While students of Woodland Regional High School are often complaining about how what a bore Connecticut is. Many believe that the holiday season in New York City is the best—as far as scenery, cheer, and shopping go. However, holiday season activities in Connecticut are proving to be more and more prevalent.
Hubbard Park is an all-time favorite place for many looking to embrace the holiday spirit. Located in Meriden, the park is known for its annual Festival of Silver Lights. The lights can be seen twenty-four hours a day, every day from November 25th to January 6th. The park’s display is home to over 200,000 white Christmas lights. They are dispersed throughout the park–displayed in the trees, on top of ponds, and made to look like objects and characters, which, in the past, have included globes, teapots, and swans.
[su_gmap width=”300″ height=”200″ address=”Hubbard Park, 999 W Main St, Berlin, CT 06037″]Hubbard Park[/su_gmap]
Another famous light festival is the [su_highlight]Fantasy of Lights[/su_highlight], located in Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven. While this display is more geared toward young children, people of all ages can drive through the park filled with over sixty lighted images. The display will be open from November 21st to January 6th, and can be visited on Sunday through Thursday from 5-9p.m., and 5-10p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Vehicles must pay ten dollars to drive through the park.
Another popular light display is the [su_highlight]Holiday Light Fantasia at Goodwin Park [/su_highlight]in Hartford. From November 27th to January 1st, people can visit this display meant to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, and Three Kings Day. Over one million lights will cover the park, which is open from 5-9p.m. from Sunday through Thursday, and from 5-10p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Cars must pay fifteen dollars to enter the park.
Bethlehem is hosting its [su_highlight]thirty-fourth annual Christmas Town[/su_highlight] at the town green December 5th and 6th. From Friday at 5-10p.m. and Saturday from 10 to 4, visitors can see over seventy arts and crafts exhibits, carolers, food, hay rides, and, of course, a tree lighting.
Connecticut is also home to many wonderful places to get holiday shopping done. Two favorite outlet malls are the [su_highlight]Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets[/su_highlight], located in Clinton, and the [su_highlight]Tanger Outlets,[/su_highlight] located in Westbrook. Both are home to many opportunities for gifts, whether they be for children, adults, or someone in between. Stores at Clinton Crossing include Coach, American Eagle, Nike, and J. Crew. Tanger is a wonderful place for someone looking for a sale on Bath & Body Works, Reebok, or Nine West.
[su_highlight]Blue Black Square in West Hartford [/su_highlight]is home to many shops and restaurants. There are even small concerts in the streets on Wednesday nights. Restaurants including The Cheesecake Factory and Moe’s Southwest Grill line the streets. Great holiday shopping destinations here include Crate and Barrel, Ann Taylor, and Barnes and Noble. Blue Black Square is not only a wonderful place to holiday shop, but a great one to walk around with friends and grab dinner.
As it turns out, Connecticut is an active and beautiful place during the holiday season.
