Editors' picks across 8categories — the dock with the deepest channel, the winery with the view, the restaurant with the right wine list, the trail nobody's on at sunrise.
A family-owned Italian restaurant in Candlewood Lake Plaza, serving coal-fired pizza and shareable Italian tapas.
An American sports-bar restaurant with a full bar on Route 39, open since 2016, in the business cluster leading into New Fairfield's lake neighborhoods.
A bakery and American restaurant operating since 1993 at the junction of Routes 37 and 39 near Squantz Pond, known locally for breakfast, chicken pot pie, and scratch-made baking.
Trails following old charcoal-wagon roads between New Fairfield and Sherman, connecting to the Squantz Pond loop. The Pootatuck Loop runs about 3.2 miles with views of both Squantz Pond and Candlewood Lake.
A seasonal roadside stand on Ridge Road selling produce, milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, honey, and maple syrup.
A weekly farmers market on the New Milford Town Green, about three miles from the nearest lake shore, running Saturdays May through late November.
A marina on Old Town Park Rd offering boat sales and service, dock rentals, and boat rental or leasing, with an on-site picnic patio.
A marina on Candlewood Lake Road offering boat sales and service, rentals, docking, and fuel.
A 172-acre state park on a natural pond connected to Candlewood Lake by a causeway, one of the more heavily visited state parks in the area for swimming, kayaking, and hiking.
A town-run park and lifeguarded beach on the lake's New Milford Bay, open Memorial Day through Labor Day.