Cheshire can be explored through a range of very different themes: canal culture and historic houses, art offerings, and trails and outdoor recreation. When planning a stay, you can first decide whether cultural history, art or activity should be your focus. Each place and offering reveals a different facet of the city.
Open Spaces and Trails in Cheshire
More than 1,500 acres of publicly acquired open space are designated for passive recreation such as hiking. Trails and natural areas are therefore as much a part of Cheshire as its historic sites. At Roaring Brook, a stream drops 80 feet, and a red-blazed trail passes by the waterfalls. At Brooke Preserve, blue-blazed trails circle the entire preserve. The different trail markers and routes offer practical guidance if you would rather spend your time on a trail through a preserve than on a longer paved route.
The Farmington Canal Linear Trail is a seven-mile paved route for walking and cycling that runs through all of Cheshire. At the Ball & Socket Arts site, pedestrians and cyclists have direct access to the trail. This sets the route apart from the trails at Roaring Brook and Brooke Preserve: here, the focus is on a continuous paved route for two types of travel, while there, the trails take their character from their routes through specific natural areas.
Canal Heritage and Historic Sites
At Lock 12 Historical Park, canal heritage comes together with practical park amenities. The site includes a restored, 150-year-old canal lock on the Farmington Canal and the lock keeper’s house. There is also a picnic pavilion and public restrooms. The Cornwall Avenue-Town Center Historic District is one of two historic districts in Cheshire and was officially designated in 2004. These two places offer different points of reference for local history: the lock and canal, and the designated historic district.
Smaller, distinct cultural destinations are also part of the selection. The Barker Character, Comic & Cartoon Museum houses nearly 80,000 objects. The windmill at Ives Farm is the last of its kind in Cheshire. The Cheshire Historical Society offers lectures, tours and educational programs to the public. History enthusiasts can choose between a collection, a single piece of technical infrastructure and public cultural programs, rather than treating all historical subjects as the same kind of visit.
Art and Activities for Different Interests
Art and activities are represented at the named Ball & Socket Arts site. The Artcade is a public space for exceptional visual art; the works can be viewed outside Building 2 around the clock. Artsplace is on the second floor of Ball & Socket Arts, above Sweet Claude's, at 493 West Main Street in Cheshire. It offers art classes, vacation programs and workshops for people of all ages and abilities. This adds a different cultural theme to the historic destinations: art is present here both as visual works on display and in the form of classes and workshops.
Choosing Activities to Suit Your Interests
The recreational areas also offer different experiences. Mixville Recreation Area has a pond for swimming, hiking trails and opportunities for winter sledding. Cheshire Park includes the Ruth C. Burke trail system, while Bartlem Park has walking trails. So it makes a difference whether you are looking for a paved route for walking or cycling, marked trails in a preserve, or recreational options with activities that vary by season. The information about Mixville specifically refers to swimming and winter sledding, while the trails at Cheshire Park and Bartlem Park offer other ways to enjoy outdoor activity.
You can explore Cheshire through specific interests: canal heritage and historic districts, an extensive museum collection, art offerings or different kinds of outdoor recreation. As you plan your trip, consider which of these sides will be the deciding factor for your stay, then choose the topics that suit your trip to Cheshire.
Explore more destinations: Wolcott, Naugatuck, Branford, Hamden, Southbury, North Haven, Milford, Meriden
For the regional travel overview: New Haven.
