I'm always at Mills Pond Park and the Canton Gate is near the entrance to this park. Thanks to Dan…read moreR.'s (FTR) review, I will add my input. It's on top of a small hill so it's not hard to miss. When I first saw it, I was curious and had to investigate. The structure looked old with quite a bit of rust on it; it looked like an abstract artwork because I couldn't tell what it's supposed to be. I saw fish engraved on it and what looked like a doorway. In the early 1990s, this 17-ft sculpture was created by David Boyajian; it was a gift to the town by the Canton Creative Arts Council. It was dedicated in September 1992. The town of Canton's notable landmarks are the Collins axe Factory and the Farmington River; this was where the inspiration for the sculpture came from per the sculptor. Overall, a decent structure where I like to take a moment, ponder, and reflect.

"Brown eyed girl, precious flower We have come to this…read morefateful hour And our love cannot wait Meet me at the gate" (Black Crowes) When you drive up the entrance to Mills Pond Park, you'll see an imposing structure on a hill to your right. There sits a 17-foot-high bronze and steel sculpture known as the Canton Gate. Its backstory dates to the '90's when the Canton Creative Arts Council decided to build something to thank their supporters. They sponsored a competition for local artists to submit their public art entries. The 1992 winning entry was crafted by David Boyajian, an artist and teacher from Hartford. His abstract design honors and incorporates historical, natural, and architectural elements of Canton, the Farmington River and the Collins Company factory. I saw a limestone block that represents the river bottom, images of birds, fish, cascading waters, and a door inspired by the one at an old local axe factory. While researching this review, I learned a cool fact - the artwork is listed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database. Now that's pretty cool, don't you think?

The Lobsterfest is an annual event hosted by the Canton Volunteer Fire Company. It started in 1983…read moreand is done as a fundraiser. It's a wonderful late summer tradition. This was the first time I've been since living in town. It's located at the fire station and across the street from it on the open lot. A $40 lobster dinner comes with lobster, corn on the cob, and clam chowder. They also served hot dogs, burgers, fries, drinks, and dessert. The meal was delicious! They had touch a truck, face painting, live music, and a balloon station. It's a two day event - I went to the Saturday event. There was no line for the meal; I think the day before had lines but it moved quick from what I heard.

The best meal and family fun around! He always loved getting the lobster meal and then staying for…read morethe bands and entertainment!! The dime pitches always fun for the kids too!

I love Litchfield - although you never hear any ghost stories about it. Lots of history, lots of…read moreold historically significant buildings, no King George statues because the one there was melted into bullets, and you'd think there'd be at least rumors of a haunting or two. Anyway, the green is beautiful. There's parking in front of and behind the buildings, and there are several great restaurants in the front. If you want outdoor recreation, there's White Memorial with multiple walking paths. Worth the investment to get a map from the front office. Gooseboro Drive In in Bantam is cute and delicious, and an older lunch spot perfect for summer. The original Arethusa is located in Bantam as well, ice cream just as great as in New Haven.

We like to pick a town and explore it, since we are new to the state. Litchfield was our pick this…read moretime and we thoroughly enjoyed walking around town. As a tourist, I find this town very quaint, charming, and friendly. We found parking by the Union Savings Bank. The town center is super nice with the town green in the middle. This area is lined with restaurants, churches, bars, shops, historic homes, and cafes. The overall aesthetic of the town is beautiful. There is so much history. Their oldest building in town used to be a county jail, now it's a restaurant and various of other businesses. They have great parks and walking trails too; Topsmead State Forest and Little Pond Boardwalk Park to name a couple. We will be back to explore some more!

Kent, CT is a beautiful small town with approximately 3,000 residents. It's in Litchfield county…read moreand has plenty of amenities such as hiking, shopping, art galleries, cafes, antique shops, bookstores, and restaurants. Kent Falls State Park is a popular spot within the town; it's a beautiful park with a waterfall, trail, and picnic area. My family and I enjoyed walking around town. We went to the Kent Falls State Park, dined there, and just enjoyed the ambiance. I look forward to going back soon!

A charming small village in the Town of Canton, CT. This village was formed around The Collins…read moreCompany Axe Factory. In the early 19th century, this company was the largest axe manufacturer. It's built on the Farmington River which helps power the machines to manufacture axes, knives, machetes, etc. The building is now converted into a historical museum. Cottages as well as other town necessities, were built nearby for the employees. When walking on Main St., you are transported to that era. The buildings are all historic with architecture from the early 19th century. It definitely has that small town feel. There is a post office, liquor store, antique shop, church, restaurants, bar, and tattoo shop. The walking trail is nearby; an old train bridge over the river and a flower bridge overlooking the river. Every October, they have a huge Halloween parade. In the Budget Travel Magazine, they were voted "Top 10 Coolest Small Towns in America". This quaint New England town is beautiful and picturesque with quite a history.

I explored New Britain during their Celebrate New Britain event. The city is located about 9 miles…read moreaway from Hartford and has approximately 74,000 people living there. There is a huge population of Polish people; there is a section called Little Poland. The nickname is the Hardware City because there was a massive influx of manufacturing companies that setup shop there. New Britain high school is one of the largest in Connecticut. There are two colleges; Charter Oak State College and Central Connecticut State University. Walnut Hill Park is a 98-acre park located in the city; there are athletic fields and open space to enjoy nature. After doing some research, and driving around, I noticed some nice and not so nice areas. As with any city or town, there are pros and cons.

Towards the "bottom" of Riverside Park on one of the paths that is close to the river not far from…read morethe I-84 bridge is this simple statue. It is a tribute to the first "pardoned turkey," a tradition that goes back at least as far as President Abraham Lincoln. As to why it's in Connecticut, it's a bit of a stretch. Lincoln's pardoned turkey was actually gifted to the First Family in 1863, just a month after the president declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. Though meant to be Christmas dinner that year, the turkey was quickly adopted by Tad Lincoln, the president's 10-year-old son. Tad named the bird Jack and trained it to follow him all over the White House. When the time came to slaughter and eat Jack, Tad begged his father to spare the creature's life. Lincoln, ever indulgent of his youngest child, wrote a note "pardoning" Jack and gave it to Tad, who showed it to the head chef, thus granting a reprieve for the beloved pet. In 2005, as part of a riverfront revitalization effort in downtown Hartford, the Lincoln Financial Group sponsored 16 sculptures along the Connecticut River. The series commemorates the life and achievements of the insurance and investment company's namesake. A coincidence as just a few days ago, I saw another turkey statue in Virginia - https://www.yelp.com/biz/rockingham-county-turkey-statue-plains?hrid=ep6u8rIZfpIbscLhcF6GhQ. Small world? [Review 15164 overall, 666 of 2021, number 20 in Connecticut.]

This is a statue of a turkey that was pardoned by Abraham Lincoln. We were in Hartford Connecticut…read moreand we like to see random statues and landmarks so we had to come see this turkey. Basically it was the holiday season and Abraham Lincoln decided to pardon this turkey and they named it I think tad turkey or something like that and he was pardon free for the holidays

If you're from Connecticut, don't answer this…read more If you aren't from Connecticut, let me ask you a question. Why was Connecticut's Charter Oak famous? Why was it famous enough that it became a symbol of American independence and is commemorated on the Connecticut State Quarter? It's not really the Charter Oak that's important, but rather, what was hidden inside of it and the circumstances of HOW that object was hidden. In 1687, representatives of the Crown and 60 soldiers entered Hartford's House of Assembly. They declared that the colonial government was now dissolved and demanded possession of the King's Charter of Connecticut. And then the stuff of legend happened. Someone blew out the candles, and an American patriot by the name of Captain Wadsworth grabbed the Charter, ran it out of the building, and hid it in the hollow of a big old oak tree. This is the story of the Charter Oak! The original Charter Oak was destroyed by a storm in 1856. Fast forward 120 years to 1976, when an oak tree was planted in Simsbury in celebration of the American bicentennial. That oak tree was a descendant of the original Connecticut charter oak. The plaque in front of the tree reads: Connecticut Charter Oak Descendent Planted In Commemoration Of The Celebration Of The Bicentennial Of The United States Of America July 4, 1976 The Simsbury Bicentennial Committee Jackson F. Eno, Chairman