1. Have fun at the Goshen Country Fair  Labor Day Weekend. This typical country fair is bigger than most and attracts people from all around the county, symbolizing the last hoorah of summer.

2. Spend the day rafting down the scenic Housatonic River with Clarke Outdoor River Guides.

3. Go on a drive-through safari where you may drive your vehicle through a 50 acre fenced in exotic wildlife park at Action Wildlife. Keep an eye out for zebras and buffalos. You can also stop in to their petting zoo and feed the babies.

4. Enjoy the water park, rides and beach at Quassy Amusement Park. This is a great "starter" amuseument park. Small in size and lines are relatively short. Love that you can always take a break and relax on the lake beach. Can't wait to check out the new and improved water park this year.

5. Go on a horseback trail ride or pony ride at Lee’s Riding Stables in Litchfield.

6. Race go-karts and play phazerball at the family entertainment center R&B Sportsworld in Winsted.

7. Picnic on a hillside while watching race cars speed by at Lime Rock Park; touted as “The Road Racing Center of the East”.

8. Rent a kayak or canoe near the state camping grounds and paddle around the scenic 680 acre Lake Waramaug.

9. Listen to Jazz in Goshen during the Litchfield Jazz festival.

10. Hike up to the top of Kent Falls State Park and swim at the top of the beautiful waterfall.

11. Visit a replica of a pioneer cabin as described by Eric Sloane in 1805 at the Sloane-Stanley Museum & Kent Iron Furnace.

12.Take a ride on a vintage 1927 wooden roller coaster at Lake Compounce, the nation’s oldest, continuously operating amusement park.

13. Take your kids to splash in the East Aspetuck River at Pratt Nature Center in New Milford.

14. Hike up to the Lookout Tower and enjoy the view at Mount Tom State Park and then jump in for a swim at the sandy beach on Lake Tom.

15. Go spelunking at Tory’s Cave in New Milford.

16. Check out the thousands of sunflowers at Waldingfield Farm in Washington.

17. Volunteer for a day at Judea Garden, a garden grown for the community, in Washington.

18. Pick your own strawberries and blueberries at Ellsworth Hill Orchard and Berry Farm in Sharon.

19. Rent a boat and go fishing in CT's deepest lake in Lakeville. $10 per person to enter Lake Beach if you are not a Salisbury resident.

20. Check out the replicated homes of native American Indians at the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington.

Originally published June, 2013.

Photo by author.