4 Best Sights in The Litchfield Hills, Connecticut

Built in 1842, Bulls Bridge is one of a handful of covered bridges in the state still open to traffic; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. If you feel like a hike, there is an easy trail that leads to waterfalls and a small gorge.

Hardware-store buffs and vintage-tool aficionados will feel right at home at this museum. Artist and author Eric Sloane (1905–1985) was fascinated by Early American woodworking tools, and his collection showcases examples of American craftsmanship from the 17th to 19th centuries. The museum contains a re-creation of Sloane's last studio and also encompasses the ruins of a 19th-century iron furnace. Sloane's illustrated books and prints, which celebrate vanishing aspects of Americana, are available for sale here.

Heading north from Kent toward Cornwall, you'll pass the entrance to 295-acre Kent Falls State Park, where you can walk across a covered bridge, hike a short way to one of the prettiest waterfalls in the state, and picnic in the green meadows at the base of the falls.

Early-season trout fishing (license required) is superb at 2,300-acre Macedonia Brook State Park, where you can also hike and cross-country ski. The Blue Trail crosses several peaks, and you can see as far as the Catskills and Taconics in neighboring New York State. The expansive mountain views are amazing year-round; the leaves are magnificent in the fall.