Candlewood Lake

Candlewood Lake is a man-made reservoir in western Connecticut, created between 1926 and 1928 when Connecticut Light & Power flooded five valleys to build the first large-scale pumped-storage hydroelectric project in the United States — water is pumped up from the Housatonic River and held in the reservoir, which still generates power today. More than 100 buildings, including the small hamlet of Jerusalem, were relocated or demolished before the valley reached full pool on September 29, 1928. At 8.4 square miles with more than 60 miles of shoreline, it's the largest lake in Connecticut, bordered by the city of Danbury and the towns of Brookfield, New Fairfield, New Milford, and Sherman. Most of the shoreline is held by private homeowners and the bordering municipalities rather than being open to the public, so access runs mainly through town beaches, marinas, and state boat launches. Squantz Pond, a natural pond at the lake's north end in New Fairfield, is separated from the main body by a causeway and managed as its own state park. As of this guide's research, the lake genuinely has no operating brewery, winery, or walk-in coffee shop — Candlewood Brewing closed in 2022 and DiGrazia Vineyards closed in 2026 — a real gap, not an oversight.