Magenta Special Events, 5 Tyler Ave, Branford, CT 06405, US

Wadsworth Mansion is open to the public and is the site of many popular events, including free tours. Two trails on the mansion's 100-acre property are open for hiking and cross-country skiing from sunrise to sunset. Originally a summer residence, "Long Hill" was built in the first years of the 20th century by Colonel Clarence S. Wadsworth, an early expert on forestry and an avid conservationist. The 500-acre grounds were designed by the nationally renowned landscape architectural firm, The Olmsted Brothers; formal and classical gardens near the mansion gave way to forest and pastures. On Wadsworth's death 1941, a portion of the lands were willed to the State of Connecticut for use as a public park (now known as Wadsworth Falls State Park). The rest was managed by the Rockfall Corporation, a charitable foundation created to further Wadsworth's interests in conservation and forestry. The estate changed hands during the next half-century, growing smaller and falling into disrepair until the mid-1990s when the city bought the property and the mansion and grounds underwent a two-year, $5.8 million restoration financed by municipal bonds.