The beautiful lake at Southford Falls State Park, in Oxford, CT.

The beautiful lake at Southford Falls State Park, in Oxford, CT.
To most Cape Codders, Connecticut means the frequently-traveled corridor along Rt. I-95 that connects a
series of urban centers, like New
Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk, etc. Because of this, Connecticut can sometimes seem more like a part of metropolitan New York, than it does a part
of New England. However, once you
get a few miles north of the I-95
corridor, you find out that the state is
predominantly rural. Especially charming is the chain of counties from north
of Greater New Haven up to Springfield, accessed most readily from Cape
Cod via the Mass Pike (I-90) and then
either via Rt. 84 West or Rt. 91 South.
seum, 100 Maple St. in Bristol,
which displays the history of Connecticut clock-making and the Industrial
Revolution. It contains a very large
collection of American production
clocks.
• Lake Compounce Theme Park at
822 Lake Ave. in Bristol. The park is
the oldest continuously running
Amusement Park in America. There
are 50 wonderful rides for youngsters
and oldsters alike, plus wonderful theatrical presentations including one by
Chinese acrobats that’s amazing. The
park contains Connecticut’s only water
park. There’s a Carousel from 1911
and a smaller roller coaster, the
“Wildcat,” dating from 1927. The
larger “Boulder Dash” roller coaster
was voted the number one wood roller
coaster in the world. It's built right
into a mountain. The park operates
through Oct. 31. (www.lakecompounce.com)
• The Carousel Museum of New England, 95 Riverside Ave. , Bristol, has
on display the finest pieces of antique
carousel art in existence, miniature
carousels and an antique carving shop.
(For more information, contact the
Litchfield Hills Visitors Bureau at
860-567-4506, or go to www.litchfield-
Spring and Summer provide a
great many amusements in this rustic
area, known as: Heritage Valley (just
south of Springfield), Litchfield Hills
(immediately to the west and south
along the New York border), and the
Waterbury Area. Points of interest in
all three areas can be combined to
make a wonderful tour lasting anywhere from a weekend to a week.
LITCHFIELD HILLS
Points of interest in Litchfield
Hills include:
• The American Clock & Watch Mu-
The Sikorsky Flying Boat at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks
hills.com.)
HERITAGE VALLEY
Just east of Litchfield Hills, Heritage Valley offers:
• The New England Air Museum, located next to Bradley International
Airport, at Rt. 75, in Windsor Locks.
This is the largest aviation museum in
Northeastern U.S., having over 80
aircraft. Among the highlights is a
Sikorsky Flying Boat on display, as
well as the oldest-known balloon basket in the country. This museum
should not be missed.
(www.neam.org)
• The Old New-Gate Prison & Copper
Mine is located at 115 Newgate Rd.
East Granby. It was America’s first
chartered copper mine (1707), and
Connecticut’s first Colonial prison
(1773). Visitors can prowl underground through dark tunnels and caverns where prisoners were shackled at
night. Above ground, a guide will walk
you past the massive stone walls,
barred window frames and other remains.
Passengers ride classic rail cars at the Naugatuck Railroad in Thomaston, Ct.
Hills and the Greater New Haven
area, is the Waterbury region. It’s
many attractions include:
• The Naugatuck Railroad Company/
Railroad Museum of New England,
located at 242 East Main St., in
Thomaston. This is a 20-mile long ride
on a restored historic railroad, which
• The Phelps-Hatheway House at 55
S. Main St. (Rt. 75) Suffield, was built
by Oliver Phelps, at the time one of
the largest landowners in the U.S.
There was not a larger or more
ostentatious house in the 18th-century.
It contains period furnishings, including rare 1790s hand-blocked French
wallpapers. The 1794 wing is the
earliest example of neo-classical architecture in the area. (www.hartnet.org/
als/alsprop.html) (For more information, contact Connecticut’s Heritage
Valley North Central Tourism Bureau
at 800-248-8283, or go to www.ctheritagevalley.com)
Located between the Litchfield
• The Seven Angels Theatre on Plank
Rd., Waterbury, features comedies,
dramas, and musicals. There are 200
performances annually. Call (203) 7574676 for the theater schedule.
• The Mattatuck Museum explores
Waterbury’s past as “the brass capital
of the world.” Wooden works, clocks,
novelty watches, brass buttons, early
cameras, Art Deco tableware and
Charles Goodyear's rubber desk stock
the display of local products. Collectors will admire early housewares in
glass and ceramics as well as the
special collection of 18th century furniture made in western Connecticut.
The museum is located at 144 West
Main Street, Waterbury. (www.mattatuckmuseum.org)
• Ride a variety of restored trolleys at
the Connecticut Trolley Museum, located at 58 North Road Route 140, in
East Windsor.
WATERBURY REGION
takes you through a state forest, along
the Naugatuck River and across the
face of the Thomaston Dam. The train
station itself was restored after a
catastrophic arson fire several years
ago (www.rmne.org).
• The Thomaston Opera House, 158
Main St., Thomaston, was built in
1884. As an important part of the
area’s history, it is now being renovated.
(www.thomastonct.org/opera%20house.htm).
An authentic Easter Island Moai
statue at the Timexpo Museum
• The Timexpo Museum is a very
unique hybrid. It relates the 140-year
history of Timex, while also offering
information concerning the explorations of Thor Heyerdahl--a personal
friend of the Olsen family--founders of
Meticulous gardens grace the Lake Compounce Theme Park, in Bristol, Ct.
Timex (originally the Waterbury Clock
Company). Also the museum explains
the history of: the Waterbury Clock
Company, Ingersoll, U.S. Time Corp.
and Timex--all of which were interrelated. Old video tapes of original
Timex TV commercials are shown at
the museum, as well as the story of the
original Mickey Mouse Watch from
the 1930s. (www.timexpo.com).
• Want to purchase a product "Made
In Connecticut?" There’s a store for
you...The Connecticut Store. Located
on Bank Street in Waterbury, the
Connecticut Store is the oldest continuously operating store in the state,
dating from 112 years ago. It features
products from the following Connecticut manufacturers: Wiffle Ball, Woodbury Pewter, Waterbury Button, PEZ
candy, Chas. W House & Sons, Liberty
Candle, Alynn Neckwear and many
more.
• Be sure to visit the Hammer & Nail
Brewers. It's a local Connecticut Beer
Brewery, that makes a beer that's
fresh--not pasteurized. And they offer
a tour every Saturday at 11a.m. of
their 15,000 square foot facility, located in Watertown, Connecticut.
• Architecture lovers won’t want to
miss the Hillside and Overlook neighborhoods of Waterbury. Both neighborhood have remarkably well-preserved homes in the Greek Revival,
formal Georgian Revival and Queen
Anne Revival styles of architecture. A
location map is available free by
contacting the Waterbury CVB (see
below). One of the most remarkable is
the House on the Hill Bed & Breakfast, built in 1888 and now listed in the
National Register of Historic Places.
Owner Marianne Vandenburgh purchased the property in the 1980’s and
has fully restored it with some amazing
Martha Stewart-type touches. It’s located at 92 Woodlawn Terrace, in
Waterbury. (203-757-9901)
• Waterbury has one of the oldest
restaurants in America. Drescher’s
Restaurant offers authentic German
food and has been in business since
1868. It’s located at 25 Leavenworth
St., Waterbury. (For more information
about the Waterbury area, contact the
Waterbury Region Convention & Visitors Bureau at 203-597-9527, or go to
www.waterburyregion.com.)
Connecticut has a fabulous State
Park System. If you’re looking for a
picture-pretty spot to picnic, check
their website for more information.
(http://dep.state.ct.us/stateparks).
Also, for a free brochure on suggested fall foliage driving tours, including orchard locations, contact any of
the area Visitor Bureaus listed above.
Ask for the “Fall Foliage Driving
Tours” pamphlet, and have fun exploring Western Connecticut.
And thanks for traveling.