8 Best Sights in The Litchfield Hills, Connecticut

In the same spot since 1976, this outdoor flea market has grown from a dozen or so vendors to more than 500 on a typical Sunday, along with food trucks offering everything from a snack to full meals. You'll never know what usual and unusual treasures you'll find spread out on the field, as every Sunday brings out a different collection of vendors selling all manner of antiques, collectibles, housewares, and merchandise, along with, simply, "things." Serious buyers arrive by 5:30 am and pay $20 admission for the privilege; other "early birds" prepay $10 online to enter at 7 am; the rest of us are happy to browse from 8 am to 2 pm and pay just $3.

This 4,000-acre nature preserve houses top-notch natural-history exhibits. You'll find 30 bird-watching platforms, two self-guided nature trails, several boardwalks, boating facilities, and 40 miles of hiking, cross-country skiing, and horseback-riding trails. The Nature Museum has displays depicting the natural diversity found throughout the preserve, dioramas, live animals, a beehive, a digital microscope, and other unique exhibits of interest to kids of all ages (especially the scavenger hunt).

Dr. Frederick Shepard Dennis, the former owner of these 240 acres and a noted New York surgeon, lavishly entertained his guests—among them President William Howard Taft and several Connecticut governors—in the stone pavilion at the summit of the estate. From its 1,627-foot height, you have a panoramic view of Haystack Mountain and parts of New Hampshire to the north and, on a clear day, New Haven Harbor about 60 miles south. Picnic on the park's grounds or hike one of its many trails. Autumn foliage here is spectacular!

One of the most spectacular views in the state can be seen from the 34-foot high stone tower atop Haystack Mountain (1,716 feet). You can see the Berkshires in Connecticut and Massachusetts, as well as peaks in New York and the Green Mountains of Vermont. A winding road will get you halfway there; then hike the rugged, half-mile trail to the top.

The 95-acre parkland surrounding idyllic Lake Waramaug, one of Connecticut's largest and most picturesque natural lakes, is a great place for swimming, boating, fishing, and picnicking. The park has 76 campsites in wooded and open settings (with bathrooms and showers available) that are available from Memorial Day through Labor Day; canoes and kayaks can be rented on-site in summer, too.

With 11 miles of hiking trails, this 1,147-acre property—a mixture of forests, meadows, wetlands, ponds, and streams—provides myriad hiking opportunities. The visitor center shares its space with small hawks, an owl, and other animals in the live-animal display in the Natural History Exhibit Room; in the Children's Adventure Center, kids learn about the importance of water quality and watersheds, crawl through a tunnel to a beaver lodge, and look for various fish and other sea life in the large aquarium.

The exhibits in this small but excellent and thoughtfully arranged collection detail the history and continuing presence of 10,000 years of Native American life in New England, specifically in "Quinnetukut." Highlights include 15 acres of nature trails, a simulated archaeological site, and an authentically constructed 16th-century Algonkian Village with wigwams, a longhouse, a rock shelter, and more. A gift shop presents the work of some of the country's best Native American artists.