Riding Reba: A Corgi-Mix's Adventures in CT

Hello fellow adventurers! It’s Reba here again, and this time we went to Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, which became a state park in 1952. It was originally the home of Edward Harkness, who was one of the largest philanthropists of the early 20^th century. It’s estimated he gave away over two hundred million dollars to various causes. I could get a whole lot of my favorite dog bones with that! My human has been wanting to go for a while, so she packed me, Frankie, and her parents in the car and took all of us. 

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when we got there the place was large (around 230 acres), and there was so much to explore and sniff! Better yet? There were a lot of dog friends to be made! I was one happy dog when I saw all the potential four-legged friends walking around. While it is dog friendly, all dogs must be on a leash. 

After parking, we went walking! There is a large area with plenty of picnic tables. We didn’t have a picnic, but there were plenty of people who were, and there were still lots of picnic tables available. Walking around the path, there’s a section with a water view and some seats. My human said they probably use it for weddings. Slightly past there is an entrance to the beach. Dogs are not allowed on the beach from April to September due to nesting birds. Swimming also is not allowed, but you can wade in the water. 

A little further down the path is another access point to the beach, so we kept walking past it. The path loops around, but can also take you to the mansion, former carriage house, a couple of large lawn areas, and a windmill, although the top of the windmill is long gone. The lawns would also be a good place to bring a blanket or chairs to hang out if you enjoy that. As for me, I like to keep moving!  

Dogs are not allowed in the formal gardens. I wasn’t happy I had to miss out on that, but if other dogs are like Frankie, I can understand. He has to mark everything! My human and her mother went to check out the gardens while her father, Frankie, and I went back to the car. It was probably for the best because it was a bit too humid for me. They said the gardens were very nice, and you even get a water view in certain sections. Since I wasn’t able to go in, I’ll have to take their word for it. They did get some pictures though! 

Oh, remember a while back we went to Seaside State Park? The one with the creepy abandoned buildings? Well, you can see the buildings off in the distance from this one! I thought they looked familiar, although they don’t look as creepy when you’re that far away.    

I really enjoyed this one! There’s a lot of open space, water views, and dog friends (at least the day we went). I’ll definitely make the humans take me back when I can go on the beach. I don’t like to swim, but I do enjoy dipping my paws in the water. While there were a lot of cars in the parking lot, the place is so big that you don’t feel crowded, and the humans reported that they didn’t see a lot of people in gardens, so they were able to easily walk around. If you have time when you leave, drive a little further and go check out Seaside State Park. While we had the time, as you can see, I was exhausted and needed a nap!  

I’ll see you on the next adventure!