A Place to Celebrate
History
It was more than 80 years ago when plans were approved to flood over five thousand acres of farmland, summer cottages, and forests to create Candlewood Lake. Created with water from the Housatonic River, it is today the largest lake in Connecticut and one of the largest man-made lakes in the United States. The lake takes its name from the massive Candlewood Mountain which rises from its northern shores.
For local residents, the lake is a source of power, but also of beauty. The Candlewood Inn rests on perhaps the most scenic spot on the lake, at both its widest point (over two miles) and with a western exposure, giving it front row seats to the lake's glorious sunsets. The inn opened as a restaurant in 1954, and underwent a million dollar update and expansion before opening exclusively for private events in 1999. Crisply styled for hosting elegant gatherings, the classic main dining room seats up to 300 and offers lake views through 8-foot-high picture windows. What attracts many people to the inn is the juxtaposition of the inn's formal interior with the casual lake setting. Lakefront terraces are used for hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, and wedding ceremonies can take place on the expansive lawn along 700 feet of shoreline or under an archway set up dockside with nothing but lake and hills in the background.
The Inn belongs to the Elegant Banquets family of facilities that have been proudly hosting elegant events since 1986. Our three other Connecticut venues include The Riverview, which opened in 2008, The Waterview, which opened in 2004, and The Fox Hill Inn, which opened in 1986.