Local attractions
for the nature lover

State parks: East Haddam boasts of several state parks for you to enjoy and wander about in every season, in addition to the beautiful Gillette Castle State Park.

Devil’s Hopyard State Park is a great place to hike, picnic, go birding, camping, or you can check out Chapman Falls with its cascading 60-foot waterfalls.

Machimoodus State Park boasts several vistas overlooking the Salmon, Connecticut, and Moodus Rivers. You might go kayaking or birdwatching at the park and, oh, if you have horses to bring, there are many horse-friendly trails.

Brainard Homestead State Park is a 25-acre, walk-in park with bird watching, field sports, and hiking.

The nonprofit East Haddam Land Trust manages about 700 acres of land in East Haddam, through preserves and easements. Check out the multitude of preserves with public access on the Our Preserves page of their website.

Ballek’s Garden Center is a bicentennial farm that has been in the Ballek family since the 1660s. A visit to the greenhouse is sure to boost your spirts in the cold months, whereas in warm months you can go through the many isles of over 10,000 varieties of herbs, flowers and plant species to buy and take home. Folks come from far and wide to visit this special farm.