Review of Harkness Memorial State Park, CT (Connecticut): A must see attraction in Connecticut

 

Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford, CT

In early May, we took our family to Preston, Connecticut for our mom’s birthday.  Why did we choose Preston?  Well, it was absolutely the best option available that had fantastic views from anywhere in the house!

We were searching for any AirBNB rental for two nights in any of the tri-state area that borders New York.  We searched Long Island, upstate New York, and New Jersey, but we didn’t see anything that blew us away.

We found a rental in Preston, Connecticut which did just that!

We set our search criteria to fit under around $200 per night (fees/taxes included).  This house went a bit over that at $220 per night, but boy, it was worth it!!!

We left early to do some light grocery shopping from a supermarket near where our mom lives.  We bought some water, drinks, snacks, and meals, then headed out via the Throgs Neck Bridge.

We were excited to take a mini vacation and have some quality family time!  We all commented on how beautiful the bridge looked as we crossed over to the borough of the Bronx.  We enjoyed watching the beautiful bay, the houses, and Manhattan skyline to our left.  It was an excellent start to our trip!

We took the infamous I-95 to make our way over to Connecticut.  The traffic was light on that Wednesday, and we made good time.  We stopped over at one of many rest areas dotting the I-95 corridor to enjoy some morning coffee.  It was a great start to the trip now that we all had caffeine in our system!  

We made good time by the time we took the I-395 from the I-95.  Roads were wide open and we were enjoying the anticipation building up!

We arrived at our Airbnb rental about an hour early.  There was a lady still cleaning the house when we arrived.

My wife asked the lady if we can check in earlier, and to our relief, she said yes!

We took our travel bags and each looked around the house.  There were two balconies (first floor and second floor) which afforded fantastic views of the Poquetanuck Bay.  

In fact, it was the only place we stayed ever, that had the same jaw dropping views from all the bedrooms AND the bathrooms!

Our mom decided to stay on the first floor due to ease of movement (no stairs), while our sister (and the two of us) took the second floor bedrooms.  

Views from the bedrooms were again jaw dropping.  Wow!  It was easily one of the best views we had seen in any of the places we had stayed in…

View from the balcony
View of the bay on a cloudy day 
Sunrise!
View of the bay on a sunny day

After having lunch, we all went outside to the balcony to enjoy the scenery.  Coffee was made, compliments of our sister, and we all had coffee while simply being mesmerized by the calm bay, the many waterfowl, and many birds.  

I think I heard more bird calls at that house than at a park!

We all enjoyed the slow but relentless pace of the waters making their way toward the ocean, and we all enjoyed watching birds smoothly glide over the waters looking for prey.  In short, it was a perfect day…

After dinner, we took our mom to the Mohegan Sun casino, which was a quick 10 minute drive.  We played about 30 minutes, then headed back to our temporary home.

It was a great end to the day…

Next day, my wife and I decided to visit a highly recommended park nearby.  We set out for the Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Connecticut.

Harkness Memorial State Park is the former estate of Edward Stephen Harkness and his family.  It was originally a 237 acre working dairy farm and had up to 65 employees working either part time or full time.

This Gatsby-era mansion is among the best examples of grand seaside mansion (estate) that once occupied the Sound’s shoreline at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The park has a beautifully maintained gardens, the mansion, expansive lawns, picnic areas, and a beach area.  

We arrived and were amazed at the size of the estate.  It was absolutely huge!  The entrance to the parking area features beautiful views of the Long Island Sound.  

We parked then we headed toward the mansion and the gardens.  The staff was busy preparing for a gathering (wedding possibly) that evening, and there was activity everywhere we looked.  We also saw a photographer working with a model in front of the mansion for a photo shoot.

We stopped over by the beach area to take in the scenery.  We saw rocky shoreline dotting the beach area, as well as many water birds enjoying themselves on these rocks.

The beauty of the park was indescribable…I was lost for words at the beauty surrounding the park…

We sat down at a bench near the shoreline to take in all the immense beauty surrounding us…

Manicured garden
Rocky shoreline
Mansion (back side)
Rocky cliffs dotting the beach
View of the Long Island Sound 

We were feeling blessed at finding the park!  

We made our way back to the parking lot only to be greeted by a warning on our windshield that we had not paid the day use fee.  Admittedly, we had ignored the many signs mentioning this exact thing in the parking area…

We used the QR code as per the sign’s instructions, then we paid online.  It charged $12 for day use fee.  Note:  Do not ignore this fee!  If you do, they will charge you a penalty plus other tacked on fees to make your life miserable…

Even with this fee paid, we’re glad we got to experience this beautiful park.  It made our trip to the Preston, CT that much more memorable.  

Hungry from all the excitement of the day, we picked up tasty Italian food from the Recovery Room Restaurant, in New London to enjoy with our family.  We ordered seafood pasta, chicken parmigiana, shrimp fra diavolo and some appetizers.  Food was awesome!

After lunch, we got to enjoy the bay view out of the balcony.  We all sat down with coffee (again) to once again enjoy the serene and idyllic atmosphere of the bay.

After eating our leftovers from the takeout for dinner, we each retreated to our own areas for some private time.  My wife and I quietly chatted about the trip, and we deemed it a success!  My mom loved the house and the views, and we couldn’t agree with her more!

The next morning, we reluctantly packed our bags.  If we could, we wouldn’t have left the place!  

With the memories of the trip neatly tucked away in the deep crevices of our minds, we begrudgingly stepped up to our car to leave…

We made it home after an uneventful ride back via I-95.  We were little saddened by the end of this trip, but we knew every good thing must come to an end…

Well, here’s to awesome memories!  Thank you Connecticut!

Thank you all for reading!


Jake

Wandering Money Pig 


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