Parking it

On days when I’m feeling stressed or stir-crazy, I love to go out into nature to get my mind off of things. That was exactly the case today. I have been waiting to hear from a series of jobs and internships I have applied and interviewed for and the anticipation lately has been killing me. In an effort to calm some of those nerves, I thought I’d head over to Elizabeth Park with my book to sit in the sun and read for a few minutes.

Elizabeth Park, according to its website, opened to the public in 1897 and is home to America’s oldest public rose garden, making the park a historical site. People come to the park to picnic, watch the ducks swim, volunteer, and see the beautiful flowers and greenhouses, however that isn’t all this place has to offer. On Wednesday nights in June throughout the summer, Elizabeth Park hosts free concerts where people come with their lawn chairs to hear local music in the fields. Elizabeth Park also conducts garden tours, has tennis courts and playgrounds for kids, hosts free yoga classes, boasts a beautiful rose garden during the spring, and has an attached restaurant and banquet hall called The Pond House Cafe, where park visitors can grab lunch or dinner.

On this particular day, I found myself a bench in the sun and took to reading my book for a few hours, looking out at the natural beauty of the gazebos and early blooming flowers before me.

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To learn more about Elizabeth Park, check out their website: http://elizabethparkct.org/, give them a call at (860) 231-9443, or visit. The park is located at 1561 Asylum Ave, West Hartford, CT 06117 and is accessible to the public, providing plenty of free parking.