Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, Connecticut, spans 238 acres of beach, wetlands, and woodlands on Long Island Sound and is recognized as the state’s first state park because Connecticut began acquiring land there in 1914. First settled in the 1640s and later associated with Daniel Sherwood’s family farm and gristmill, the area evolved from an island landscape into a public shoreline park after a long political struggle, opening in 1932 and expanding in 1937. Known for its banded sands and altered shoreline, it also became the site of a major Connecticut memorial to the September 11 attacks, dedicated in 2002.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain