4 Best Sights in Litchfield, The Litchfield Hills

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).

Within a bowl-shaped valley in the northwest corner of Connecticut lays a winding ribbon of American road racing history. Tied for the second oldest sports car track in the country, Lime Rock Park has welcomed fans and enthusiasts every year since 1957. But don't come expecting grandstands or bleachers, as there are just rolling grass viewing areas both inside the track and out. There are food concessions, but guests bring chairs and coolers to witness roaring action from IMSA, NASCAR, Trans-Am, and more, plus a yearly Labor Day historic festival featuring racing machines ranging from the Formula 1 cars of the 1920s to the lightning-quick and thunder-loud sports cars of the modern era. Depending on the series, race fans are welcome to stroll the paddock infield where drivers like Mario Andretti, Derek Bell, Tom Kristensen, and local heroes Dan Gurney and Paul Newman have hit the track. 

In this well-regarded museum, seven neatly organized galleries highlight family life and work during the 50 years following the American Revolution. A centerpiece is a collection of belongings—including a uniform and personal memorabilia—that belonged to local resident Benjamin Tallmadge, who was a member of the Culper Ring (America's first spies) in the Revolutionary War. The extensive reference library has information about the town's historic buildings, including the Sheldon Tavern where George Washington slept on several occasions, and the Litchfield Female Academy where, in the late 1700s, Sarah Pierce taught girls not only sewing and deportment but also mathematics and history.

In 1774, Judge Tapping Reeve enrolled his first student, Aaron Burr, in what became the first law school in the country. (Before Judge Reeve opened his school, students studied the law as apprentices, not in formal classes.) This school is dedicated to Reeve's achievement and to the notable students who passed through its halls, including three U.S. Supreme Court justices. There are multimedia exhibits, an excellent introductory film, and restored facilities.