HAMDEN — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy this morning chose Sleeping Giant State Park as the site to announce that in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Connecticut state parks, entry and parking fees will be waived this weekend at the 26 parks and three museums that usually charge visitors. It doesn’t apply to camping fees.
The freebies will result in an estimated revenue loss of about $120,000, according to Robert Klee, commissioner of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, who hosted a 15-minute news conference for Malloy to make the announcement.
Malloy warned that the popular state beaches, including Sherwood Island in Westport, Hammonasset in Madison, Silver Sands in Milford and Rocky Neck in Old Lyme, should fill up early on Saturday and Sunday. “We are marking the 100th anniversary of our parks by providing this free park and museum admission weekend,” Malloy said. “It’s a fitting way to pay tribute to the past conservation efforts of our leaders who had the foresight to begin setting aside properties 100 years ago. ”
The first purchase of state park land was five acres in 1914 that became Sherwood Island. It cost $2,489. There are now 107 state park locations.