Lucky for us that we live in a world with Octobers, particularly in Connecticut. Columbus Day falls during one of the loveliest times of the year bringing crisp autumn days filled with all things us New Englanders love best: pumpkin everything, cider donuts and some pretty stellar leaf peeping.  Columbus Day offers a great excuse for the playground or event digging in the sand and looking for seashells at the beach. Whether you're in the mood for aviation history, sharks or jellyfish, tigers or sloths, Renaissance masterpieces, testing your agility or your taste buds, or a scenic drive, you will likely find something for everyone on our list of recommendations. Here, in no particular order, are plenty of ways to spend a Monday off from school. 

At the northern tip of Hartford County, you'll find a pastoral oasis: the towns of Granby, East Granby, West Granby and North Granby. Their rolling hills and dense woods make for some of the best hiking in the county, and an abundance of farms offer exciting and delicious experiences for children of all ages. Whenever my family craves a break from city noise and concrete buildings, we head to one of the Granby towns where tranquility and open vistas await, Spring, Summer, or Fall! Without further ado and in no particular order, here are our top 10 favorite stops in the area:

When my kids wanted a fun place to visit, they rarely (okay, never) asked: “Can we go to Torrington?” But that has changed since our first visit to KidsPlay, a children’s museum located downtown in Litchfield County’s largest city. After just one visit, KidsPlay became a favorite destination, and these days, the museum is better than ever after a recently completed expansion that doubled the square footage and play space. From the moment you enter through its doors (monitored by security cameras), the amount of creativity and fun details will leave you impressed and little adventurers giddy. The museum is designed for ages 2-8, and without a doubt, the persons behind its establishment know what makes children happy and how they learn best through play.