The Last Green Valley, Inc. (TLGV) is kicking off the 25th year of Walktober with a cavalcade of spectacular activities in the National Heritage Corridor!  What started out as a “Walking Weekend” years ago has expanded to more than a month’s worth of adventures led by enthusiastic volunteers.  Most activities are free and many are family-friendly.  You can find it all in the Walktober brochure available by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., calling 860-774-3300, downloading a PDF from the website www.thelastgreenvalley.org, or by picking one up at any town hall, library or information kiosk within the region.  

Take a look at a few of your opportunities for Walktober fun this week: 

Want to experience a bird’s-eye view of the brilliant fall colors? You can! Ascend lightly in a tethered hot-air balloon, thanks to ReMax, as you take in the “Views Above the Hill” at Fort Hill Farms in Thompson from 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 27. The cost is $10 per person and all proceeds benefit TLGV.  Please note that this activity is wind and weather dependent. 

Learn what makes the The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor so unique at “Celebrating Agriculture” or “Positively Pomfret Day” or the upcoming “First Friday in Putnam” on Oct. 2.  

Croquet anyone? Play or watch a croquet tournament on the Norwichtown Green, in honor of the game that became popular in the Victorian era.  You can spend the entire last weekend of September exploring Norwich with a “Freedom Trail Ceremony,” guided walks featuring, “Radical Norwich – The Abolitionists,” and “A Jaunt Along the Heritage Walk,” plus the “4th Annual Norwich Grub Crawl.”  

Or head back out to the country for a tour of Lapsley Orchard on Sept. 27, then explore more history in Willimantic and Norwich with mid-week walks on Sept. 30, Oct. 1, and Oct. 2.    

Close out the first week of Walktober with “Vines, Wines & Pleasant Times at Taylor Brooke,” a tour and tasting with vineyard owner Linda Auger at Taylor Brooke Winery. And for those of you who love messing around in boats, paddle on the Quinebaug River with TLGV Chief Ranger Bill. 

All updates, additions and cancellations will be posted on the Walktober page on TLGV’s website and Facebook page, so please check them often.

The Last Green Valley is a National Heritage Corridor – the last stretch of dark night sky in the coastal sprawl between Boston and Washington, D.C.  The Last Green Valley, Inc. works for you in the National Heritage Corridor. We help you to care for it, enjoy it and pass it on.