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Things to Do in Cromwell, CT: A Local Guide

By Erik Hernal, founder & editor

The top things to do in Cromwell, CT are River Highlands State Park (113 Field Road), a 177-acre park with bluffs 150 feet over the Connecticut River; TPC River Highlands (1 Golf Club Road), the private course that hosts the Travelers Championship every June; Riverport Park (1 River Road), with the town boat launch plus a summer farmers market and concert series; and Watrous Park (Geer Street). Cromwell is a small suburban town in Middlesex County, on the west bank of the river just north of Middletown and about fifteen minutes south of Hartford. It's not a big day-trip town, but a handful of spots are genuinely worth the drive, and they're all open and checked this month.

The best of it: River Highlands State Park

River Highlands State Park (113 Field Road) is the one to drive out for. It's 177 acres of Connecticut River frontage in the northern corner of town, and the draw is the bluffs, which rise about 150 feet over the water. The White Trail is a moderate one-mile out-and-back that lands you at one of the best river views in the whole state park system, looking straight up and down the Connecticut. Bring the dog (leashed) and good shoes. There's a day-use parking lot right at the Field Road entrance, no admission fee with a Connecticut-registered car, and the two campsites here are canoe-and-kayak only, one night, so this is a hike-and-look park, not a pitch-a-tent-by-the-car one.

The Travelers Championship and TPC River Highlands

If Cromwell is famous for one thing, it's golf. TPC River Highlands (1 Golf Club Road) has hosted the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship since 1984, and the tournament has grown into one of the tour's marquee signature events, with a $20 million purse. It runs in late June, the week after the U.S. Open. Here's the honest part: the course is a private members' club, so you can't just call and book a tee time. The real way onto the grounds is to grab tickets for tournament week, when thousands of people walk the fairways and the back nine along the river turns into one of the best finishing stretches in golf. The 2026 event ran June 25 to 28. Watch for next year's dates if you want to plan around it.

The river and the parks

Riverport Park (1 River Road), officially Riverport Park at Frisbee Landings, is the town's spot on the Connecticut River. There's a boat launch, a gazebo, and benches looking out over the water, and it sits right by a Route 9 ramp so it's easy to find. In summer it does double duty as Cromwell's gathering place: the farmers market sets up Friday evenings from 4 to 7 (early June through early September) and the free summer concert series plays Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 (mid-June into August), food trucks and all.

Watrous Park (Geer Street, behind Cromwell Middle School) is the bigger green space, 53 acres of it, with close to a mile of trails through woods, meadow, and old farm fields, plus the usual ball fields, courts, and a skatepark. A heads-up, since the name fools people: despite "Watrous," this one isn't on the river, it's the quiet woods-walk park. Pierson Park (41 West Street) rounds it out with a paved walking loop, a playground, and a small rose garden if you just want a flat twenty-minute stroll.

Where to eat in Cromwell

Cromwell does better on food than its size suggests, mostly because Route 9 brings people through. The 1851 (150 Sebethe Drive) is the newer sit-down spot, a kitchen and craft cocktail bar named for the year Cromwell split off from Middletown and became its own town. For breakfast, locals go to Mitchell's on Main (317 Main Street), a family-run diner-style place where you can fill up for not much money. The rest of the scene leans practical: pubs, pizza, a long row of chains and quick spots out by the highway interchange. It's a "good meal before or after the real plan" town more than a dining destination, and that's fine. The honest move is to pair Cromwell with dinner across the river in Middletown, where the restaurant row is deeper.

Common questions about Cromwell, CT

Is Cromwell, CT worth visiting? For a short trip, yes. River Highlands State Park has bluffs 150 feet over the Connecticut River with one of the best river views in the state, and in summer Riverport Park runs a Friday farmers market and a Wednesday concert series. It's a small suburban town, not a destination weekend, but it pairs well with a day in Middletown five minutes south.

What is Cromwell, Connecticut known for? The Travelers Championship. Cromwell hosts the PGA Tour event every June at TPC River Highlands, one of the tour's top signature events. The town is also known as the old Upper Houses of Middletown, which broke off and incorporated on its own in 1851.

Can you play golf at TPC River Highlands? Not as a walk-on. TPC River Highlands (1 Golf Club Road) is a private members' club, so the realistic way for most people to set foot on it is to attend the Travelers Championship in June, when it's open to ticket holders.

Where is Cromwell, CT? In Middlesex County, on the west bank of the Connecticut River, just north of Middletown and about 15 minutes south of Hartford. Route 9 runs right through it, so it's an easy hop off the highway.

While you're up this way, here are the local guides to breweries near Middletown, free things to do in Greater Middletown, things to do with kids, and a perfect weekend itinerary. See what's on this week on our events page, browse past issues, or subscribe above for the Thursday rundown.