Since reading The Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly I became obsessed with visiting the…read moreBellamy-Ferriday House. My mom and I went to Connecticut in the middle of October during COVID. Because of COVID, we had to purchase the tickets a week before we were to tour the house. Pros though, the tour groups are a lot smaller than pre-COVID times, which is fantastic. We were with two other women who were a lot of fun and from Connecticut. It made the tour all the more better. Peg, the executive director, started the tour in the kitchen of the Bellamy-Ferriday House. We heard about a whole lot of history, including some Hamilton history thrown in the mix. Muffy then took us through the rest of the house telling us that Caroline had passed away on the chaise in the library. The library was my favorite room. I wish there was a little more talk on the Ravensbruck women who were brought to the house. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos inside of the house. Also, because of COVID a con was we couldn't see the second floor of the house, which didn't really make sense. The tour group was extremely small and they cited that we couldn't go upstairs as a group to see Caroline Ferriday's room, etc. I wish they would have allowed each "family" that came together to take a quick look around upstairs and then come back downstairs. Gary took us around the grounds of the house and his part of the tour was my favorite. He was funny and personable and just a genuinely good guy. And he looked like Richard Gere. The tour was about 2 hours long. I'm sure if the group was bigger it wouldn't have lasted that long. I love an in-depth tour. This was one of my most favorite tours I have taken. The tour guides were fantastic and knowledgeable and the subject matter was of great interest to me. Fun fact: Gary told us that the Bellamy-Ferriday House has the largest rose book collection with over 1,000 books. Also, the grounds have an elm tree that happened to escape the devastating beetle attacks that most elm succumb to. There is on-site parking and a cute gift shop that sells The Lilac Girls and other trinkets. If you are into history and WWII history, definitely check this place out. The grounds are wonderful and the tour is fabulous and it is given by great people. I hope to one day get to this site when the lilacs are in full bloom.

I knew nothing about this home or the owners before coming. We only came because my mom wanted to…read morevisit after reading Lilac Girls. I'm glad we tagged along. Learning a piece of American history that is not covered anywhere. I also very much appreciate our guide and how the information was presented. Not only does he cover information about the home and who the owners were but there is dedicated attention on uncomfortable conversations like the Holocaust and the terrible things that happened. Caroline Ferriday was a remarkable woman and more people should learn about her and then other remarkable women in her family. This will make more sense once you take the tour or read the book Lilac Girls. We were only able to see the first level because the second story was undergoing wall paper restoration.

If you are a history buff then this is definitely a place for you. My recent visit to Litchfield…read morewas a journey through the 19th century. While exploring I learned how Litchfield became such a valuable institution and game changer in the education system especially empowering women. The hands-on and interpretive exhibits alters your perception of what museums are for sure. Don't be fooled by the small size, the exhibits were beautifully laid out, very detailed and informative .. what I liked most is you can do it at your own pace. The museum is free to all and street parking is fairly easy. P.S: don't forget to catch a glimpse (across the street, while you still can) of the last sycamore tree planted by Oliver Wolcott...representing 13 colonies marking victory over British rule.

The Tapping Reeve House is the site of the first law school in America. Having gone to law school,…read moreand being kind of a nerd, I had to visit when I was in the area. There are only a few rooms with exhibits on the first floor of the house and no real tour, but the exhibits are informative, and the house itself is very nice inside. Tapping Reeve's first student was Aaron Burr, and as the school grew, he built a small classroom next to his house, which you can peek into. We skipped the 15-minute informative video, but the friendly staff member there gave us a brief synopsis of the history of the school, and I think that was enough. Admission is now free.

The Litchfield History Museum is located in the impressive colonial brick building that houses the…read moreLitchfield Historic Society. The small museum highlights life in Litchfield and surrounds with a series of small rotating exhibits. There's a small gift shop and the reasonable $5 admission includes admission to the Tapping Reeve House and Law School, which is right down the street. Open mid April through November.

The museum is attached to Yale but is free and open to the public. I stopped in for what I thought…read moremight not be that long of a visit, dodged out to beat the lines for the finest in apizza, and returned for a second dip but still didn't have time to really see everything that was there to see. At three floors with several sections each, it is one of the most impressive museums I've ever seen attached to a university. The content includes a variety of archaeological and anthropological exhibits that will be confronting for all the evolution deniers out there (to say nothing of the male and female bathrooms), but also an ample selection of minerals, animal specimens, and cultural artifacts from around the world. Notably, the museum acknowledges that some artifacts from Machu Picchu have been returned to Peru, the subject of considerable controversy. The collection remains impressive and the conversation about the provenance of these sorts of collections is ongoing, and I saw one of the biggest selections of New Guinean objects I've ever found. There were some criticisms from my end; notably the accessibility of the building was not great, and some kind of orchestra performance was going on but their automatic door openers did not work so I had to hold the door for a string bass player myself. In terms of content, a certain amount of circumspection on the history of science is appropriate, but their exhibit on eugenics made it sound like the concept of intelligence itself was a pseudoscience, which is a bizarre claim to make, particularly given the bunch of elitists that remain at Yale well after the eugenicists have (hopefully) departed. Overall, though, I think visitors of any age, be they young children, collegians, or adults of various stripes, will likely find the museum experience enlightening and enjoyable.

I spent most of my childhood in Connecticut and somehow I don't ever remember visiting the Peabody…read moreMuseum of Natural History. I was visiting the nutmeg for a wedding a few weeks back when I found myself in New Haven with some friends and some time to kill. We were going to get some food, but figured it was a good time to go and check out the museum before hand. From the second I walked inside this place, I did not expect it to be as big as it was. This place is absolutely massive and stretches across multiple floors and a bunch of different exhibits on each floor. You have large exhibits dedicated to dinosaurs, sea creatures, butterflies, and a ton of extremely old things on display. I definitely spent the most time in the dinosaur room as well as a room full of taxidermy. The taxidermy room had raccoons, bears, large cats, and most importantly, some of the cutest red pandas I've ever seen in my life. I ended up running out of time sadly, but the time I spent here was an absolute blast. Overall, the Peabody Museum of Natural History is such a cool place to spend a few hours. I had a blast checking out all the different exhibits and of course, I had to hit up the gift shop for a magnet and a Yale Peabody shirt. I can't wait to check back in again on my next visit to Connecticut.

I went to the museum as part of their maple syrup day, where they had people explaining how trees…read moreare tapped and maple syrup is produced, as well as having a pancake breakfast with local syrup. The rest of the museum was available, and honestly, this is a good half day to see minimum (especially if it's part of a larger event). The museum is four rooms, and they're all packed with information. One has Amerindian crafts from all over the country, and another includes what an actual dwelling would look like with tools on the inside, and a beautiful mural on the opposite wall showing what a day would have looked like to local Amerindian people. It feels like each display has a comprehensive sign, and each sign is pretty interesting. There is also a great gift shop with everything from local souvenirs to beautiful jewelry, to books for children and adults.

How have lived in Connecticut over 25 years and not known of this incredible little museum?…read more Nestled deep in the woods with only minimal highway signage, this modern, circular museum highlights the centuries of history of North American woodland Indians in a well designed, artifact-rich collection. Wait for the docent-led tour. Ours was a young historian who really knew his stuff. And don't miss the historic recreations of wooden Indian homes just a few yards up the hill. Kids will really enjoy exploring the grounds.

It's an absolutely beautiful house, now museum. The building has been around since the 1870s, and…read morehas lived many lives, but still has original features. It has lots of local history as well, like the local clocks. There is a gift shop available. The front door is actually in the back, take the ramp around. The door in front brings you to the gift shop area and restroom. It's not good to surprise the docents in a haunted building!

My 3rd year going and must say it's always a great time. So many vendors to check out snd samples…read moreto try. Every year is about the same. Usually is the same vendors. You Might find new vendors with new products and others that you wish were still there! There will be booths selling a wide variety of things, not just garlic. Fresh breads, pickles, fresh made soaps, crystals , fudge , pies and more! I got to try garlic ice cream, and it sure was interesting. The stand is usually there! Also for food.. so Much to choose from. There is something for everyone! Vendors take cards and others will only take cash or accept both. So just take cash incase! Such a great fair to go to that is once a year!

this was my first garlic fest and i literally had the time of my life. when they say they're over…read more200+ vendors, they seriously mean it!! it took me an hour just to browse around before really like stopping at the places i wanted to, it was incredible! they had so many unique booths and i got to try so many samples ranging from black garlic, garlic chocolate bark, garlic fudge, garlic vinegar, garlic cheese, so much more, i was in absolute heaven. all the non garlic vendors were also soo good, my bank account was definitely balling out this weekend, haha! can't wait for next year!

Very nice and relaxing experience. Worth visiting if you like trains. For kids its an especially…read morecool thing to check out.

We were not happy at all with our experience. Selected seats based upon the seating chart on the…read morewebsite. I chose what looked like stand alone seats at the front of the sky lounge. In actuality we were seated with two other people across a small table. Barely enough room to put your legs without bumping into the people across from you. And the icing on the cake? The window where we were sitting was opaque with grime/dirt. You couldn't see out of it. What is the point of going on a train ride to view the fall foliage if you can't see out the window??? Terrible. Will not be back!