For six months, the stone tower on the ridge above Route 185 has been open four days a week, Friday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. That run ends this coming Monday. The Friends of Heublein Tower list November 2, 2026 as the last day of the tower's season, which opened May 22.
After the tower closes, Avon's calendar moves down the hill. The early weeks of November happen at the library on Country Club Road. Then everything converges on a single weekend, Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21, when the Farmington Valley Arts Center lights its boardwalk and a trolley starts looping out of a parking lot on West Main Street. If you live here, that weekend is the one to plan around.
Four days left at the top
This post goes up on Thursday, October 29, so the tower has four open days left:
- Friday, October 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Saturday, October 31, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sunday, November 1, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Monday, November 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the final day of the 2026 season
You can only reach the tower on foot. The Friends' visitor page puts the trail at 1.25 miles each way, about 30 to 40 minutes. Connecticut State Parks lists the yellow-blazed Tower Trail as a moderate 2.5-mile out-and-back that begins with a quick climb, then levels out along a ridge with views of Simsbury and Avon before the final uphill to the summit. The same page gives the park's location as Summit Ridge Drive.
The tower also has a bit of trivia worth bringing up with guests on that last weekend. The Friends group points out that the Moscow Mule cocktail traces back to a Heublein. State Parks says Gilbert Heublein built the tower as a summer home in 1914.
The mountain stays open after Monday
The tower closes on November 2. The park around it doesn't. Talcott Mountain State Park is open 365 days a year, from 8 a.m. until sunset. After this weekend you can still hike the same trail and walk the same ridge. You just won't be able to go inside the tower or climb to its observation deck.
Two details matter more once the leaves are down. First, the opening stretch is the hard part. WFSB reported in July 2025 that the first half mile is steep and can be slippery, and that rain sometimes washes the trail out. Second, the same report says emergency markers numbered 1 through 6 now run along the Yellow and Helicopter trails. If you hike late in the day, when sunset comes early, those numbers give you a fixed reference point to share.
The tower's longer future is on the state's list as well. The Connecticut DEEP state park restoration page lists a $6.2 million Heublein Tower major renovation project, covering condition assessment and planning and design, and shows the observation-deck window replacement as completed.
If you'd rather hike with a group, Avon Recreation & Parks has a Group Hiking program on Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check the town's recreation calendar for the meeting spot.
Early November happens on Country Club Road
Once the tower's Friday-through-Monday rhythm ends, the next steady stretch of the calendar is at the Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Road. Two events fall in the first week after the closing:
- Tuesday, November 3, 3 to 5 p.m. The library hosts an all-ages Diwali celebration in its Community Room.
- Saturday, November 7, 2 to 3 p.m. Mariah Fredericks comes in person to talk about Murder on 34th Street.
November 7 can be a full day close to home: the group hike in the morning, then the author talk at 2 p.m.
Ten days later the calendar moves to Town Hall. Patch's Avon calendar lists an Alicia Carmon-Levy demonstration on Tuesday, November 17, at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 60 West Main Street. Patch also reminds readers to confirm calendar details with the event organizers before heading out.
The weekend that restarts the season
Here's how the six weeks after the tower closes line up:
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 30 to Mon, Nov 2 | Final four days of Heublein Tower's 2026 season | Talcott Mountain State Park, off Route 185 |
| Tue, Nov 3 | Diwali celebration, 3 to 5 p.m. | Avon Free Public Library |
| Sat, Nov 7 | Group Hiking, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; author talk, 2 to 3 p.m. | Recreation & Parks; Avon Free Public Library |
| Tue, Nov 17 | Alicia Carmon-Levy demonstration, 6:30 p.m. | Avon Town Hall, 60 West Main Street |
| Fri, Nov 20 | Candlelight opening, 5 to 8 p.m. | Farmington Valley Arts Center |
| Sat, Nov 21 | Jingle Bell Trolley, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Avon stop at 302 West Main Street |
| Saturdays, Dec 5, 12, 19 | Holiday Season Open Studios, noon to 4 p.m. | Farmington Valley Arts Center |
The first half of the table is spread out, with one or two things a week. The second half is packed. Within about eighteen hours, between Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, Avon's holiday season goes from a lit boardwalk to a trolley full of families.
Friday night at the brownstone
Candlelight 2026 runs Friday, November 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Farmington Valley Arts Center. The center describes the evening as a stroll along an illuminated boardwalk at its historic two-story brownstone, with complimentary refreshments. The studios and galleries are open, so you can meet the artists who work there year-round in painting, printmaking, photography, filmmaking, textiles, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics and illustration. The Arts Center is a nonprofit and relies on community support to put on events like this one.
Saturday morning on West Main Street
The next morning, the Avon/Canton Chamber of Commerce runs the Jingle Bell Trolley from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is free and seats are first come, first served. The trolley loops through four shopping stops in this order:
- Avon, 302 West Main Street, in the parking lot directly behind M&T Bank, with Letters to Santa courtesy of PeoplesBank and pictures with Santa.
- Canton Village, with drop-off in front of The Frosted Sheep Bake Shop and pickup in front of Little Oak Cafe. Activities include cookie decorating at The Frosted Sheep and a marshmallow snowman activity with FOCUS Center for Autism.
- Village of Collinsville, with drop-off between the Canton Historical Museum and Lisa's Crown & Hammer Restaurant & Pub. The museum hosts its Festival of Trees.
- The Shops at Farmington Valley, in front of Sur la Table, which is serving hot cocoa and cookies. Golf Lounge 18 is offering chicken tenders and a beverage, and Harvey & Lewis Opticians is running Pin the Glasses on Santa.
Two rules affect how families plan the day. Strollers and car seats aren't allowed on the trolley, and riders who need to get back to their cars get priority seating. The Chamber sends people to jinglebelltrolley.com for last-minute changes to stops and activities.
The Avon stop sits on a stretch of West Main that changed this year
The trolley's Avon stop, 302 West Main Street, is right next to one of 2026's newer arrivals. DORO Marketplace lists its Avon address as 300 West Main Street. The Hartford Courant reported that it opened on Route 44 in early April. So the lot where families line up for the first trolley run sits next door to a place that opened this spring.
The corridor keeps changing. Farther down the road at Avon Marketplace, Patch reported in September that Salsa Fresca Mexican Grill at 380 West Main Street appeared to be closed, with the restaurant's assets listed for sale. The restaurant had opened there in March 2024. Once the trolley gets things going, this stretch of West Main is where Avon's holiday errands happen, and its lineup in 2026 is different from last year's.
December at the Arts Center
After the trolley, the Farmington Valley Arts Center keeps the season going into December. Holiday Season Open Studios run from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19. The center's Fisher Gift Gallery adds Sunday hours on December 6, 13 and 20, also noon to 4 p.m. Its regular year-round hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. The gallery carries jewelry, wearable art, ceramics, wood, metal and glass work, paintings, prints and photographs from local, regional and national artists, and it's closed on Thanksgiving Day.
That puts every December weekend through the 20th at the brownstone, and Avon's season ends up where Candlelight started it on November 20. The ridge stays open all the while, 8 a.m. to sunset.
The Burgio Sousa Team keeps track of Avon's calendar because it's part of what we tell people when they ask what a town is really like week to week. If you're thinking about a spring listing, the quiet weeks between the tower closing and the trolley are a good time to talk it through. Get your instant home valuation, and we'll follow up with a plan for your timing.
