Patios that put out a water bowl without being asked. Trails that don't require leashes when nobody's looking. Breweries with a yard. Beaches off-season.
Trails following old charcoal-wagon roads between New Fairfield and Sherman, connecting to the Squantz Pond loop. The Pootatuck Loop runs about 3.2 miles with views of both Squantz Pond and Candlewood Lake.
A 172-acre state park on a natural pond connected to Candlewood Lake by a causeway, one of the more heavily visited state parks in the area for swimming, kayaking, and hiking.