If you are coming through Simsbury and want to see a beautiful historic area, the old Drake Hill…read moreFlower Bridge is a wonderful spot to visit Easily accessible for disabled, and bathrooms are readily available The parking is fair, but you can also park across the street in the commuter parking lot a short distance away on Iron Horse Blvd Early spring, the flowers aren't installed yet, so it's a little boring, but still a great visit If you want to get in your steps, this is the place, go start here, head a little west, and then down Iron Horse Blvd., and enjoy downtown Simsbury shops. This is a great place to visit in a quaint little town

Historic bridge spanning the Farmington River and adjacent Hop Brook Landing Park that have been…read moredecorated with beautiful flowers. Thank you to all the volunteers who maintain both.

very cute! when I went there was kids activities and big bubbles on which made the whole experience…read more10/10. Fun place!

This sculpture garden is right in the center of Springfield Museum plaza. There were a handful of…read morecopper/metallic sculptures of many famous Dr. Seuss characters. There's also a giant book sculpture that has some famous verses from Dr Seuss engraved in it. The garden has elegant walking pavement covered by trees. It leads to entrances of four museums around the plaza. There's also an outdoor tent for people to sit in front of the garden. Overall it's a nice garden for families and kids.

This December 2024 will commemorate the 49th Anniversary of the "Beer Train Wreck" in Windsor, CT.,…read morelike Dan R. mentioned in his wonderful review there isn't much information on this major derailment. I had the opportunity to stop and look at the memorial sculptures that mark this historic event that was created by Lon Pelton. Along side the photos that I took and posted are a few photos I'd like to give credit that hopefully meet copyright and reprint requirements to the Windsor Historical Society and then Windsor Police Officer John Gasparino for the photo which gives a little more insight to the immense size of this event. This site is pretty cool and definitely worth a few minutes of your time if you too enjoy historic sites and roadside oddities. I can imagine the impact of this event on the citizens of Windsor and the surrounding communities at the time. I imagine how the town rushed to get as close as possible to witness this derailment and the clean-up process, I'm sure it's something that anyone that witnessed will never forget. I was a little taken back how Mother Nature has been allowed to reclaim portions of these sculptures and the lack of ground maintenance surrounding it - this is a site that should be preserved in my opinion and would definitely make for a cool field trip for school age children (if field trips are still allowed these days). I for one would make a one time donation in the name of preserving this site...

If you've ever been to the Whistle Stop Café, you might have noticed the "Train Wreck Burger" on…read morethe menu. Ever wonder why? The answer can be found in two sculptures located in the Whistle Stop's parking lot that commemorate a nasty 1975 accident when a flatbed railroad car hauling a load of lumber shifted and the train crashed into an overpass on Palisado Avenue. There are two sculptures here, each with a descriptive plaque. The first statue is near the side entrance to the restaurant. It's an abstract work with railroad track rails and wood ties with various train parts laid out inside the tracks. The second statue includes huge hunks of twisted metal, presumably debris from the smashed overpass. I did a lot of research trying to find an account of this 1975 accident without any success. Nevertheless, it's a very interesting and highly creative pair of attention grabbers at the Whistle Stop.

The Connecticut River - New England's longest is soo beautiful especially in the fall. Blue waters…read morewith the sun bouncing off at places like sparkles from a fire cracker, and the sides lined up trees with all possible colors of leaves except green ! But....We were a week early so missed the fall color enchantment....the river was beautiful nevertheless. Another interesting historical piece, all those railroad bridges along. Some of them are rusty and defunct but make a great location for a pic. We stopped at one such bridge to capture some frame worthy memories. The Connecticut River is called a " Blueway" and is known for connecting Canada all the way to Long Island. Also known for its biodiversity, scenic beauty, and historic importance for indigenous trade. There was a little local store with Native Indian artifacts like pots and stuff. The colorful shop just popped up out of nowhere, that is, until I read that Native Indians played a very important role in New Hampshire history and still, very much live in these parts. Bought a few trinkets to carry home and left on our way. The River and its blue stayed with me

The Connecticut River was my route to Shangri-La as a boy. My dad and I would take our 18-foot…read moreoutboard motor boat across Long Island Sound at its widest part from Mattituck Inlet and follow the river north. There were lovely little side tributaries we'd explore, including Hamburg Cove and a really intriguing unnamed jungle-like stream which somehow left the river and then came back to it, so turning back wasn't necessary. Gillette Castle, high on a bluff, was always a great landmark to look forward to. And every few miles an automobile bridge or railroad bridge would cross over our heads. The construction of these bridges was always fascinating, as you'd view them from afar before eventually motoring underneath them. The trip always required an overnight stay on land somewhere, usually with a docking at Wethersfield Marina in Wethersfied Cove. We never would quite make it to Hartford, because my dad said the river wasn't navigable beyond there and our nautical chart ended prior to the capital city. Now I'm a resident of a small city in Massachusetts which brushes up against the banks of the mighty Connecticut. Mostly a coincidence, except I know that I wanted to live in this region based, in part, on those wonderful youthful excursions. To this day I get a thrill whenever I cross the river on any of the bridges above Hartford. You see, I can look out the car window and examine what I never got to enjoy while cruising its waters on our boat! If it were only navigable beyond Hartford, it would be a cinch for that extra star!

A great time. This came up on my Facebook feed as a fun and interesting thing to do this summer…read more So I made the 2-hour trek before it got too hot and busy. And had a great time. It's an interesting place and fun to explore the mine. If you're 6 feet or taller, doing the mine is going to be difficult, one of the few times us shorties have an advantage. While it probably wasn't worth the 2-hour drive, it still was a fun time, and not something I regret doing.

"The warden threw a party in the county jail The prison band…read morewas there and they began to wail The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing" (Elvis Presley) What an awesome slice of Connecticut and U.S. history! At various times, the grounds housed the oldest copper mine in the U.S. and one of its oldest state prisons. The prisoners sentenced to the jail were mostly thieves, robbers and British sympathizers. One was a murderess (yes, this was a coed prison), and a few were imprisoned for "laziness"! The walk down into the mine put us on several staircases that were very wet (water is dripping everywhere), slippery and uneven. So if you're a little unsteady on your feet, you might want to think twice about the 75 foot descent into the lowest section of the mine. There will be plenty of handrails to guide you, and beware of a few stone "low bridges" you'll have to duck down to avoid. Otherwise you'll take a solid stone slab to the forehead. Another thing to mention is the temperature down there is pretty chilly. So even if you visit on a 95 degree day and you're wearing a tank top and shorts outside, you might want to pack a sweater or sweatshirt for your visit to the mine. It was very cool learning how the mine was built, and we saw remnants of some of the drilled holes where dynamite was lowered into the rock to blast away solid stone. We also saw traces of golden copper and green patina on the rocky walls. We learned that over the years there had been over 70 escape attempts, including one massive jailbreak where over 20 prisoners made it out. Just about all of them were eventually captured, but a few ran into the woods and were never found. After we came up from the mine floor, we explored the grounds and wandered among the remnants of the old jailhouse, guardhouse and prison yard. They were very creepy, and we saw some of the prisoner shackles and chains on display. Our tour guide was great, as was the friendly young lady at the ticket booth and gift shop. The surrounding grounds and view are quite beautiful, and we learned they are used for wedding and prom photos. So who knows, maybe this will be a wedding venue some day!

Imagine, that you just finished lunch at Kob Jai, Rudy's or the Whole Deli in Rocky Hill, and that…read moreyou need to pick up your CSA from Killam and Bassette ("K&B") in South Glastonbury. You could totally take the Silas Deane to 91 North, get off at the Route 3 North exit, take that to Route 2 East, quickly get all the way over to the left, take the left exit (Number 7) onto Route 17, and then connect up with southbound Main Street, which will get you to K&B. You could do that, but I've got an idea for you. You could type "Ferry Park" into your phone GPS and head down to the Rocky Hill side of the oldest continuously operating Ferry in the US. Sure, it will set you back about $5-$6, but you may see a bald eagle soaring over the Connecticut River. Or a sail boat. Did I mention you'll be taking a boat ride . . . while sitting in your car? How cool is that? And you know what happens when you get to the other side? You're in South Glastonbury, basically right near both the K&B Farm on Tryon Street and the K&B Farm stand on South Main Street. There are various activities near both sides of the Ferry Stops. There's great birding and photography opportunities on both sides. There's a short trail loop with historical lessons on signs on the So. G. side. You could bring a picnic meal or a coffee and just watch the River happenings. Make sure you check the Schedule before you go. But go, you should.

OK class, today's lesson is "Historic American Transportation". Would you believe that somewhere…read morein the US of A you can find a ferry crossing that has been providing unbroken public transportation service since 1655? That's not a typo -that is indeed 1655! That's over 350 years! Well, since a time that preceded the Declaration of Independence by 120 years, that ferry has crossed the CT River to connect the towns of Rocky Hill and Glastonbury, CT. A plaque from the CT Historical Commission reads: Nation's oldest continuously operating ferry. Since 1655, public transportation across the Connecticut River has been provided at this site, connecting the towns of Rocky Hill and Glastonbury, both formerly parts of Wethersfield. Motive power has been supplied at various times by poles, oars, a horse treadmill and a steam engine. Privately operated for 260 years, this ferry became a State facility in 1915. It is now operated by the State Department of Transportation. Crossing time, 4 minutes. State of Connecticut Department of Transportation in cooperation with The Connecticut Historical Commission 1973 It's a 2-sided marker with the same inscription on both sides. It's located at the entrance to Ferry Park with a ship's anchor displayed on the side facing the street. Ferry Park is a pretty area with waterfront access. I saw several crew boats sculling in the river on the afternoon I visited.

"Well, open your eyes, girl, look at me I'm gonna show you…read morehow it ought to be We're gonna have a good thing Such a good thing, baby" (Paul Revere and the Raiders) Good things tend to spread, don't they? The 1908 Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne, MA inspired the 1996 addition of flower baskets and boxes to the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge in Simsbury, which in turn inspired the 2015 addition of flowers to what is now known as the Canton Flower Bridge. The bridge is actually a section of the boardwalk along the Farmington River Walk on River Road in the Collinsville section of Canton. The bridge parallels the Farmington River, and on today's gorgeous summer day we saw at least ten groups of adventurers enjoying the water, in kayaks or on paddle boards or on rafts. The boardwalk was full of activity today -dog walkers, bicyclists, carriage pushers and folks just out getting some exercise and upping their step count. The bridge is decorated with hanging baskets and flower baskets that are maintained by volunteers. Another nice feature is the dozen or so placards highlighting some of the land and sea wildlife creatures that inhabit the river environment. What a lovely oasis of color and peaceful water scenery.

This is a very pretty bridge with flowers as the name says…read more It is connected to the Farmington River trail. On one side you will see the Farmington River and on the other, you can see the road. There are signs on the bridge detailing what type of wildlife lives around the river. I like reading each one, nature is beautiful. Once you cross the bridge, there is a park like area with benches. There are plenty of pedestrians using this area and it's a nice place to get some exercise and fresh air!

"But I remember us riding in my brother's car Her body…read moretanned and wet down at the reservoir" (Bruce Springsteen) Want a low impact walk on a paved trail where you'll see some beautiful scenery and water views? You'll find all of that right here in New Hartford on the Nepaug Reservoir Trail. The mile long trail is wide, paved, flat and about as easy to walk on as any trail we have visited. We parked at the main parking lot on Route 202, walked through a chain link gate, and found the start of the trail to begin our scenic walk around the reservoir and across the historic 109-year-old Nepaug Dam, established in 1917. The 600-foot long dam has a concrete spillway in its center. The spillway is over 100 feet tall and is quite spectacular. The trail around the dam has a few cutouts that serve as observation platforms to take you out over the top of the dam. You will love the views ! The overall scenery is fantastic with great water views of the enormous reservoir. We saw quite a variety of folks out there today - kids on bicycles, young families with strollers, couples of every age, joggers, and lots of leashed dogs.

I have been eyeing the pristine blue water of the Nepaug Reservoir and the dense emerald green…read moreforest surrounding and protecting the watershed over the past 55 years. FINALLY, I took the time to park at one of the two access gates. My preferred gate is near the intersection of Torrington Lane and Country Lane, map-it because this gate is off the beaten path. The other gate is off Litchfield Turnpike, CT Route 202. Both locations have limited parking. This is a very simple walk, not necessarily a hike. 1.0 mile from gate to gate, then the same 1.0 mile back to your original gate, 2.0 mile loop. Not a strenuous walk along it's well maintained paved road. At about the halfway point is the stunning 109 year old Nepaug Reservoir Dam, built between 1912 - 1916 (some say 1917). If you're shy of heights, keep your eyes on the Reservoir side, the downstream side of the dam is rather an extreme drop. Either way both views are worth the experience. Access is limited to only the paved maintenance road, going past the road & into the woods down to the Reservoir is strictly enforced and posted along the road. Despite, this is a beautiful place to visit, greet other walkers with or without a pup, and bikers.