Event Types: Nature & Outdoors

Campers will have a fantastic time playing games, creating artwork, exploring the outdoors, and making new friends. The age appropriate groups are facilitated by trained, experienced, and dedicated staff members. All children will participate in sports, games, arts & crafts, water fun, nature exploration, and team building activities. Campers will enjoy off-site field trips and in-house events to entertain them.

Register here

Farm Yoga is back! Join us for a nourishing outdoor yoga practice every Sunday morning at the Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, we gather rain or shine—either out in the field or under the shelter of the barn—for a unique and grounding class surrounded by the beauty of nature.

This steady-paced class weaves together a blend of styles including Kundalini, Katonah, and Chromatic Yoga. Each session includes breathwork, creative flows that often build toward a peak pose or theme, and meditation. The practice is designed for all levels, with thoughtful modifications for beginners and deeper options for experienced students looking to expand their practice. Please bring your own towel, water, and sunscreen—and get ready to move, breathe, and connect in community.

Sundays at 10:30 AM | Memorial Day through Labor Day
Location: The Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm (Across from 41 East Street, Washington, CT)

Visit washingtonctwellness.com to register.

Step outside and enjoy a series of relaxed summer walks through Steep Rock’s Preserves. On Monday, July 14, join SRA Executive Director Brian Hagenbuch for a guided stroll through the Bronson Fields Pollinator Meadow in Hidden Valley. Parking is at the Hidden Valley Seasonal Parking area at 287 Sabbaday Lane, Washington Depot.

Join us for a kid-friendly, guided garden tour to discover plants that are in full bloom, look for plants that have finished blooming, and find buds on plants still getting ready to flower. Then we return to the barn for A Plant’s Life! Did you know plants have a life cycle, just like animals do? In this special program from White Memorial Conservation Center, we will discover the similarities and differences between basic animal and plant life cycles. Children will learn about all aspects of the plant life cycle, including seed germination, growth, flowering, pollination, and seed dispersal. Several interactive activities are included, as well as a visit from a surprise animal ambassador! This program is best suited for children in grades 1-4 but is open to all K-5 students. Caregivers must be present for the duration.

The White Memorial Conservation Center provides year-round environmental education programs for children and adults that inspire understanding, appreciation, and respect for the natural world. Created in 1913 by Alain C. White and his sister, May W. White, the Foundation and Center today comprise 4,000 acres of forest, fields and wetlands in the towns of Litchfield and Morris in northwestern Connecticut.

Hollister House Garden Explorers is a series of Saturday morning activities designed to introduce children in grades K – 5 to the garden. This program is offered free of charge, but advanced registration is required.

Register here

Join our monthly trail work party! The work party meets at 10:00am-12:30PM. No experience necessary, just a willingness to get your hands dirty and have fun. Ages 16+.

Saturday, July 19, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, August 16, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, September 20, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, October 18, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Farm Yoga is back! Join us for a nourishing outdoor yoga practice every Sunday morning at the Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, we gather rain or shine—either out in the field or under the shelter of the barn—for a unique and grounding class surrounded by the beauty of nature.

This steady-paced class weaves together a blend of styles including Kundalini, Katonah, and Chromatic Yoga. Each session includes breathwork, creative flows that often build toward a peak pose or theme, and meditation. The practice is designed for all levels, with thoughtful modifications for beginners and deeper options for experienced students looking to expand their practice. Please bring your own towel, water, and sunscreen—and get ready to move, breathe, and connect in community.

Sundays at 10:30 AM | Memorial Day through Labor Day
Location: The Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm (Across from 41 East Street, Washington, CT)

Visit washingtonctwellness.com to register.

Farm Yoga is back! Join us for a nourishing outdoor yoga practice every Sunday morning at the Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, we gather rain or shine—either out in the field or under the shelter of the barn—for a unique and grounding class surrounded by the beauty of nature.

This steady-paced class weaves together a blend of styles including Kundalini, Katonah, and Chromatic Yoga. Each session includes breathwork, creative flows that often build toward a peak pose or theme, and meditation. The practice is designed for all levels, with thoughtful modifications for beginners and deeper options for experienced students looking to expand their practice. Please bring your own towel, water, and sunscreen—and get ready to move, breathe, and connect in community.

Sundays at 10:30 AM | Memorial Day through Labor Day
Location: The Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm (Across from 41 East Street, Washington, CT)

Visit washingtonctwellness.com to register.

Get in the game with Skyhawks Pickleball, gateway to the fastest-growing paddle sport! This program develops and sharpens pickleball skills like groundstrokes, volleys, and serves in a fun environment while focusing on teamwork, sportsmanship, and respect. Come experience this lively sport while building confidence and appreciation for pickleball!

Register here

In an immersive forest setting with no locks, keys or clocks, Wigwam Escape’s thematic puzzles challenge game players to hunt, find water and prepare food similar to how Native people did for thousands of years prior to European contact. The Institute for American Indian Studies, proudly presents a new way to interact with history, a themed escape room, Wigwam Escape.

For more information or to book your escape room, go to: wigwamescape.org.

Get in the game with Skyhawks Pickleball, gateway to the fastest-growing paddle sport! This program develops and sharpens pickleball skills like groundstrokes, volleys, and serves in a fun environment while focusing on teamwork, sportsmanship, and respect. Come experience this lively sport while building confidence and appreciation for pickleball!

Register here

Farm Yoga is back! Join us for a nourishing outdoor yoga practice every Sunday morning at the Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, we gather rain or shine—either out in the field or under the shelter of the barn—for a unique and grounding class surrounded by the beauty of nature.

This steady-paced class weaves together a blend of styles including Kundalini, Katonah, and Chromatic Yoga. Each session includes breathwork, creative flows that often build toward a peak pose or theme, and meditation. The practice is designed for all levels, with thoughtful modifications for beginners and deeper options for experienced students looking to expand their practice. Please bring your own towel, water, and sunscreen—and get ready to move, breathe, and connect in community.

Sundays at 10:30 AM | Memorial Day through Labor Day
Location: The Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm (Across from 41 East Street, Washington, CT)

Visit washingtonctwellness.com to register.

Farm Yoga is back! Join us for a nourishing outdoor yoga practice every Sunday morning at the Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, we gather rain or shine—either out in the field or under the shelter of the barn—for a unique and grounding class surrounded by the beauty of nature.

This steady-paced class weaves together a blend of styles including Kundalini, Katonah, and Chromatic Yoga. Each session includes breathwork, creative flows that often build toward a peak pose or theme, and meditation. The practice is designed for all levels, with thoughtful modifications for beginners and deeper options for experienced students looking to expand their practice. Please bring your own towel, water, and sunscreen—and get ready to move, breathe, and connect in community.

Sundays at 10:30 AM | Memorial Day through Labor Day
Location: The Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm (Across from 41 East Street, Washington, CT)

Visit washingtonctwellness.com to register.

Corn is an integral part of the annual life cycle of Native American people. When the first tender ears are ripe for picking it is cause for celebration. Save the date to welcome the first corn of the season with exciting activities including drumming, dancing, children’s activities, flute music by Allan Madahbee (Ojibwe), vendors, stories and more! We are excited to welcome the Native Nations Dance Troupe led by Erin Lamb Meeches (Schaghticoke). While enjoying the dancing and activities, get some refreshments from one of our various food vendors, including Jason Cogswell Lamb, Schaghticoke, of Mashquanon’s Wetu. Join the fun at our Twentieth Annual Green Corn Festival.

Please note: This outdoor event will be held rain or shine. Cash sales recommended for onsite purchases. Attendees are encouraged to bring a folding camp chair to view the performances.

More details to come.

Thursday, August 14th at 5:00pm

During this year of celebrating our 50th Anniversary, the IAIS is hosting a gala at Hopkins Vineyard. In addition to hearty hors d’oeuvres, wine, and other libations, the evening will feature a special performance by Pilobolus. Darlene Kascak (Schaghticoke Tribal Nation), the Institute’s Outreach Ambassador and acclaimed Native storyteller, has partnered with Matt Kent, Pilobolus Artistic Director, to provide narration of Indigenous-inspired dances. It will be exciting to have Indigenous-focused artistry in the natural setting of the vineyard, which is also near a significant archaeological dig led by IAIS.

Please note: this outdoor event will be held rain or shine on the grounds of the vineyard. There will be tents, but participants should dress for the weather and wear shoes that they would feel comfortable wearing at a garden party.

Questions? Please email [email protected] or call (860) 868 0518. Tickets cost $150/person.

Get tickets

Presented by: Hollister House Garden and Kent Curiosity Lab

Hollister House Garden Explorers is a series of Saturday morning activities designed to introduce children in grades K – 5 to the garden.

Join HHG and Kent Curiosity Lab for a kid-friendly, guided garden tour to explore the different colors and shapes found among Hollister House Garden’s flowers. Are the petals pointed or rounded? Are there many petals or just a few? Is the flower one color or are there a variety of colors and shades? After practicing our observation skills in the garden, we head up to the barn for a hands-on art project. With the flowers observed on our walk as inspiration, create beautiful, realistic looking flowers crafted from coffee filters and paint. Prepare to have fun with Kent Curiosity Lab making these life-like paper blooms! This program is best suited for children in grades 1-4 but is open to all K-5 students. Caregivers must be present for the duration

Kent Curiosity Lab is a non-profit organization offering children experiences that spark curiosity and ignite lifelong learning. Located in Kent, Connecticut, the organization provides high-quality enrichment programs that actively engage students in real world and personally meaningful activities and projects. By ensuring every child has access to these opportunities, they work to build a stronger, more vibrant community. Find out more at kentcuriositylab.org.

This program is offered free of charge, but advanced registration is required.

Register here

Join our monthly trail work party! The work party meets at 10:00am-12:30PM. No experience necessary, just a willingness to get your hands dirty and have fun. Ages 16+.

Saturday, July 19, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, August 16, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, September 20, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, October 18, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Discover the beauty and versatility of working with pressed flowers and plants in this open-format crafting workshop. Create traditional or modern herbarium mounts on acid-free paper, ready for framing. Explore simple decoupage techniques for crafting glass candle lights, note cards and tags, each adorned with pressed blooms. If you joined us for our flower pressing class in May- or if you’ve been pressing plants at home- bring your dried botanicals and come explore creative ways to use them. No pressed plants? No problem. We will have plenty of extra dried materials on hand! This is a relaxed, hands-on workshop where you can play with beautiful materials, try out new ideas, and enjoy the pleasure of making something by hand. You’ll leave with several finished pieces and lots of inspiration to keep creating.

Lisa Zurles is Hollister House Garden’s education manager, a native plant enthusiast and a Connecticut Master Woodland Manager. She learned to press plants at the Native Plant Trust, where she studied botany and horticulture as part of their Native Plant Studies Certificate program. She loves sharing the joy of plants and the myriad way plants and flowers enrich our lives.

HHG Members: $65 (includes all materials)

Non-members: $75 (includes all material)

Farm Yoga is back! Join us for a nourishing outdoor yoga practice every Sunday morning at the Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, we gather rain or shine—either out in the field or under the shelter of the barn—for a unique and grounding class surrounded by the beauty of nature.

This steady-paced class weaves together a blend of styles including Kundalini, Katonah, and Chromatic Yoga. Each session includes breathwork, creative flows that often build toward a peak pose or theme, and meditation. The practice is designed for all levels, with thoughtful modifications for beginners and deeper options for experienced students looking to expand their practice. Please bring your own towel, water, and sunscreen—and get ready to move, breathe, and connect in community.

Sundays at 10:30 AM | Memorial Day through Labor Day
Location: The Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm (Across from 41 East Street, Washington, CT)

Visit washingtonctwellness.com to register.

Step outside and enjoy a series of relaxed summer walks through Steep Rock’s Preserves. On Wednesday, August 20, join SRA Executive Director Brian Hagenbuch for a guided stroll at Macricostas Preserve.

Farm Yoga is back! Join us for a nourishing outdoor yoga practice every Sunday morning at the Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, we gather rain or shine—either out in the field or under the shelter of the barn—for a unique and grounding class surrounded by the beauty of nature.

This steady-paced class weaves together a blend of styles including Kundalini, Katonah, and Chromatic Yoga. Each session includes breathwork, creative flows that often build toward a peak pose or theme, and meditation. The practice is designed for all levels, with thoughtful modifications for beginners and deeper options for experienced students looking to expand their practice. Please bring your own towel, water, and sunscreen—and get ready to move, breathe, and connect in community.

Sundays at 10:30 AM | Memorial Day through Labor Day
Location: The Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm (Across from 41 East Street, Washington, CT)

Visit washingtonctwellness.com to register.

Farm Yoga is back! Join us for a nourishing outdoor yoga practice every Sunday morning at the Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, we gather rain or shine—either out in the field or under the shelter of the barn—for a unique and grounding class surrounded by the beauty of nature.

This steady-paced class weaves together a blend of styles including Kundalini, Katonah, and Chromatic Yoga. Each session includes breathwork, creative flows that often build toward a peak pose or theme, and meditation. The practice is designed for all levels, with thoughtful modifications for beginners and deeper options for experienced students looking to expand their practice. Please bring your own towel, water, and sunscreen—and get ready to move, breathe, and connect in community.

Sundays at 10:30 AM | Memorial Day through Labor Day
Location: The Red Barn at Waldingfield Farm (Across from 41 East Street, Washington, CT)

Visit washingtonctwellness.com to register.

Hollister House Garden Study Weekend brings together some of the most important voices at work today in the fields of horticulture and garden design for a weekend of learning, inspiration, and networking. This year we are honored to welcome another extraordinary panel of speakers.

All reservations include:
Symposium with light continental breakfast and lunch
Garden party following the symposium

Register here

Learning from Nature: Enhancing nature’s ecological palette in naturalistic planting design

In over 25 years as the director of the Hermannshof trial gardens in Germany Cassian Schmidt’s research included plant ecology and performance and the coexistence of plants in designed plant communities. In his plantings, native European grassland and tall forb vegetation, stylized North American prairie or Eastern European steppe vegetation as well as Mediterranean shrub steppe have been modified and enhanced for aesthetic and practical demands. Cassian will identify and explore some of the most valuable natural plant communities that have great potential to be used as an ecological palette for resilient planting designs. He will discuss the ecological, climatic and aesthetical factors that shape those natural plant communities and how they can be applied and modified for urban environments and private gardens. Cassian is currently a professor of planting design at universities in Germany.

What do You Mean I’m Not a Perennial? Native Shrubs and Trees for Perennial Companionship

Most folks are familiar with the concept of the mixed border – perennials, annuals, shrubs and evergreens blended together in a seamless composition. It sounds good in theory, but transplanting this concept into a real garden is more difficult than it seems. Not all woody plants mix well with perennials and annuals for many reasons including different soil and fertilization needs and incompatible growth habits. However there are a number of native shrubs and small trees that mix wonderfully with herbaceous perennials and annuals. In this talk, Bill Cullina, a recognized authority on North American native plants and the F. Otto Hass Executive Director of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, will profile his favorite fifty “natural mixers,” focusing on native woody plants that bring, form, texture, color and wildlife to the perennial garden.

Enchanting Edens: revising and Reimagining Twelve Historic Gardens of Timeless Beauty

Joann Vieira, statewide Director of Public Gardens & Horticulture for the Trustees of Reservations, will lead us on a journey through twelve extraordinary historic pleasure gardens that were once exclusive retreats for influential families in the early 20th century. Today, they are carefully preserved, rejuvenated, and shared as prime examples of historic trends in plant collecting and garden design. This lecture will offer a rare glimpse into their rich past and exciting future, showcasing how contemporary gardens—guided by historic sensibilities—complement the original designs with modern plant palettes. Joann will explore the effects of time on these gardens, and how it has softened their edges. Accompanied by stunning images of the gardens, this talk promises to inspire a renewed appreciation for the blend of history and innovation in garden design.

The Story of Hollister House Garden : A classic English garden on a Connecticut hillside

George Schoellkopf will tell us how forty-five years ago on a fateful trip to England, he became infatuated with English gardens and returned to America determined to make an English garden of his own. A serious concern was how to design a complicated English garden that would harmonize and not seem out of step with the spirit of the simple 18th century Connecticut farmhouse he had recently purchased. The choice of plant material was another significant challenge since New England winters are too cold for many of the plants that luxuriate in the milder English climate. Only by trial and error did George determine which plants worked, and which ones didn’t. In this illustrated lecture George will take us on the adventure of designing and creating the garden we know today and talk about his decision to preserve this special garden for the future.

Moderator

Todd Forrest is Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections at The New York Botanical Garden. He oversees the team of managers, curators, and horticulturists who steward the Garden’s natural landscapes, plant collections, gardens, and glasshouses and develop its celebrated horticulture exhibitions. An advocate for historic trees and forests in urban landscapes and public gardens, Forrest is the primary author of Gardening with Nature at The New York Botanical Garden (available April 2025) and contributed essays to The Magnificent Trees of The New York Botanical Garden, The Trees of North America: Michaux and Redoute’s American Masterpiece, and Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time.

 

 

 

The Garden Symposium takes place at Heritage Hotel and Hollister House Garden.

Heritage Hotel
522 Heritage Road, Southbury, CT

Schedule of Events:

8:00 AM – Registration and light continental breakfast
9:00 AM – Morning session opens
12:00 PM – Lunch and shopping at Hickory Stick Bookshop
1:00 PM – Afternoon session opens
3:30 PM Symposium concludes

Hollister House Garden
300 Nettleton Hollow Road, Washington,CT

4:00 PM – Cocktails, music and a very special Silent Auction
at Hollister House Garden, Washington, CT,

Register here

A community tradition for over 50 years, join us for the Annual Community Picnic hosted by Steep Rock Association. Details to follow.

As day fades into evening, enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, music by the John Mastroianni and Friends, an extraordinary silent auction and spectacular plants from Broken Arrow Nursery and Cricket Hill Garden. All proceeds from this evening provide critical funding for educational programming and community engagement…

Enjoy the music of John Mastroianni and Friends as they play your favorites from the Great American Songbook. Be tempted by a selection of fabulous plants suitable for fall planting from two of New England’s premier nurseries while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres: Broken Arrow Nursery and Cricket Hill Garden.

Gardeners and garden lovers will find one-of-a-kind experiences, garden visits, special plants and other treasures under the tent.

HHG Members $125
Non-members $150

All proceeds from this evening provide critical funding for educational programming and community engagement.

An Outstanding Opportunity to Visit 5 Beautiful Gardens

The day features self-guided tours of 4 private gardens and Hollister House Garden.
1. The Sumacs – Washington, CT
2. Platt House – Washington, CT
3. Treetops – Washington Depot, CT
4. The Garden of Peter Wooster – Roxbury, CT
5. Hollister House Garden – Washington, CT

The Meraki food truck will be at Hollister House Garden from 11:30 – 2:30pm.

Advance Reservations for all 5 gardens $40 are available until 4pm on September 6th. Individual gardens may be visited on the day of the tour $10 per person (cash or Venmo only).
Thank you to our generous event sponsor Litchfield Magazine.

September at Hollister House Garden is glorious and the pollinators are busy at work!

Venture with us into the garden to observe plants and their pollinators, followed by a fun watercolor lesson in the barn. Watercolorist Betsy Rogers-Knox with show you how to capture the rich colors of purple echinacea paired with its pollinator, the swallowtail butterfly. Students may use a traceable template or create their own sketch using a provided photograph. You will learn to layer washes of color with step-by-step demos and personalized instruction. All skill levels welcome. Class size limited to 12.

Bring a bag lunch. Water and snacks provided.

Betsy Rogers-Knox is an award-winning watercolor artist enchanted by the full lifecycle of plants and their habitats. She holds a certificate in botanical illustration from the New York Botanical Garden. Her work has been widely exhibited and is held in the permanent collection at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley Library in London and at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.

HHG Members $90
Non-members $120

Step outside and enjoy a series of relaxed summer walks through Steep Rock’s Preserves. On Thursday, September 18, join SRA Executive Director Brian Hagenbuch for a guided stroll through Hillside Farm, 397 Nettleton Hollow Road.

Acquired in 2021, this 86-acre parcel on the border of Washington and Woodbury includes a rich diversity of habitats and species.

Join our monthly trail work party! The work party meets at 10:00am-12:30PM. No experience necessary, just a willingness to get your hands dirty and have fun. Ages 16+.

Saturday, July 19, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, August 16, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, September 20, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, October 18, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Join us for the 8th Annual Washington Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 12th from 12pm-5pm. We can’t wait to celebrate the community with live music, great food, talented artists, festive scarecrows, amazing local vendors, train rides, fire truck tours, family-friendly fun, and much more. Admission is free for all.

This event is organized by Washington Business Association and Washington Parks & Recreation.

Enjoy the spectacular fall colors at Johnson Farm Preserve. Join SRA’s Executive Director Brian Hagenbuch for a walk around Johnson Farm Preserve and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of autumn across the landscape.

Join our monthly trail work party! The work party meets at 10:00am-12:30PM. No experience necessary, just a willingness to get your hands dirty and have fun. Ages 16+.

Saturday, July 19, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, August 16, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, September 20, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Saturday, October 18, 2025
10:00 am – 12:30 pm