Samuel M. Peretz Park at Bridebrook
1 mile
East Lyme Grace Trail®
Movement, Meaning, and Community—Side by Side
East Lyme Grace Trail®
Set within the lively Samuel M. Peretz Park at Bridebrook, this one-mile Grace Trail brings the five questions into the middle of everyday town life.
About This Trail
Every Grace Trail shares the same five questions, yet no two are exactly alike. Discover the landscape, stories, and community that shape this one.
The East Lyme Grace Trail® lives right where East Lyme lives. Set along the paved perimeter of Samuel M. Peretz Park at Bridebrook, the Trail winds through soccer games, tennis and pickleball matches, families, walkers, children, books, conversation, and the everyday movement of community life.
People don’t have to leave what they’re doing to experience Grace Trail. They may walk a question between games, take the loop while their child is practicing, stop during an evening walk, or experience the five questions together as a family.
Created through the vision of local resident and yoga instructor Rachel Baer, the Trail grew from a simple belief: a community should have a place to work through life’s questions right in the middle of everyday life.
At East Lyme, Grace Trail isn’t separate from the life around it. It’s part of it.
Trail Features
Every community is different. Grace Trail is designed to adapt to the people, places, and purpose of each one.
Powered By Community
Every Grace Trail is rooted in its community. From the people who champion it to the stories it reflects, each trail becomes a one-of-a-kind expression of place.
The East Lyme Grace Trail® began because one community member believed her town needed it.
During 2020, local yoga instructor Rachel Baer stepped forward with a vision for a place of greater compassion, reflection, and hope. Working with East Lyme Parks & Recreation and others in the community, she helped transform an existing park loop into a lasting Grace Trail.
What began with one person’s initiative became something an entire community could share.
East Lyme is a reminder of what can happen when one person sees what is possible—and a community says yes.
One Person Can Start Something Lasting
Grace Trail began here with one resident seeing possibility in a place her community already shared.
Today, the Trail remains part of Bridebrook Park—walked, cared for, and available to anyone who encounters it.
One person saw what was possible. A community helped make it lasting.
Life Along The Trail
Along the way, simple moments begin to stand out— what you notice, what you feel, and what stays with you.
Footsteps
& Life
The Trail shares its path with the everyday rhythm of Bridebrook Park—walkers, families, games, practices, and evening strolls. The five questions become something people can encounter naturally as they move through their day
Open sky, seasonal greenery, and the changing landscape offer a natural counterpoint to the activity of the park. Along the way, the Little Free Library and Storybook Trail invite people to slow down, read, and notice what’s around them.
Nature's
Rhythm
Well walked and actively cared for, the Trail reflects the people who continue to use it and make it part of community life—from families and neighbors to local groups and gatherings.
Held by
Community
Tales From The Trail
Beneath the open sky of Bridebrook Park, the air is filled with the sounds of pickleball paddles, distant whistles, and the turning pages of a storybook.
The soundtrack of the East Lyme Grace Trail is not silence. It is bouncing balls, whistles from the playing fields, pickleball paddles, children laughing, neighbors greeting one another, and pages turning along the Storybook Trail.
A parent can walk while waiting for a child’s game. A family can stop at the Little Free Library and continue around the loop. Friends can walk and talk. Someone arriving for a match may encounter exactly the question they needed that day.
The five questions become part of what is already happening rather than asking people to create a separate time or place for reflection. You don’t have to step away from your life to find Grace. You can meet it right in the middle of it. This becomes the emotional centerpiece.
Shared Beyond the Trail
The story of East Lyme Grace Trail has traveled beyond Bridebrook Park. Through conversations and media, the people closest to the Trail have shared what it looks like when the five questions become part of everyday community life. Hear from East Lyme Grace Trail licensee Rachel Baer as she reflects on the Trail, its place in the community, and the experience of bringing Grace Trail to East Lyme.
FOUNDING PARTNERS
This trail reflects a joint effort between municipal parks departments and local community organizations. By investing in the town’s shared green spaces, these partners have created a lasting resource that encourages daily wellness and family-centered reflection.
