Suburban Park

04/18/2026

Our sweet, little Park is in the news again!

Looking for a spooky adventure? Explore the remnants of Suburban Park, an abandoned amusement park in Unionville, Connecticut.

04/03/2026

My next book, An Adventure at Suburban Park is finally here! This is the first story in The Magic Penny series, where nine-year-old Daniel travels through time with the help of a penny that he finds under a fallen tree. It is old and dirty from years of being hidden underground, but as he soon finds out, it is filled with magic. He tosses it into a weathered fountain, closes his eyes tight and makes a special wish. Amazingly, the fountain comes to life and Daniel gets swept into the past, where he discovers fascinating things about life, long before he was born.

Suddenly he finds himself in the year 1895 at Suburban Park, a bustling amusement park in Unionville, Connecticut. As Daniel explores the park, he discovers what life was like more than a hundred years ago. Families spend their days off enjoying simple rides, music, and laughter. Ice cream is kept cold without modern refrigerators. Photographs take patience and skill. People travel in ways very different from today, and electricity is created using the powerful flow of water. With wonder and curiosity guiding him, Daniel learns that the past is full of amazing inventions, surprising discoveries, and stories waiting to be told.

The series is designed for readers ages 7–12, yet it offers something for everyone. By weaving together the rich history of Suburban Park with the adventures of Daniel’s travels, the story sparks curiosity and interest in readers both young and old.

The book is beautifully illustrated by the talented young artist Kathryn C. Powell, whose work brings the story vividly to life.

The Magic Penny: An Adventure in Suburban Park

02/10/2026

Our Park is featured in Only in Connecticut Magazine!

Looking for a spooky adventure? Explore the remnants of Suburban Park, an abandoned amusement park in Unionville, Connecticut.

08/06/2025

It takes a village....

08/06/2025

Many thanks to Linda Kime and her husband Jim for cleaning all 14 of the informational signs at the Park. Your hard work is very much appreciated. New QR signs will soon be reapplied to connect to the Park's map and the Website, created by Timothy Germano from Troop 170 Unionville for his Eagle Project.

09/11/2024

Still time to register for this in person lecture with a Zoom option. Come join Olivia Zmarlicki-Germano, a local author, for a great evening of storytelling.

https://www.thecarouselmuseum.org/lectureseries

September 12: “Echoes on the Hill: The Story of Suburban Park”
Join local author Olivia Germano for a signing of her recently released book “Echoes on the Hill: The Story of Suburban Park” followed by an in-depth history of this short-lived local trolley park and its carousel that once entertained thousands of patrons every weekend in Unionville, CT, a once-bustling mill town on the banks of the Farmington River. Discover why trolley parks like Suburban Park were so important to American life in the early 1900’s, and why almost all of them eventually closed. Are there any remains of Suburban Park left? (The answer may surprise you!)

02/01/2024

They’ve arrived! So exciting!

https://linktr.ee/books.ozg

01/27/2024

Come join me at the Town of Farmington Community Center on Monday 1/29/24 at 1 pm to listen to legends, tales and ghost stories from our Unionville and a few from Farmington.

Registration is not necessary, but encouraged. Call Nicole McClintock at 860-675-2492

01/16/2024

Book III of the historical series is out - enjoy the read!

Travel back in time and catch a glimpse of what it was like to live during the rapidly changing era at the turn of the century. Created to increase The Hartford Suburban Trolley Company’s profit through weeknight and weekend trolley ridership, Suburban Park became the destination for many. Sponsored by The Courant’s Fresh Air Fund, Good Will Boys, and G-Fox, amongst a few, folks from all around frequented The Park by the thousands. Drawn by colored lights of the first electrified water fountain in the country, they marveled at the new invention and kept coming back for the entire experience. While the spring-fed brook cooled the air, offering a reprieve from Summer’s heat, the open fields provided the perfect space for picnicking, ball playing, and a game or two of tennis. Boating, fishing, and bird watching were a delight to experience, all within the forty-seven acres of paradise. Home-made ice cream of three varieties was a must, as was a ride on the "flying horses" of the merry-go-round. The miles of shaded paths and walkways snaked through the woods invitingly. As the sun set, the Japanese lanterns, which hung high up in the trees, continued to guide their way to the dance hall, at the top of the hill. With several bands playing each weekend, many wore the heels off their shoes, while dancing to the tunes of “Daisy Bell”, “The Cat Came Back” or “The Band Played On". The music carried through the valleys, carved by the debris from melting ice, thousands of years before. Folks fell in love, cried, laughed, and made memories there. They were intent on leaving their daily struggles behind and living in a moment. Suburban Park was the place to go for years, until the day came that it ceased to exist, a victim of an ever-changing world. The echoes of yesterday follow all that enter the Park today, a reminder of days gone by, lives lived, and our own future's touched by the past.

Echoes on the Hill: The Story of Suburban Park, Unionville, CT (Folk Tales and Ghost Stories)

12/13/2022

When visiting the Park, feel free to decorate the Christmas trees by the water fountain and by the Unionville sign.

If you add an ornament or two, remember to remove it after the season is over. Be animal and people friendly with your ideas and do not hang glass ornaments please! Feel free to post your photos!

09/26/2022

Please visit Christy’s Garden, a new addition to Suburban Park. It was created in memory of Christy Olson who passed before her time, earlier this year.

Christy loved her family, nature and this community. The addition of the bench, located by the roaring brook seemed the perfect way to express that love.

Thank you to The Picard’s and other volunteers and donors from Troop 170 Unionville in making this project come to fruition. Special thanks to the very talented Brian Picard for creating the extraordinarily beautiful bench.

Stop by Suburban Park, sit for a moment and enjoy the nature that Christy so loved.