Top Foliage Town? Kent, Connecticut

The September/October issue of Yankee Magazine named the top 25 towns in New England for fall foliage travel, and Kent, Connecticut, won top honors and first place on the list. Although as I explained in my last blog post about our leaf peeping trip that the autumn foliage being less than ideal this fall, due to the dry summer and nor'easter storms that have passed through New England, we did see some beautiful sights on our drive through Kent. (All photos will enlarge if clicked on once, and then again when they re-open on a new page)

The Yankee Magazine article stated: "The heart of the New England leaf-peeping experience lies in the details: the farmstands and covered bridges, the waterfalls and antiques stores that provide the eye candy, framed by the colors of our most glorious season" writes Michael Blanding, author of the article. "All of these things Kent has in abundance, in a perfect blend of uncommon natural beauty and culture that might shame cities 10 times its size (just shy of 3,000 people in the 2000 census)."

The Town of Kent, Connecticut, is located in the scenic northwest corner of Litchfield County. Incorporated in 1739, Kent had a history as a farming community and as a thriving iron ore producer. My husband and I enjoyed strolling down its North Main Street, admiring the beautiful houses, many of which now are commercial businesses, art and sculpture galleries and antique shops.

The beautiful Kent Congregational Church has a history dating back to 1741.

A large crow sculpture near one of the galleries.

A vintage train engine near the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association located in Kent on U.S Rt. 7, less than a mile from the center of town. The Connecticut Antique Machinery Association is a non-profit, all volunteer organization and museum dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and demonstration of antique machinery from Connecticut's rich industrial and agricultural past.

The Kent Memorial Library was having a giant outdoor book sale which captured my attention for an hour. I was happily browsing all the books when I saw a sign that for $6 I could buy a bag and fill it with as many books that could fit! Here is some of the selection that I came away with.

Kent Falls is a series of several waterfalls, dropping 250 feet in under a quarter mile, located in Kent Falls State Park.  The largest cascade drops more than 70 feet into a reflecting pool, before traveling over the lesser falls. My husband and I climbed a steep trail that follows the path of the falls to the top with intermittent platforms to view them, to take this series of photos. To get a perspective of their size look at the upper right hand photo and you can see people standing near one of the cascades.

 Kent Falls from a midway viewing platform

According to the Department of Environmental Protection website information about Kent Falls State Park: "Kent Falls, located in the northeastern section of the town of Kent, is a series of waterfalls on a mountain stream known as Falls Brook. The stream begins in the town of Warren, draining an area of six or seven square miles. It then flows west to the big fall where it plunges approximately 70 feet in a dramatic cascade. From here the stream descends in a series of lesser falls and cascades to the valley, where it enters the Housatonic River some 200 feet below the brink of the big fall only a quarter mile away. Much of the limestone over which the brook flows has been carved into interesting shapes including numerous potholes of all sizes."

Bull's Bridge, built in 1842, is a single-lane vehicular wooden covered bridge across the Housantonic River in the town of Kent, Connecticut. It is one of three remaining covered bridges in Connecticut dating from the 19th century.  (To see the very scenic West Cornwall Covered Bridge see my prior blog post).  George Washington crossed the Housatonic River near the site of the present bridge in 1781.

We really enjoyed our ride through the back roads around Kent on a beautiful autumn day. It certainly was a wonderful area to visit and I hope these photo mosaics enticed you to plan a trip to this area one day.

I'm linking to Mary of The Little Red House "Mosaic Monday" Please visit Mary today to see her beautiful mosaic and links to all the blogs participating today.  Thanks, Mary!