Founded on land long worked by the Sherwood family, Sherwood Island became Connecticut’s first state park in 1914, although public access wasn’t secured until around 1937. The 235 acre park shows a mosaic of environments from beach, to tidal marsh, and even coastal woods. Today visitors come for swimming, picnicking, bird watching, short nature trails, the Nature Center, and open fields. Its shoreline is noted for distinct bands of red, black, and white “tri-colored” sands.
At the park’s point stands Connecticut’s official 9/11 Living Memorial, which was dedicated in September 2002. The memorial faces the Manhattan skyline and the state holds a public ceremony every year to honor those who lost their lives on that day.
