The Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve, one of the Granby Land Trust's newest trail systems, is just down the road from Emery Farm. This unique 210 acre property features many of New England's diverse habitats and is the perfect spot for a walk or a run. It was donated by the Emerys' old neighbor and longtime friend, Jaime Gamble, and made possible through a tremendous labor of love on the part of Ellie's dad. We think it's quite a special place!

For other local hikes, check out Granby Land Trust. Under “trails” they list all their own - with maps - and also a number of other local trails. In addition to the Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve, we encourage you to check out the Katon-Ensor Preserve for a more rigorous hike, views, and waterfalls, and the Mary Edwards Preserve for an amazing view of the Holyoke Range in Massachusetts.

The McLean Game Refuge spans several thousand acres between Granby and Simsbury, and is filled with hiking trails - and black bears (mostly friendly).

A great bike trail runs through the edge of Granby, north into Massachusetts and south past Farmington. It can be accessed from many points in the center of Simsbury, or from parking areas in Granby on Rt. 189 and Notch Rd. For a really special walk past an old mill and right along the Farmington River, drive to the center of Collinsville- where you can get coffee, ice cream or a beer- and walk south on the trail.

The Farmington Valley YMCA is conveniently located on Rt. 10 north of Simsbury, on your way into Granby. Guest passes are ~$10 (we think). They have great swimming, cardio, gym, and climbing facilities.

Playgrounds are available all over, but the best are on Ironhorse Rd. in the center of Simsbury and in the Salmon Brook Park off Rt. 10 in Granby (where there's also a fun swimming pond).

The CT Science Museum of Hartford is worth checking out.

Roaring Brook Nature Center may have some good things going on- check out their schedule- and is only 15 minutes from Simsbury.

The Basketball Hall of Fame is 30 minutes away in Springfield, MA and may be of interest.

Mark Twain's house, 30 minutes away in Hartford, is an architectural and historic treasure. If you flew in you may have seen the Mark Twain LEGO House, but the real one is quite something, especially for history and architecture buffs.

The Hill-Stead Museum, 30 minutes south in Farmington, is a 1/2 mile from where Ellie’s dad grew up and her aunts run their sheep and other programming. The museum houses some of the most important Impressionist paintings in the world, including works by Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, and James McNeill Whistler.

Right in Simsbury is a collection of old colonial buildings owned by the Simsbury Historical Society. For anyone new to New England, this collections features pretty special original specimens.

It's graduation weekend for many towns in the area, so consider making reservations!

Sweet Pea Cheese is an incredible little farm store run by our neighbors the Hayes (8th generation farmers!) featuring out-of-this-world delicious goat and cow milk products from their animals. There is a box to leave cash inside the little farm store that is just past their house on the left (there's a sign) at 151 East St, North Granby, CT 06060.

The Harvest Cafe in Simsbury is a great spot for breakfast and lunch. Brookside Bagels in Simsbury has the best bagels. Freshies Cafe, just south of Granby (near the bike trail), is a good coffee and sandwich place.

Simsbury has many of good choices for lunch and dinner: Plan B Burger Bar, Metro Bis (best food), Millwright's (beautiful old mill with delicious, upscale food), Abigail’s Grille & Wine Bar (colonial and haunted), and Table 570 Asian Fusion are all great options.

Granby has some good food choices as well: @theBarn (nice bar, good dinner), Han Asian, La Figata ( wood fired pizza), Vedura Tapas & Wine Bar, Four Dads Pub, and Deep Roots (good street food).

For the serious foodies in the group, check out Present Company in Tariffville; get a “kitchen table” reservation and engage with the chefs.

For the best ice cream, you must visit the Gran-Val Scoop, an Emery Family favorite located in Granville, MA. You can carry your cone around while you pet the cows, llamas and other animals but be careful- they like ice cream too! Grassroots Ice Cream in the center of Granby is another good option.