A Harkness Christmas

For Christmas, we ventured south to the coast of Connecticut where my father lives. In between appetizers and the main course, we took a break to visit a place very dear to me, Harkness Memorial State Park. As you can see, it was very dreary sort of day yesterday, but the mansion and its grounds were still touched with a gothic sort of elegance. The Park is a popular destination for families in the spring and summertime and is often used for weddings. Countless hours have been spent exploring the grounds in the past and enjoying the sweeping views of the water. Whenever I visit my father, I try to visit Harkness as well. 

The mansion was originally built in 1906 and was named Eolia, which in Greek mythology was the home for the gods of wind. It was purchased by a Mr. Harkness a year later and served as a summer home for himself and his family until it was left to the state of Connecticut in 1950. The mansion contains 42 rooms and the estate 200 acres. Sounds like a wonderful summer home to me! There are tours held every weekend and I cannot recommend visiting enough...it truly is a special place. Yesterday we had it nearly to ourselves and it was like a Christmas gift to visit it again.