Readers' Choice: Favorite Beach

With the temperature slowly creeping up (not like the 90ºF it was in February!) the pool covers are coming off and the sunblock is being uncapped.

But if a pool deck is not where you yearn to be, where do you go to take a refreshing dip and then sit on the shore to relax? Do you make the trek to Rhode Island to Misquamicut State Beach, East Beach, or Block Island, or to Cape Cod to plop yourself down on an ocean beach? Or do you stick closer to home to enjoy a local swimming hole or state park?

Last week the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection gave the green light to and lounge on the beaches along the Long Island Sound.

Some popular state parks on the list include:

• Burr Pond State Park, Torrington
• Mount Tom State Park, Litchfield
• Stratton Brook State Park, Simsbury
• Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison
• Rocky Neck State Park, Niantic
• Silver Sands State Park, Milford

But don't forget about these popular local places:

• Congamond Lakes Middle Pond, Southwick, MA
• Scantic Rapids in Powder Hollow, Enfield

Here are some other ideas:

• Old Orchard Beach, ME

Tell us were your favorite place is to lounge by the water is during the summer. Vote in the poll below or if you don't see your spot of choice, please add it in the comment section and within 24 hours we'll include it in the poll.

The poll closes Friday at 9 a.m., and we'll announce the winner on Saturday.

Readers' Choice is all about you — your ideas, your feedback and your voice — so we hope you will chime in and post your reviews of local hot spots.