Hartford's Parks Vol. 1, Elizabeth Park

So I headed over to Elizabeth Park this morning to do some reading and I began to think about Hartford's Parks. As many who read this blog may recognize our fair city has a plentiful allotment of beautiful parks, many of which are highly under-appreciated and underutilized. Perhaps, I thought, people just do not recognize the wonderful resources at our toe clips, many of which less than a 15 minute bike ride from our front doors. This is the first of what will be a series of posts identifying and documenting our scenic local parks.

As I live and work in West Hartford the majority of my leisure time spent in parks is spent in my favorite, Elizabeth Park. Tucked between Asylum and Ferns Streets and straddling the West Hartford/Hartford line created by Prospect, Elizabeth Park was incorporated in 1900, the original plan the result of adaptations made to a former estate property by the first park superintendent, Theodore Wirth. The Eastern, or Hartford section of the park is 19 acres and the larger Western, or West Hartford side is 82 acres. The park's design is more a demonstration of gardening techniques and a showcase of the beauty of the park's flora rather than a unified design manifested in larger landscape parks such as Keney or Bushnell. In Elizabeth it is the beauty of the plantings that really captures the eye of the visitor, rather than the expansive view of rolling lawns and the grouping of trees. As can be seen in the photos above and below this intention is well-preserved and maintained today. Read more.











The rose gardens in the park, many would agree are its most notable feature and as being planted in 1904 are some of its oldest. Another impressive aspect is the park's pond, hand-dug and flooded by a small stream running through the park in 1898. The rustic stone bridges that span the pond add beauty and interest to the water feature.




Another great resource within the park is the Pond House Cafe, a great restaurant with amazing decor, great food, and obviously a beautiful backdrop.