[3] The state park offers swimming, fishing, and other activities on 238 acres (96 ha) of beach, wetlands, and woodlands.

During the 1800s, his large family farmed the uplands on the west side of the island and operated a gristmill on the Mill Pond.

Gallup Gap Creek at one time ran north and south on the east side of the park but not far from the center.

Field secretary Albert Turner walked the shoreline seeking suitable sites: several hundred acres of undeveloped land with natural scenic beauty, fronting on a good beach, and far enough from cities to ensure freedom from sewage pollution and lack of interference with industrial development.

[3][13] Sherwood Island State Park was chosen for Connecticut's September 11 Living Memorial because on a clear day, the New York City skyline is visible from the point.

At the dedication on September 5, 2002, the names of 149 deceased victims of the attacks were read aloud; each person was a resident of Connecticut or had close family in the state.

[12] The Sherwood Island Nature Center is a summer facility that offers close-up experiences with live animals, displays about the environment and local history, and educational programs.

[14] The first nature center was set up by Park Supervisor Glenn Dochtermann in an unused first-aid and lifeguard building in the 1990s.

Dochterman used the site as a meeting place for guided field trips and furnished the building with local specimens.

[12] Park activities include saltwater swimming and fishing, picnicking, scuba diving, field sports, bird watching, flying kites and model airplanes, and visiting the nature center.