Harkness Memorial State Park

About Harkness Memorial State Park

It was built in 1906 and bought in 1907 by Edward and Mary Harkness and named after the island where Eolia is located. It was named after the Greek god of wind, named after Edward's wife Mary, in 1908, and the house was renamed after Aeolia. Built in a classic Renaissance style, this mansion has 42 rooms, a swimming pool, tennis court, indoor pool and pool house. About 200 acres are a farm, but the property serves as a Harksness summer home and you can enjoy it as an elegant summer home in a wooded area overlooking Lake Ontario, the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Erie, as well as a lake.

The property is open for guided tours and the first guided tour of the day starts at 10 am and it is open to the public daily from 10 am to 5 pm, except weekends and public holidays.

Edward S. Harkness, an Ohio native, was one of the most successful businessmen of his time, and became the founder of a fortune spurred by his investments in the oil and gas industry. Driven early in his career by a passion for nature and his love of nature, Harkess has donated more than two hundred million dollars to various philanthropic causes. From March 1 to December 23, Eolia is home to Harksness Memorial State Park, the largest national park in North America.

Edward and Mary Harkness bought the property in 1907, and between 1918 and 1929 the renowned landscape architect Beatrix Jones Farrand carried out extensive work on the site. The property was given to the state of Connecticut in 1950 and became part of the State Park System in 1952.

It is named after the island where Aeolia is located and was built in 1906 and bought by Edward and Mary Harkness in 1907. It was named after the Greek god of wind and served as a harksness summer house. This classic Renaissance mansion has 42 rooms and features a swimming pool, tennis court, tennis courts, an indoor pool and a golf course. Some of the 200 hectares of the farm are used as elegant summer homes of the "Harkess family," and part of them are used as a park.

The accommodation is open for guided tours and the first tour of the day starts at 10: 00, the second at 11: 30 and so on until the end of July.

From March 1 to December 23, Eolia is the only state park in Connecticut with a full-day visitor center. In New London, turn off Route 85 South, take Route 2 South to Colchester, then leave Route 85 South on Ocean Ave and exit.

In Hartford, take Route 91 south on Route 9 South, keep right and take Exit 75, you will collide with Route 95 and travel north on it. From Hartford to New London, trek Route 1 South on Ocean Ave and exit Route 85 South and keep right.

Avery Lane becomes Great Neck Road, turn right, follow the road to the park and drive 3 miles on this route. Turn right and follow Avery Lane until it turns left and you will be on the right into State Park.

From Boston to Providence, take Route 95 southbound at Exit 81, turn left at the traffic light on Cross Road and continue until you reach the intersection with Route 1. At the end of the exit, turn left onto the access road and turn right onto the road to the park. Follow this route until it turns left into the parking lot of Harkness Memorial State Park. Turn left on Route 2, then right on Route 3, before turning left off Route 1 and continuing to the traffic light to exit this service road.

Avery Lane becomes Great Neck Road, turns right into Avery Lane and follows the path to the park. Turn right onto Avery Lane and on the right is the parking lot of the park and the entrance to Harkness Memorial State Park.

Avery Lane becomes Great Neck Road, turns right into Avery Lane and follows the road into the park.

From New York to New Haven, take Route 95 north and travel 3 miles on this route, turn right and keep right. Route 1 is the New Hampshire main thoroughfare to Harkness Memorial State Park and Avery Road on the right.

On the right, the park is on the left side of the road and on the left, the parking lot of Harkness Memorial State Park.