Things to Do in Glastonbury

Lush tree cover, rolling hills, and lakes dot the landscape surrounding the Connecticut River that GrandView CampResort & Cottages calls home. With this nearly untouched terrain as the backdrop, guests camp along 22.5 acres of wooded hills in their own tent or a deluxe cottage that can accommodate a family of five. Nearby, they can take in whizzing views of the countryside from the 300-foot zipline or take their time while strolling their way through the onsite golf course. When not lounging by the pool or playing horseshoes next to horses playing humanshoes, guests venture to one of more than 20 nearby attractions such as Gillette Castle State Park or the historical Mystic Seaport. Back at the campsite, kids keep their hands busy with scheduled kids' crafts and their faces sticky during pie-eating contests.:m]]

Whether you need a racket restrung in the pro shop or want to hear stories about the time he taught an up-and-coming Maria Sharapova, Glastonbury Tennis Club director Jim Melesko happily consults with visitors on all aspects of the game. Jim oversees the club's six championship courts, where he and his fellow professional teachers coach kids and adults alike. Their lessons cover game basics to tournament techniques, preparing students for both casual and USTA team matches. Spectators can observe practicing players from an observation deck in the lounge, which is equipped with daycare centers and free WiFi.

Hornet Marine President David Hartmann got his taste for boat design from his father, Hal, an engineer who helped create the smooth-riding deep-vee hull now included on each Hornet 17 speedboat. Today, the 17-foot seacrafts zip through the water with help from Mercury MerCruiser engines, each carrying up to five passengers perched on custom upholstery. Hornet Marine invites landlubbers on factory tours and test drives at its headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, where a staff of nautical experts also keep ships shipshape with oil changes, detailing, and other boat-maintenance services.

Bolton Ice Palace ditches the red carpet in favor of a sprawling, 200’x85’ rink that has sent New England skaters twirling across its surface for the past four decades. Typically open seven days per week for public sessions, the facility luxuriates each visit with modern amenities, including four locker rooms, a full-service vending room, and an onsite pro shop. Youth and men’s hockey leagues consistently rub elbows with the boards, and learn-to-skate programs—designed by U.S. Figure Skating—help pintsize and full-size gliders alike become comfortable atop their blades. Customers can also rent out the Palace, turning it into a private event space to host birthdays, work functions, or to more accurately pinpoint the location of the zamboni operator’s forlorn howls.

The NRA-certified instructors of Your Pistol Permit have one goal: to instill in their students responsible handgun practices as outlined by the National Rifle Association. To do this, they lead the NRA Basic Pistol Shooting course, blending both classroom and range training so students feel comfortable handling a firearm and auditioning for the next Police Academy movie. Along with demonstrating the proper mindset needed to responsibly operate a handgun, instructors teach terminology, stance, loading and unloading, and firearm cleaning. They also offer private instruction for clients who prefer training tailored to their skill level.

The sounds of jovial chit-chat, sharply struck drives, and golf balls rattling into holes fill the air at Canton Indoor Golf Center, where guests can hone their swings or putting strokes in a festive environment with its own sports bar. Stationed around the center’s perimeter, eight high-definition Year Roundz golf simulators transport clubbers to digital models of courses such as Pebble Beach and Bay Hill. Throughout rounds, swing-tracking technology ensures that each flush tee shot finds the fairway and each errant swing prompts digital avatars to berate their 9-iron. An indoor green fosters freestyle putting practice, and the colorful, pirate-themed corridors of Glow Cove’s black-light mini golf offer a more competitive challenge to slope-reading skills. The multifaceted practice facility provides a climate-controlled venue for lessons conducted by PGA-certified instructors, who use the simulators’ swing analysis features to sharpen their observational prowess and gather intelligence for mankind’s reckoning with intelligent machines.

Sudsy libations from Year Roundz Sports Bar & Grill keep guests in high spirits as they engage in golf fun or simply lounge in the glow of sports-tuned TVs. Guests hungry after a simulated round of golf or a club-shaft-bending competition can curb their appetites with a burger, cheesesteak, or margarita pizza from the kitchen.