2024 update: Check out all the fun events planned in the park this season! Visit wickhampark.org for more info.
A couple of weeks ago I was scrolling through some old posts on the site when I came across one of my favorite outings from way-back-when: The Model Train Layout at Time Machine Hobby. Overcome by nostalgia, I threw the 2012 post up on our Facebook page. Turns out I wasn’t the only one interested in this trip down memory lane!
The Facebook page and the post got a lot of attention that day! And that’s when I realized that after 6+ years of almost weekly adventures, we have so many wonderful outings in our archives that rarely see the light of day. Sure, they live on our “Places We’ve Been” page, but for the most part our old outings–some of our favorites!–are lost to our newer readers.
So I thought it might be fun to start a series where we unlock our archives now and then to pull out a post from the early days! And today’s pick from the past:
Wickham Park in Manchester, CT
I picked this particular outing today because Wickham Park is slated to open for the season next Saturday, April 7th.
If you haven’t been to this amazing destination, be sure to put it on your spring agenda. Some things you’ll find at Wickham Park include:
- Over 250 acres to explore
- A fully fenced-in (and shady!) playground
- Picnic areas with smaller playgrounds
- Nature trails
- An aviary
- A bird sanctuary
- A nature center
- A sensory garden with a model train (that currently runs on Sundays from 1-3)
- Gorgeous gardens and scenic city views
- A snackbar on weekends (the “Picnic Store”)
- And so much more! (Get a copy of the park map here)
Wickham Park is open 7 days a week from the first weekend in April (opening day 2018 is April 7th) through the last weekend in October and regular park hours are from 9:30AM to sunset.
The price of admission is only $7/car on weekends & holidays and a paltry $5/car on weekdays. And I’m not kidding you when I say my family spends HOURS there every time we visit!
We’ve even done professional family photo shoots in the beautiful spring gardens on multiple occasions.
Wickham Park is truly a gem. And we’re still as amazed by it now as we were when we first discovered it in 2011!
Be sure to check out these posts we’ve done about different activities and events at the park:
WINGS, SWINGS AND OTHER FUN THINGS AT WICKHAM PARK (2012)
MORE TO EXPLORE AT WICKHAM PARK (2013)
A VISIT WITH SANTA AT WICKHAM PARK (2011)
Interested in more parks from our archives? Check out this post: 10 Connecticut Parks to Visit This Spring.
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