Enfield (Connecticut)

Enfield is a city of 42,000 people (2020) in Connecticut River Valley. The Enfield Historical District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Get in
Enfield is a smaller town that is spread out for the most part. It is partially farm based off of tobacco farms and the other half is shopping centers. The more historic areas are in and near Powder Hollow. The time lines here are rich in history. As for the other parts of town it is very modern it is not a stuck in the past area. You can find almost anything here that you can find in a larger city.

By car
North/south: Interstate Route 91, exits 46-49 or State Route 5.

East/west: State Route 190.

By bus
Enfield is served by CTTransit bus service.

Get around
Like most suburbs, Enfield is extremely difficult to get around without a car. There is little public transportation in place, and sidewalks can be scarce at times. It is possible to bicycle around the town, but a good deal of time and patience is required. Although you can use cab services and in the more rural areas you can usually walk from place to place. Average walking distances are less than a mile if you live in the right area.

By car
Traveling by car is the best way to visit Enfield—like most suburbs, Enfield is extremely difficult to get around without a car. There are no paid parking garages in Enfield, but there are plenty of free parking lots and gas stations around Enfield.

By foot
It is hard to get around Enfield by foot, as it is hilly and some areas have scarce amounts of sidewalks. However, the urbanized areas of the Thompsonville district (near the Town Hall) have many sidewalks, & so do dense suburban areas such as the northern Presidential District (called that because of its street names) & the Hazardville area. If you do plan to walk, remember that it requires time and patience.

By bus
The buses that serve Enfield are CT Transit’s 905 Windsor Locks-Enfield Express (which goes from Hartford to Enfield), and Enfield Transit’s Magic Carpet Bus Service.

CTTransit
CTTransit-’s 905 Windsor-Locks Express is the best way to get from Hartford to Enfield by bus. The route starts at Bushnell Park in Hartford, and ends near Mass Mutual in Enfield. The bus route is divided into zones, with the fare prices depending on the zone.

Enfield is one zone, as is Hartford, and Windsor & Windsor Locks are combined into one zone. For one-way travel through 1 or 2 zones, the fare price is $3.20. For one-way travel through all 3 zones, the fare price is $4.10.

Magic Carpet Bus
Magic Carpet Bus is Enfield’s own bus service. All fares are waived until March 31st, 2023, so all rides are free.

The Bus Service runs on two lines: the Blue Line & the Yellow Line. There is information on bus stops & lines here.

See
Things to see in Enfield are very limited due to its size. The only historic areas are around Powder Hollow and these are very scattered. While some may be right in front at the Powder Mill Barn others are lost deep in the woods around the Scantic River. The Scantic River itself is a very beautiful river surround by a great deal of Northeastern wildlife. You can go here to hike, camp, walk, or even to simply have a picnic. It is now considered a park however and opens at dawn, while closing at dusk. Even with these new rules in effect it is a great place to spend a day because of all the nature you get to see, or even if you simply wish to go fishing. The fish in the area are common ones and run average in size. The most common fish are Rock bass, small mouth bass, large mouth bass, catfish, trout (rainbow, brown/brook), and of course pumpkin seeds. The river itself is stocked with trout each year and is a very popular place to bring the kids to fish. Should you venture deeper into the woods you will find that there are multiple trails that all lead around the area. Some take you to the gravel pits, while others take you to the Stoker's Cattle Farm. They all are around the river. Though some of the trails go up and away from the river a little bit they are still within a distance that you can safely not get lost. This is also a popular area for quadding and dirt biking because of these dirt paths that are set down all over the woods.