Cheshire Land Trust, Cheshire, CT 06410, US

Wadsworth Mansion is open to the public and is the site of many popular events, including free tours. Two trails on the mansion's 100-acre property are open for hiking and cross-country skiing from sunrise to sunset. Originally a summer residence, "Long Hill" was built in the first years of the 20th century by Colonel Clarence S. Wadsworth, an early expert on forestry and an avid conservationist. The 500-acre grounds were designed by the nationally renowned landscape architectural firm, The Olmsted Brothers; formal and classical gardens near the mansion gave way to forest and pastures. On Wadsworth's death 1941, a portion of the lands were willed to the State of Connecticut for use as a public park (now known as Wadsworth Falls State Park). The rest was managed by the Rockfall Corporation, a charitable foundation created to further Wadsworth's interests in conservation and forestry. The estate changed hands during the next half-century, growing smaller and falling into disrepair until the mid-1990s when the city bought the property and the mansion and grounds underwent a two-year, $5.8 million restoration financed by municipal bonds.