Grew up in the area and have watched this place evolve from a local secret to the hottest spot in central CT. The parking has remained the same size (50-60 cars) and the crowd varies. If you want a serene, intimate nature experience, be here any day between 8-11am. If you want to have a picnic, secure a spot by noon, your luck runs thin between 1-5pm. If you want to fish, come on a rainy day or as close to 6pm as possible when the noise stops and the fish come back to the shore. If you want to swim, the best swimming areas are all to the left of the entrance, there's 7-8 spots of varying geography, most of which will be taken on hot afternoons and as someone who's come here after work in the summer for most of my life, just ask the nice people if you can share. It saves you a lot of walking and disappointment. I highly recommend the rope swing on the 2nd to last spot on the left but NOT the one on the right side of the pond.