Don’t be fooled by Connecticut’s Puritan beginnings: the New England state features all kinds of uniquely beautiful, fairytale-like spots, and one of the most striking is Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Connecticut.

The highlight of the 304-acre park is Eolia, an absolutely gorgeous Renaissance Revival mansion that has an incredible 42 rooms inside. Surrounding the mansion are gardens and greenhouses that look like they were ripped from the pages of a storybook. (You can also sign up for a tour of Eolia to get a glimpse inside the mansion and learn the history of the area.) Best of all, it’s located on the beach, so when you get tired of wandering around the mansion’s grounds – which are filled with secret nooks and crannies – you can spend some time hanging out at the beach.

Harkness Memorial State Park is absolutely stunning. It's no wonder the massive Italian-style mansion at the center of it plays host to so many weddings and events.
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Wandering around the gardens, you'll find plenty of benches where you can sit and admire the view.
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And the view is stunning from every angle, trust us.
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In fact, you can do more than that. Part of Harkness is a beach you can lay out on.
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Harkness is filled with interesting, gorgeous plants like these Japanese maples.
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Around every corner, there's another little surprise.
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It's hard not to feel like you're in a fairytale when you're wandering through this kind of plant life.
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Or walking along this beach.
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Even in the winter, Harkness is a mansion fit for a fairytale princess.
The Friends Of Harkness Memorial Park/Facebook
Spend a day wandering around the castle-like grounds and you'll feel like you were transported to a fairytale.
Friends Of Harkness

Harkness Memorial State Park is easily one of the most beautiful places in Connecticut.

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Harkness Memorial State Park, 275 Great Neck Rd, Waterford, CT 06385, USA