Proving that Bruce K. will review anything, here's a five star review of a rock. It's an…read moreinteresting rock but it is nonetheless a rock. "This balanced rock is estimated to weigh 60 tones. Geologists refer to it as an "erractic." The boulder is composted of a type of granite that does not match rock normally found in this vicinity and is thought to have been deposited here during the glacial period. It has been suggested in recent years that this may be a dolmen - a Celtic ceremonial stone used to memorialize the dead." There is a small parking lot. I do not believe that there is lighting so you'll want to visit during daylight. [Review 1702 of 2024 - 547 in New York - 22725 overall]

I had no idea what this place was until my husband explained it to me and showed me a few podcasts…read moreand documentaries about it. We were super excited to see the sign when driving through one day so we of course decided to stop. Rating this a five star because it was a very intimate and cool experience since we were the only ones there, but there is really not much to it besides the sign and the rock itself. If you haven't heard about balance rock, you should definitely look into it because it is really cool!!

Beautiful castle Visited over the winter. Worn down and decrepit. Amazing pictures with an eerie…read morefeeling.

Nothing much to see at this moment. A stone castle left in ruins, now adorned with fences,…read moregraffitis and boards. Just a short walk from nearby park where you could park your car.

This marker is located in the parking area of the Stormville Rest Area on I-84. I was at the…read morewestbound rest area so it's possible that there is a matching marker at the eastbound rest area across the way. The marker is a bit chipped and faded. The marker reads, "Fishkill was a center of civil and military operations during the American Revolution. New York State's first governing body met in the village's churches during 1776-77 and drew up the first state constitution. "South of Fishkill, centered in the Van Wyck homestead was the largest American army supply depot in the north. Relatively safe from British attack, the Fishkill supply depot included dozens of buildings, shops and warehouses. Its strategic location at the hub of transportation made possible the provisioning of American forces operating over a wide region. The depot also served as a staging area and winter encampment. Washington, Horatio Gates, and other important military leaders were associated with the supply depot and Enoch Crosby, the alleged model for the hero of James Fenimore Cooper's novel, The Spy, was interrogated at the Van Wyck house and imprisoned in a hatter's shop in Fishkill." The marker was erected in 1974 by the New York State Education Department, the New York State American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, and the New York State Department of Transportation. It does not have a number. [Review 1704 of 2024 - 549 in New York - 22727 overall]

"They took all the trees put 'em in a tree museum And they…read morecharged the people a dollar an' a half just to see 'em" (Joni Mitchell) The Fairfield Museum is undergoing renovations and we could just see two exhibits. The admission fee was accordingly waived for us. One exhibit was on quilts. The exhibits were drawn from their extensive textile collection. These colorful scenes of early New England life were gorgeous. If you ever wanted to know how quilts are pieced and stitched together or if you're just a quilt lover, you will enjoy this exhibit. The second exhibit was a biggie -it drew a TV crew (Cable Connecticut 12) into the room to film a segment. Guess who made a 2 second guest appearance in their piece? Ever seen those childrens books abiut "Busytown" by Richard Scarry? He was a Fairfield native and quite a few of Fairfield's businesses and landmarks ended up in those books. The exhibit is an immersive experience that allows you to select one of his animal cartoon figures and walk through the colorful streets of Busytown. You can teach your kids how communities work, what jobs people have, learn about transportation and all kinds of interactive exhibits- think opening doors and reading things inside the door. This has got to be a blast for kids or a nostalgic visit for anyone who grew up on Scarry's books.

Great local history museum! The front desk had great resources and the exhibits were wonderful.read more

Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum was quite a character…read more He is best known as a bombastic showman, promoting elaborate hoaxes, human oddities and the Barnum & Bailey Circus. He allegedly coined the phrase ""There's a sucker born every minute". But he was more than the promoter of the Fiji Mermaid and General Tom Thumb the dwarf. He was also a politician -serving twice in the Connecticut state legislature and once as the mayor of Bridgeport, CT. As mayor, he fought to improve the quality of Bridgeport's water, brought gas street lights to his city, and helped found Bridgeport Hospital. He was an abolitionist and spoke these flowery words against slavery - "A human soul, that God has created and Christ died for, is not to be trifled with. It may tenant the body of a Chinaman, a Turk, an Arab, or a Hottentot--it is still an immortal spirit". This terrific sculpture, located in his home city of Bethel, CT, shows Mr. Barnum looking very spiffy in a top coat and bow tie. He is holding his top hat triumphantly in the air, as if he had just introduced some spectacular act to a packed house. An inscription below the sculpture reads: Born Bethel, CT 1810 "I was born and reared in an atmosphere of merriment my natural bias was developed and strengthened by the associations of my youth; and I feel myself entitled to record the sayings and doings of the wags and eccentricities of Bethel because they partly explain the causes which have made me what I am." Dedicated by the Bethel Historical Society on the 26th of September 2010 Erected 2010 by Bethel Historical Society.

Amazing work of art . The artist David Gesualdi really captured the essence of PTBarnumread more

The town sign of Middlebury is in an okay location - it's right in front of Town Hall, so if you…read morewant to go see it there are places to park. There were people having some sort of informal gathering in back, but it was quiet so I can't fault the location. If you're on some quest to see the town signs, like I informally am, it helps to map this one out. Otherwise you end up looking for places to turn around while going around the town green. It is a little hard to read if you're doing a drive by, the angle just doesn't work. But it seems to be in good condition and legible up close.

Some historical nuggets:…read more 1- If you think the town's name has something to do with a central location, you'd be right -it's in the middle of three adjoining towns. 2- Revolutionary War troops marched through Middletown on way to the decisive battle at Yorktown, VA 3- The town's first house was built on Breakneck Hill Road. I wonder how and why that street was named? There's got to be one helluva backstory there... This is a 2 sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The same inscription is on both sides. The side facing the street is in very poor condition with streaks and fading. The side facing the building is in much better shape. It's located in front of Town Hall on Whittemore Road. The full inscription reads: The name of the town derives from the central position its meeting house occupies, six miles from three older neighbors, Waterbury, Southbury and Woodbury. Winter ecclesiastical privileges, permitting local church services, were established for West Farms, originally the southwest portion of Waterbury, in 1768. In 1790, West Farms and adjoining portions of Woodbury and South-bury became a distinct ecclesiastical society under the name of Middlebury. The first house in the area was erected by Isaac Bronson before 1702 on Breakneck Hill. During the Revolutionary War, French General Rochambeau and his troops established a camp in the Breakneck Hill section on their march to the final campaign at Yorktown, Virginia. First petition to the General Assembly for independence of Middlebury from Waterbury was made in 1800. After much opposition incorporation was granted in October, 1807. Erected by the Town of Middlebury the Middlebury Historical Society, Inc. and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1976

The Shove Building, 281 Main Street South in Woodbury, was built in 1867 as a residence by Dr…read more Harmon Shove. The house was acquired by the Town of Woodbury in 1952 is now used for town offices. It's part of the complex that includes the Library and the police station. There is ample parking available.

One of the nice things about the town offices is that they have a number of different programs that…read morethey offer to the public. This one that I attended was an informative class on tree trimming. The local arborist in town, Bud Neal, was instructing the class with his assistant, Sandy Angellis. He offers this for free to the public because he is passionate about the subject and his work and wants to help. He broke the class into different sections, such as proper tools and maintenance of them, different diseases and pests, and the proper way to cut or prune your trees and shrubs. He also emphasized safety, safety, safety. He also handed out very informative pamphlets and recommended some books to use for reference. We also went outside with tools in hand and got to experience how to apply what we learned! I can only guess what it looked like with a bunch of us armed with pruning tools in front of the town offices! I'm sure we looked like an angry mob . I would suggest if they offer this course again that you dress warmly. A few of us didn't realize we would be outdoors and it was a little windy and cold that day. For a free course I was impressed! I would pay for a course like this.

The staff are always very helpful and the collection is good. If there is a book you need, they…read morecan readily obtain it from another library for you. They also communicate through apps with notifications which is very helpful. You can use Hoopla with your membership which is a very valuable source of free audio books.

Check ahead - at least in September 2022 the library is closed for renovation and modernization. At…read morethis time the staff is still here and they're offering curbside service only. On the plus side, their wifi reaches to the curb and I was able to use their network from the van for a short while before heading onwards. [Review 18398 overall - 64 in Connecticut - 1920 of 2022.]