake is the best swimming lake in the state; large and clear with 10 foot visibility, motor boats are allowed but no wake (waves with white caps) allowed so there is no water skiing and no jet skis. Only about 1/3 of the lakes' shoreline is developed with homes. For fishing, Mashapaug still holds the state record Largemouth Bass, formerly held the state record Brown Trout; in 2004 a state record 29+ pound Channel Catfish was caught, and, in the fall of 2008 the state stocked the lake with Atlantic Salmon.
 Also at Bigelow Hollow State Park, Bigelow Pond at the entrance of the park is a popular trout fishery in spring, while the remote 91 acre Breakneck Pond was once referenced in an old issue of Outdoor Life Magazine as having "the best Calico Bass fishing in the country". Adjoining Bigelow Hollow State Park is a large portion of Nipmuck State Forest, CT's second oldest with over 9,000 acres. South of the State Park on Rte 171 is Yale Forest. The difference between State Parks and State Forests in CT is there is no hunting allowed in State Parks. Hunting on private property with rifle or shotgun requires 10 acres minimum, with no acreage requirement for bow hunting. All the streams in this area have trout. Studies by DEP and the University of CT conservatively estimate CT's Moose population at 300, with a population on the west part of the state around East Hartland and on the east side of the state in this region. Discovery of a calf in Eastford evidences local reproduction.
 Camp Nahaco Park, www.woodstockconservation.org/nahaco.htm. This former sed by the towns of Eastford and Woodstock for public recreation. Crystal Pond is another extremely natural clear body of water which is larger than all the other lakes and ponds in Woodstock and Eastford.
Black Pond, Nipmuck State Forest in Woodstock. Black Pond is a natural body of water consisting of 73 acres, very clean with a mostly undeveloped shoreline. There is a boat ramp and a few picnic tables. While not intended as a beach, because the water is clear and the bottom pebbles, occasionally people swim there. The Pond has a single private property owner, YMCA Camp Woodstock and the state. It has both Bass and Trout, and, holds the state record for Yellow Perch.
Buell's Orchard, Eastford. www.buellsorcard.com The Fall Festival and BBQ with it's free hay rides and live music is a tradition and celebration of harvest.
Windswept Acres Horse Stables, Stoggy Hollow General Store, Woodstock.
10 TO 15 MINUTES:
 Natchaug State Forest, the Natchaug River and Hall's Pond, Eastford. www.stateparks.com/natchaug.htm Halls Pond is an 82 acre state Bass Management Lake with a public boat ramp and only 4 houses on the shoreline. The state recently added to the state forest by purchasing the entire south side of the lake. All of Eastford's campgrounds are located on the Natchaug River which has fabulous trout fishing. Futher downstream in neighboring Chaplin is enormous dynamic pools know as Diana's Pool.
The Woodstock Fair, Woodstock. www.woodstockfair.com The Woodstock Fair is one of the state's largest; attendance for 4 days on Labor Day weekend can exceed 250,000. The weekend before, located two towns to the south, the Brooklyn Fair is the State's oldest.
Old Sturbridge Village, Strubridge, MA www.osv.org This is a reproduction New England Village consisting of authentic historic 1790-1840 buildings moved and reassembled from throughout New England to create an operating village on more than 200 acres. There are homes, meetinghouses, grist mill, blacksmith, pottery, shoe shop, bank, district school, county store, law office etc. Staff dressed in period attire demonstrates functions of the day. The village has events throughout the year, is host to class trips and is open year round except winter Mondays. There is a host of other interesting shops in Strubridge.
Putnam; Eastern CT's Antique Capital. One will find scores of interesting antiquing opportunities in downtown Putnam, as well as a number of restaurants and the Bradley Playhouse (www.thebradleyplayhouse.info), a thriving 100 year old Vaudeville Theater.
Golf Courses: There are 4 golf courses within 15 minutes. Two in neighboring Woodstock, one in neighboring Pomfret and one in Southbridge MA. There are 4 more 20-25 minutes away in Putnam, Thompson (2) and Brooklyn.
Roseland Cottage, Woodstock www.HistoricNewEngland.org Roseland is a historic Victorian on Woodstock Hill that has been host to four U.S. Presidents and is home to the country's first bowling alley.
CT Audubon Society's Center at Pomfret. www.ctaudubon.org/visit/pomfret.htm This educational center is the gateway to the 700 acre Baffin Sanctuary with regularly scheduled classes, walks, tours and events.
Wolf's Den and Mashamoquet State Parks, Pomfret. These lands were once the domain of Mohegan Chief Uncas. In 1742 at a cave now known as the wolf's den, local resident Israel Putnam killed the last wolf in CT. The marauding she-wolf preyed upon sheep and poultry for years from farms as far away as East Hartford. Putnam, who later went on to be one of the Revolutionary War's original major generals (famed for his order at the battle of Bunker Hill "don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes") entered the cave with torch and gun while his comrades gripped a rope tied around his ankle for rescue. Today by making a ¼ mile hike along a remote ravine, visitors can view the cave and woodlands that remain unchanged. "Mashamoquet" in Indian means "stream of good fishing" as this park also has a swimming pond.
Private Schools: Local inns fill during parent weekends, graduations and alumni reunions at the highly acclaimed private schools in neighboring Pomfret and Woodstock.
The Pomfret School, www.pomfretschool.org , a preparatory school located on scenic RT 169 on Pomfret Hill, is host to a 9-12 grade student body of about 350. Next door serving grades 5-9 is the Rectory School, www.rectoryschool.org . On RT 169 in Woodstock is the Woodstock Campus of the Hyde School (other campuses in New Haven and headquarters in Bath, ME) www.hyde.edu . 10 minutes further in Thompson is Marianapolis preparatory school, www.marianapolis.org .
Other restaurants include The Vanilla Bean Cafe, www.thevanillabeancafe.com Pomfret; trendy restaurant and patio featuring weekend entertainment, folk, bluegrass, Cajun zydeco, etc. The Inn at Woodstock Hill, www.woodstockhill.net , award winning inn and dining, The Golden Lamb Buttery, www.thegoldenlamb.com , Brooklyn.
20 TO 25 MINUTES:
Brimfield Antique Show, Brimfield, MA. www.brimfieldshow.com About 20 minutes away is the largest outdoor antique show in the world. All area rooms usually sell out for the show which is 3 weeks a year in May, July and September.
Thompson International Motor Speedway, Thompson. www.thompsonspeedway.com
NASCAR
Stafford Springs Motor Speedway, Stafford. www.staffordmotorspeedway.com NASCAR .
University of Connecticut, Storrs. www.uconn.edu Located 20 minutes away, the university includes Gampell Pavilion for sporting events, Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts (which hosts nationally touring musical and other acts), and, the Husky Heritage Sports Museum. The university includes agricultural studies/farming and its active dairy farm. There is free family outdoor ice skating in winter.
Mansfield Drive-In, Mansfield; www.mansfielddrivein.com outdoor movie theater and Sunday flea market.
Sharpe Hill Vineyard, Pomfret www.sharpehill.com Award winning winery and restaurant, member of the CT Wine Trail.
DISTANCES:
15 min: Sturbridge MA and the MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE (Jct I-84 & I-90)
20 min: University of Connecticut, Storrs
20 min: Windham Airport
28 min: Buckland Hills, Manchester, Largest Shopping Complex in the state
35 min: Hartford, CT
35 min: Worcester, MA
40 min: Bradley International Airport (Hartford-Springfield)
50 min: Mohegan Sun Casino
50 min: Springfield, MA
50 min: TF Green International Airport, Warwick (Providence) RI
60 min: Mystic Seaport
60 min: Providence, RI
70 min: Boston, MA
75 min: Logan International Airport
1hr 40 min York, ME
2.5 hours New York City
Contact Dennis Duga at 1-800-338-1433 or Cell 860-428-6000.
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