Windsor is full of things to do.
Here are just a few ideas:
- Take a shady walk through the River Trails off Palisado Avenue and Mechanic Street
- Go out for some live music and snacks
- Research your family tree at the Windsor Historical Society
- Play a round of golf
- Kayak down the Farmington River
- Check out some of the Freedom Trail Sites
- Borrow a DVD from the Windsor Library
- Enjoy the latest art on display the Windsor Art Center
- Click on any of the tabs below for more ideas:
Biking or Hiking
- Northwest Park & Nature Center, 145 Lang Rd. (Rte.75 to Prospect Hill Road)
- Windsor Center River Trails – also known as The Riverwalk, is located on a 43 acre site adjacent to the Farmington River at Route 159. This trail is 1.25 miles long and has direct access to over 2,000 feet of river. It ties into an existing park and boat launch on Pleasant Street and will eventually be part of a regional trail network. Today, this trail is shared by hikers, joggers, roller bladers, and walkers.
- Mill Brook Open Space, 147 Pigeon Hill Rd, Windsor – a great place to walk and relax.
Boating
- Pleasant Street Boat Launch
- Rainbow Road Boat Launch
- River Street Boat Launch
- Troutbrook Restaurant Boat Launch
- Wilson Boat Launch
Golf
- Keney Golf Course, 280 Tower Avenue, Hartford, 860-525-3656
Horseshoes
Sharshon Park located on Skitchewaug Street directly behind the 330 Windsor Avenue Community Center offers multiple amenities. Twelve horseshoe courts are surrounded by an outdoor basketball court, an outdoor playground, a large picnic pavilion, and a large open field. Both the picnic pavilion and open field space are available for rental. Please see the facility/park use rental form from the Town of Windsor website.
Parks
- Matianuck State Park – The trail head for the Matianuck Sand Dunes Natural Area Preserve, in Windsor, can be found in a commuter lot across from Columbia Road on route 218. The 1.5 mile trail on 250-acre park land in the southwest corner of the town, contains the rare white sand dunes. The sandy areas create a natural environment for pitch pine trees which are common on the trail.
- Northwest Park & Nature Center, 145 Lang Rd. (Rte.75 to Prospect Hill Road)
- Sharshon Park – located on Skitchewaug Street directly behind the 330 Windsor Avenue Community Center offers multiple amenities. Twelve horseshoe courts are surrounded by an outdoor basketball court, an outdoor playground, a large picnic pavilion, and a large open field. Both the picnic pavilion and open field space are available for rental. Please see the Town of Windsor facility/park use rental form.
- Washington Park, 30 Lennox Ave, Windsor (ice skating, in season) – eatures two fishing ponds in the center of the park. Surrounding the ponds is a walking path along with two playground areas, a picnic pavilion, and large open field space.
- Welch Park, 39 Niles Rd, Windsor – Features 5 Little League Baseball Fields + Concession Stand, Outdoor Playground, Tennis Courts, and Welch Pool. Hours: Closed Dusk till Dawn.
- Windsor Center River Trail, Palisado Ave, Windsor – The scenic Windsor Center River Trail is a great flat and easy trail for walking, running, or biking, or whatever you enjoy. Not Allowed: Any motorized vehicles or horseback riding.
Skateboarding
- Sage Skate Park, 25 Sage Park Rd, Windsor
Snowshoeing, Cross Country Skiing
- Northwest Park & Nature Center, 145 Lang Rd. (Rte.75 to Prospect Hill Road)
Swimming Pools
- Goslee Pool (Stroh Park) – Stroh Park, accessible by Mills Rd or Windsor Avenue features an outdoor playground, outdoor basketball court, a pond with a walking path, and Goslee Pool. The park is open from dawn to dusk
- Welch Pool, 39 Niles Rd, Windsor. Hours: Closed Dusk till Dawn.
- Veterans Indoor/Outdoor Pools
Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum
The Connecticut Valley Tobacco Historical Society operates a museum to preserve the history of cigar-tobacco agriculture in the Connecticut River Valley and educate future generations.
Northwest Park Nature Center
A 473-acre municipal park owned and operated by the historic town of Windsor, Connecticut. Much of this former tobacco farmland situated on the Farmington River has reverted to biologically diverse forests, fields, and wetlands – natural areas that can be explored via 12 miles of hiking trails. Educational and passive recreational experiences are offered every day for persons of all ages and abilities.
Oliver Ellsworth Homestead
The Oliver Ellsworth Homestead, also known as Elmwood, is a historic house museum at 778 Palisado Avenue in Windsor, Connecticut. Built in 1781, it was the home of the American lawyer and politician Oliver Ellsworth until his death in 1807, and was designated a National Historic Landmark
Mercy Gallery
Throughout the year, the Mercy Gallery exhibits the work of a variety of artists in a diversity of media, artistic endeavor, cultural influence, and geographic representation. The work of visiting artists is often displayed in the Mercy Gallery to coincide with their residency on the Island, encouraging direct interaction between artists and students.
Vintage Radio and Communications Museum
VRCM is an all-volunteer-run museum located in Windsor, Connecticut, offering a fascinating and educational look back in time (and technology). Take a walk through history from Morse Code transmitters to radio & television to personal computers, and everything in between.
Windsor Art Center
Windsor Art Center is a place for the visual and performing arts located in Windsor, Connecticut. Begun in 2007, the Center is housed in a former freight house adjacent to the Amtrak line in downtown Windsor. Windsor Art Center presents visual art exhibitions and music performances showcasing artists from throughout New England and beyond year round. Artist talks, demos and childrens’s activities round out seasonal programming.
Windsor Historical Society
The Windsor Historical Society, founded in 1921, preserves and interprets nearly 400 years of Windsor’s history through exhibitions, education programs, publications, active collecting, and research, providing our community with a connection to the past, a sense of belonging in the present, and responsibility for the future. This includes exhibits, special events, a research library, historic houses, and a gift shop.
Windsor’s History
Windsor, Connecticut’s first town, was launched in 1633 when settlers sailed from Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts to establish themselves at the confluence of the Farmington and Connecticut rivers...
Windsor’s Historic Cemeteries
Windsor has several fascinating cemeteries that date back to the 1600s. From well-known early founders to established families of varied backgrounds, the cemeteries hold vital clues for genealogists and interested parties alike. In some cases, cemeteries are part of the Freedom Trail (indicated as marked).
Check out the wide range of live musical performances in Windsor.
Northwest Park Coffee House Concerts
The Northwest Park Coffee House Concert Series brings talented performers from many musical genres to the park for Saturday evening concerts November through May.
Ticket price includes gourmet coffee from The Beanery and home baked treats from the Friends of Northwest Park. All concerts (unless otherwise noted) are at 7:30 p.m. Members receive a $2 discount per ticket.
For more information, please see the Northwest Park website.
Concerts on the Green
Concerts are each Thursday evening during the summer (July – August), from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM located on the town green. For specific concert information, visit the First Town Downtown website.
Windsor Art Center
40 Mechanic Street, Windsor, CT
Tel: (860) 688-7525 or 688-2528
Hours:
10 am – 4 pm Saturdays,
11 am – 4 pm Sundays and
6-8 pm Thursdays
The Windsor Art center often features musical performances. See our calendar for a list of their events.
Windsor Public Library
• Movies to Rent or Watch on site
• Borrow DVDs or try the movie download service, special movie showings on the first Thursday of each month.
323 Broad Street, Windsor
Windsor Historical Society
Special Movie Showings
Palisado Ave, Windsor
Windsor Senior Center
Special Movie Showings
Matianuck Ave, Windsor
Red Box
Movies to Rent
• Inside Stop and Shop, 1096 Kennedy Road, Windsor
• Outside Price Chopper, Poquonock Avenue, Windsor
Cinemark – Buckland Hills
• 99 Redstone Rd, Manchester, CT
Cinemark – Enfield Square 12
• 90 Elm St, Enfield, CT 06082
Freedom Trail Website
Archer Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church
321 Hayden Station Road
A community of African Americans resided in the Hayden Station area during the 19th century. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was one of the religious and social centers for this community. Its first building was constructed with financial assistance from a local philanthropist, Frederick Thrall. The original church was located next to the pine grove north of Hayden Station Road and Pond Road. In 1915 the church was relocated and named Archer Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in memory of Sandy Archer.
Sandy Archer remembered
Sandy Archer, born in 1806, was a sincere Christian who died at the age of 108. Mr. Archer was born a slave in the south. Through the Underground Railroad, Archer escaped from his slave owner and came to the Windsor area where he began his days of freedom. A Windsor road was named in his honor.
Archer Memorial Cemetery
During the 1880’s and 1890’s, the first resident pastor, Reverend Dennis Scott White, conducted popular camp meetings in the Pine Grove. The cemetery, located in the Pine Grove, contains the graves of Sandy Archer and his wife Elizabeth, along with other members of Archer. There are approximately 21 graves located in the cemetery. The nearby pond was used by the congregation for baptismal services and by the town for swimming and ice-skating.
Joseph Rainey House
229 Palisado Avenue
Joseph Rainey purchased this property on May 20, 1874 and owned it for the remainder of his life. It was used by Rainey and his family as a summer residence. Rainey is best known for being the first African American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving for the state of South Carolina. He was also elected to five terms, holding office from 1870 to 1879. During this period he introduced petitions for the passage of civil rights legislation that would guarantee African Americans their full constitutional rights. He dramatized his stance on the issues of access to public accommodations by his refusal to leave the dining room of a hotel in Suffolk, Virginia, forcing the owner to remove him. The Rainey family was active in the First Church of Windsor and in 1876 Rainey spoke at the town’s observance of the American Centennial celebration. The house is privately owned and not open to the public. It is included in the Palisado Avenue National Register Historic District.
Nancy Tomey
Palisado Cemetery
Only a few slaves remained in Connecticut by the time the state passed its full emancipation law in 1848. Several of these individuals were too aged to care for themselves and therefore continued working with their former owners. It is believed that Nancy Tomey, a former slave of the Chaffee/Loomis family of Windsor was the last survivor of this group in Connecticut. When she died in 1857, she was buried in the Palisado Cemetery. The grave is at the rear of the cemetery, located on the left side of the road in an area with few markers.
Riverside Cemetery
Riverside Cemetery on East Street in Windsor, is our newest Freedom Trail site. A number of soldiers from the all Black Connecticut 29th and 31st regiments and other civil war units are buried there.
Freedom Trail Activities
These annual events take place in September
– Gospel Fest on the Green
– Freedom Trail Run (starts at Archer, ends at Keney Park)
For information, please call 860-688-5225
The above information was reprinted from the “Freedom Trail Sites Windsor” brochure from the Connecticut Freedom Trail
Also of note, though not officially a “Freedom Trail” site:
375 Palisado Avenue was the site of Moses Mitchell’s home. The Mitchells were a family of free African Americans owning property on both sides of the Connecticut River in the late 18th and early 19th century. Moses Mitchell, a farmer, was one of the founding members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Windsor.