Discover West Hartford

West Hartford offers a variety of ways to spend your stay: paved trails, nature and educational experiences, historic sites, art, as well as restaurants and boutiques. Depending on your interests, you can focus on outdoor activities, culture, or city life. The examples below can help you plan the focus of your visit.

Trails, Parks, and Reservoirs

The paved Trout Brook Trail is a greenway for walkers, runners, and cyclists. It follows Trout Brook from New Park Avenue to Asylum Avenue and is almost four miles long. The information about its surface, route, and length gives you a specific point of reference if you want to include a walking, running, or cycling route in your trip plans.

The Rockledge Winter Trails are open for hiking, jogging, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing when the golf course is closed. This makes them different from the Trout Brook Trail: use of these trails is expressly tied to the golf course being closed. Keep this condition in mind when planning a visit.

Westmoor Park is a 162-acre center for environmental, agricultural, and horticultural education, operated by West Hartford Leisure Services. Educational programs about agriculture and nature are for people of all ages. This educational focus complements the trails and natural areas in West Hartford, which also invite visitors to walk and observe.

Spicebush Swamp Park is a 33-acre natural area for nature observation and walks. Trails wind through an upland meadow and wooded hills. Public fishing is permitted at McGovern Pond; check current conditions before making plans. The park thus combines walks through varied landscapes with a specifically noted opportunity to fish.

The West Hartford Reservoirs are located at 1420 Farmington Avenue; the entrance to Reservoir 6 is on Route 44. The West Hartford Reservoirs and Reservoir 6 comprise more than 3,000 acres of woodland and trails. If you plan to visit this area, check current access information beforehand, as entrance details may change.

History, Art, and Theater

Thirty-nine historic sites in West Hartford are marked with signs and plaques. A map at Goodman Green in West Hartford Center lists all 39 sites with numbered locations. This lets you distinguish between the marked sites and a numbered overview. The Old Center Cemetery at 30 North Main Street is open to visitors and offers insights into the lives of notable, distinguished, and lesser-known residents of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Art Museum at USJ has more than 3,000 works of art, rotating installations, and a print study room. It also offers a variety of programs for the university and the public. Admission is free. For visitors who want to include art in their stay, the museum offers both an extensive collection and rotating installations and programs.

The professional Playhouse on Park is located on Park Road in West Hartford. The West Hartford Art League is at 37 Buena Vista Road. Both venues add to the city’s cultural offerings; the specific locations and addresses are useful for planning your visit.

City Life and Seasonal Offerings

West Hartford Center and Blue Back Square each offer nightlife, boutiques, and restaurants. If you also consider urban amenities when choosing where to visit, both areas offer options in this regard. Shops and offerings may change.

In 2026, the Blue Back Farmers’ Market program includes live music and events. It offers fresh fruit, vegetables, pasture-raised meat, coffee, and bagels. Selection and programming may vary by season and vendor. The free, two-day community festival Celebrate! West Hartford takes place every June; check the specific event dates before visiting.

Discover more destinations: Windsor Locks, Rocky Hill, Avon, Bristol, Manchester, Wethersfield, Southington, East Hartford.

For the broader travel overview: Hartford.