In 1718, 22-year old Israel Putnam moved from MA to CT to be a farmer. He ended up in the military…read moreand served with distinction during the French and Indian War, rising to the rank of captain, and then major. But his greatest glory lay ahead. When British bullets killed Massachusetts colonists at Lexington and Concord, legend has it that Putnam became so enraged that he abandoned his plow in the field, jumped on his horse, and rode 100 miles to Boston to join the Revolution. He rose to the rank of Major General and led his troops in the Battle of Bunker Hill (where legend also has it that he uttered the immortal words "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes") and the Battle of Long Island. This fabulous monument has an 8 foot tall bronze statue of General Israel Putnam on his horse. The statue is mounted on s 20-foot tall granite base. It was dedicated on June 14, 1888 and it marks Putnam's grave. Check out the detail of Putnam's Revolutionary War uniform. You'll see boots, a tri-cornered hat, knee britches, and a coat with fancy epaulets. Of course he has a sword dangling from his belt. One interesting detail I saw on the base was a wolf head. Supposedly, as a boy Putnam crawled into a wolf cave and killed a wolf! Plaques on the base are inscribed as follows: Sacred be this Monument to the memory of ISRAEL PUTNAM, Esq. Senior Major General in the Armies of the United States of America, who was born in Salem, in the Province of Massachusetts on the 7th day of January, A.S. 1718 and died on the 29th of May A.D. 1790 Passenger, if thou art a soldier, drop a tear over the dust of a Hero, who ever attentive to the lives and happiness of his men dared to lead where any dared to follow. If a Patriot, remember the distinguished and gallant services rendered thy country by the Patriot who sleeps beneath this marble; if thou art honest, generous and worthy, render a cheerful tribute of respect to a man whose generosity was singular, whose honesty was proverbial; who raised himself to universal esteem and offices of eminent distinction by personal worth and a useful life.

It's 126 years old…read more It has a cannon. It has a 6 foot tall statue on a 24 foot tall base. It has 162 names inscribed on it. In front of the post office in Brooklyn, CT you'll find the very impressive Soldiers and Sailors Monument that honors the town's citizens that served in the Civil War. It was dedicated way back in 1888. The statue on top of the granite base is made out of bronze and it depicts a uniformed Union soldier. He is holding his rifle by its barrel. Check out his uniform - a cape, a long overcoat, and a cap. He has a bayonet hanging from his belt, and he is sporting one very impressive mustache. There all sorts of inscriptions on the base, such as the seal of the State of Connecticut, a sculpted panels of an anchor and crossed canons, and the names of Civil War battles (ANTIETAM, GETTYSBURG, COLD HARBOR, NEW BERN, WINCHESTER, DREWRY'S BLUFF, PETERSBURG, CEDAR CREEK). Then there the names of the soldiers - a plaque with four neat columns of 162 names. Imagine that, 162 Civil War soldiers from this tiny little town. The main inscription reads: ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF ALL THE BRAVE MEN OF BROOKLYN WHO FOUGHT ON LAND OR SEA FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE UNION Another inscription reads: PRESENTED TO THE TOWN OF BROOKLYN BY THOMAS S. MARLOR

His exploits remind me of a comic book super hero…read more In childhood he crawled into a wolf den to kill a wolf. He was minutes away from being burned at the stake by Indians. He was farming at his CT home when he heard of the killings at Lexington and Concord. So what did he do? He abandoned his plow, jumped on his horse, and rode 100 miles in 18 hours to join the revolution. This monument in the form of boulder and bronze plaque commemorates the patriotic life of General Israel Putnam and is located in the center of Brooklyn, CT. It was dedicated on the 200th anniversary of his birth, close to where he operated a tavern with his wife. the plaque's inscription tells his glorious story, his rise to command colonial forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and his subsequent promotion to become George Washington's second in command. The full inscription reads: In the field behind this stone after the close of the French and Indian wars, returning from many expeditions to ticonderoga, fort edward, quebec, montreal, havana, detroit, and new orleans lived col. israel putnam here, with his wife (2nd) mrs. deborah (avery gardiner) putnam he dispensed a famous hospitality at the general wolfe tavern near this spot, also, april 20, 1775, putnam received news of the battle of lexington. leaving his plow in the furrow with his son daniel, he rode one hundred miles in eighteen hours, reaching cambridge the next day. there soon after he planned and on june 17, 1775, commanded at the battle of bunker hill receiving thereafter from the continental congress by the hand of washington the first commission of major general (and the only one unanimously voted) which made him second in rank to his chief ----- placed by the town of brooklyn and the colonel daniel putnam association inc. 1918 the 200th anniversary of his birth ----- patriot, remember the heritages received from your forefathers and predecessors, protect and perpetuate them for future generations of your countrymen. The plaque has become difficult to read because of the copper patina over time. Maybe a restoration should be in order for the 300th anniversary of his birth in 2018?

A good book is the…read more best of friends The Brooklyn Town Library is a strange place, but then most of the libraries around here are pretty strange. That's probably because most of the buildings that the libraries now occupy were originally built for something else. The building that the Brooklyn Library is now in was built as a bank way back in 1821 and it still looks kind of banky. Huge walls, small rooms and not really much open space. The building received an addition a few years after it was built but still looks a lot bigger on the outside than it appears once inside. The building was bought and donated to the Library Association in 1913 and has served as the town library ever since. The library does have a unique charm to it due to the banking ancestry but it does make getting around the library difficult. Small hallways, very crowded areas and strangely shaped and very cluttered rooms makes navigating around a bit of a challenge. Of course this is pretty cool if you are just looking around but makes doing any real work a bit of a bother. It seems this library has a lot more stuff than room to put the stuff. Everyone I met here was extremely nice, very friendly, talkative and accommodating in the typical small town way and the library offers some very cool programs and events. The library itself has a decent collection of books, magazines and the usual library items but finding a comfy spot to sit and read might be hard. Definitely not your ordinary type of library, this place has be serving the town for decades and will probably continue to do so for a long time. It still has that massive banky and secure feel to it. It's a cool place to look around, get information, find a book, or do some local research. It's not the place to spread out and occupy space, you might end up in a swarthy corner or tenebrous hallway with a ghost sitting next to you.

From the owner: The Brooklyn Town Library has been serving the community of Brooklyn, Connecticut since 1893. Prior…read moreto that, the building was home to the First Banking House, 1822.

This is a fantastic fair.It's the longest operating agricultural in America. It's a great…read moreexperience every year.

Brooklyn town Fair is one of the very best small town Live Stock Argricultural Fairs around. There…read moreare numerous events for everyone and plenty of neat rides and things for children of all ages. There are loads of food vendors serving a variety of tasty treats from, pizza, Polish food, fast food, rotisserie beef, pork, chicken, funnel cakes and many other tantalizing food and desserts items. There is a separate building for home goods, jewelry, appliances and all sorts of arts and crafts for sale. This is the perfect venue serving up a multiplicity of diverse things across a wide spectrum of interests and certainly is worth a stop by.

We took a sunset cruise on the Argia, which is the last commercial sailing ship left in Mystic,…read morewhen we were visiting Mystic with a couple of friends on the Fourth of July. The boat has different seating options - wooden benches and cushion seats without backrests. We reserved two of the cushioned areas and showed up ready to check in on time (they ask you to show up about 30 minutes before boarding to check in). You board at the dock just next to the bridge in Mystic, so it couldn't be more convenient if you're exploring Mystic for a day or a weekend. The Argia allows you to bring alcohol (wine and beer) on board (although they ask that you not bring large coolers - there's no room for them), so we brought a couple of bottles of wine bought from the great wine shop down the street. The sail is partly narrated. Our sail was two hours long, and the staff narrated for some of the sailing time - pointing out historic and interesting sites along the sail (islands with an interesting history, homes with interesting architecture, etc.). Between the gorgeous scenery, some narration of fun and interesting facts about Mystic and its harbor, the great wine we'd brought aboard, and great company - it was the perfect way to spend a couple of hours in Mystic. What a beautiful way to enjoy Mystic and its harbor!

I am very conflicted about this review. This is a perfect example of why, I detest the fact that…read moreYelp doesn't do half stars. Because, in reality, I would love to give them 3.5 stars, but I have to go with 3. So let me go through my views. First, and foremost, the staff was/is great. There were only 3 of us on the cruise. Most other places probably would've have cancelled, but the fact that they still ran the cruise, I give them a lot of credit. Because there were only 3 of us, we also could sit wherever we wanted, so getting an upgraded seat for free was also nice. As I said, the staff was very friendly and informative and even offered to incorporate us in some of the simpler tasks. The ride was great, we had a lot of wind and it made the ride more enjoyable and it was a nice relaxing ride through the harbor (sound? Ocean?). Complimentary lemonade and water are offered and you are free to bring your own food/beverage on board if you want. There even is a brief history lesson during the trip. So, what was bad? Well, there was nothing necessarily bad, but rather disappointing. And this may very well be entirely on me. But, the view(s) were very underwhelming. There really wasn't much of anything of significance to see or view. No lighthouses, fancy/historic buildings, no seals/dolphins, just a very tranquil trip with no excitement or scenery. And, again, that maybe entirely on me. They don't promise or advertise any of that, but I was expecting to see more than I did. You also spend about 1/2 hour getting to and from the dock so of the 2 hour trip only about an hour is in the ocean. It's still a great time, and definitely a case of your mileage may vary. In the end, I think it's a great time but probably not worth the $75. If you can snag a Groupon or other deal to get for $50 or so, I'd do it, but I wouldn't do it again for $75. So in sum: Staff: 5/5 Value: 2/5 Views: 2/5 Overall: 3.5/5

We used Lorraine for a family vacation to Arizona. We started in Phoenix, while there went to the…read moreApache Trail and Scottsdale. We then went to Sedona, the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff. It was a one of the best trips we ever took. The hotels were excellent. All of her suggestions for sight seeing were excellent. I highly recommend Cruise Planners and would use them again for future trips.

We worked with Lorraine to plan a custom 11 day trip to Italy with stops in Rome and the Amalfi…read moreCoast. Lorraine's knowledge of the area was extensive and she got us INCREDIBLE deals on flights and hotels. She was even able to accommodate special requests such as needing exit rows (my husband is very tall and needs the legroom for a long flight). As someone who had never used a travel agent before and always thought it may be cost prohibitive, I was wrong! Lorraine was able to keep us under budget so that we had extra money to do little excursion tours to the Roman Forum, the Vatican, and Pompeii (all bucket list places for me!). She also was able to advise when tours weren't really necessary - our trip to Capri was a good example - we were able to easily tour the island ourselves and take a ferry. Above all, she made it so easy - presenting options clearly and booking everything quickly. The itinerary she gave us to follow was top-notch and had all necessary contact info on it. I really can't say enough good things about Lorraine - she made my dream trip a reality!

Michelle was an amazing tour guide! We had such a great time! A perfect mix of food, history,…read morefacts, and jokes! So yum! We will be going back to those restaurants!

Michelle was our tour guide & she was top notch!! She was full of info & knowledge about all the…read morethings! Food was great & we really enjoyed all our stops. Wish we had time to get back to a few of them.

Peter's Zoom Magic and Mind Reading was incredible! Peter far exceeded my expectations as an event…read moreplanner and my entire group loved it. Peter's show made for a phenomenal night; everyone was talking about him the entire next day. I look forward to my next opportunity to work with Peter. Peter really is the UBEREATS of magic and comedy: He delivers!

Peter's show was just what the doctor ordered! Peter's comedy and mind reading is truly medicine…read morefor those that needed a good laugh. He is a gifted comedian and his mentalism is baffling. I know a couple of people were ready to pay TOP DOLLAR to find out his secrets. I am so grateful I found him online. I booked him as my first Event after being elected president of my community's Activities Committee. He made me look good. Now how am I going to find an entertainer who can top what he did? Everyone loved him. It was an evening filled with awe and laughter. I would recommend him 100%. I know I will book him again because he offers a variety of different shows - he is multi-talented and definitely amazing.