This is hands down one of the cutest things I've ever seen. Emily from thesidedishers told me about…read morethis and I had to come and make a wish in the wish booth. There's so many negative things out there and this is just a ray of positivity in a cute little town in Connecticut. It boosts your self esteem and self worth and gives you hope. 100% recommend stopping here and sending your wishes into the universe. Because what is life without some hope and dreams. Hearts.

Looks can be deceiving…read more When strolling down Main Street in Deep River, you'll see it. What looks like a cute statue of an elephant with his trunk raised in the air commemorates the very solemn history between Deep River and its 19th century elephant trade. A plaque tells the story - here in Deep River, the tusks of over 100,000 elephants a year were processed into dozens of household products. I just read a National Geographic article that said "a 75-pound adult African elephant tusk could yield the wafer-thin ivory veneers to cover the keys of 45 pianos". A lot of those piano keys were made right here in Deep River. This memorial in front of Town Hall includes a small statue of an elephant on top of a stone base with an inscribed plaque. The full inscription reads: We Honor the Elephant During the 1800's Deep River was the center of America's ivory trade. Elephant tusks from Africa were brought to Deep River landing for local factories to make piano keys, combs, buttons, and billiard balls. Up to 100,000 elephants a year were killed, their tusks transported by slaves, to sustain this trade. Deep River remembers its debt to this majestic creature as it looks forward to a new future as "Queen of the Valley."

Stony Creek is such a great town to visit especially in the summer. Situated right on the water,…read moreand only five minutes from I95. This small town has everything within walking distance. You can seat on a park beach,and have a beautiful scenic view of some of the Thimble Islands, take a swim, and soak up the sun at the town beach, use the town boat launch to kayak around the Thimble Islands, or you can take a relaxing cruise around the Thimble Islands.I love it here and visit two or three times each year.

What a pretty place to stroll around and take in the beautiful coastal scenery…read more You'll see the busy waterfront with a spider-web of docks for the hundreds of boats of every size and description, everything from kayaks and paddleboards to the sightseeing charter ships. The scenery also includes twenty five small islands collectively known as the Thimble Islands. Technically a section of Branford, Stony Creek is pretty small, but it includes a public beach and a miniscule business district with a few stores and places to eat. We had a very enjoyable visit here.

A town with a…read more history from the sea The town of Clinton, Connecticut was founded in 1663 and is located about 25 miles east of New Haven. It's one of the smallest towns in all of Connecticut in terms of size and once contain the area of Killingworth to the north. Clinton is very much still a beach town and the population of around 15,000 more than doubles in size during the summer months with the influx of tourists. Clinton's history is closely connected to the sea. Shipbuilding, fishing and tourism has long been a part of Clinton. The shipbuilding and fishing have pretty much disappeared but tourism is still the main source of income. Even though it takes only about a minute to drive from one end to the other, you will see a fair number of antique shops and nice restaurants on Main Street. One the interesting things about Clinton is the absolutely huge variety of houses. For such a small area you can find multi million dollar mansions on the beach, cool old historic houses on Main Street, modest ranches in the north and even a couple of trailer parks. It seems every single house in Clinton is different. One of the things that you won't find unless you look very hard is the water. They keep that a secret and that is one of the problems. There is a town beach but that's in the harbor but it's frequently more mud than water. The real beach is on Shore Road and that is very private. Being private is fine but most other states in New England have some public access to the water, in Connecticut it's frequently difficult to even get a glimpse of it. I lived in Clinton for 15 years and over that time I have seen many changes. The street where we lived used to be a community, we had block parties, had a little grocery store and had people walking along the beach all the time. Everyone knew each other. Now the store is gone, the social events have stopped and people have become even more possessive of the water. Walls and fences, even through illegal, extend down from the beaches into the water. No trespassing signs have appeared. Many of the smaller homes and cottages along the beach have been replaced by huge, looming and impersonal homes. Quite a few were built during the housing boom and now have for sale signs. The arrow to time moves forward, you can never go back. Places have to change and frequently the changes aren't particularly pleasant. But I still have a modicum of hope that shoreline Clinton can go back and recapture the sense of community and closeness that it once had. We shall see. I have added old postcards of Clinton many years ago instead of any contemporary photos.

This camera obscura is one of only 50 in the entire world, only 5 of which are in the US. It was…read moreonly a dollar per person. We waited about ten minutes outside for the people before us to come out. It was a bit cloudy when we were there and I'd love to go back on a clear, sunny day. It was still a neat experience. The educator who showed us the camera obscura was fantastic. He had lived in Greenport for decades and gave us so much history and really fleshed out the experience. It was so much cooler seeing it and hearing stories about the area. This is well worth the $1 it will cost you and would be neat for kids as well. The sign said the it was open from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. this was on a weekday. I believe they are open weekends and weekdays in the summer and only weekends the rest of the year.

There are only 5 in the US and only about 50 in the world. Historically significant and only a…read moredollar to partake. That said, prepare for an experience that lasts only a few minutes and largely depends on a cloudless sky.

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.

I came here on a fall afternoon as the sun was setting. It's a bit of a drive up to the castle from…read morethe entrance of the park but not too bad- about 10-15 minutes. I like that there are stairs inside the castle. What a beautiful view from the top! The foliage was a bit past peak but still gorgeous. It was windy and chilly but totally worth the views!

Yesterday my dog Brody and I decided to visit Castle Craig which is perfectly situated high above…read moreHubbard Park in order to gain a view of both the park and much of Meriden. Though this year's peak fall colors were muted and a bit past, it was still highly enjoyable.

First to review- I am now an honorary member of the village green (digital) preservation society…read more The Guilford Town Green has been a part of my life for the last eleven years that my aunt has lived in town. I have walked it with her, my grandma (now passed), my sister, cocker spaniel Hannah (passed), and cocker spaniel Roxie (wild dog). I have parked my car there to go for a jog to the marina or for a longer run around Sachem's Head. It is an attractive space to host the town's many public events. The Green is Guilford's heart, informs a sense of place through history, and brings people in town together. They don't build them like that anymore.

The Guilford Green is in my opinion the most beautiful historic green in all of Connecticut. I am…read morebiased because I live nearby but I enjoy every walk, run, and shopping trip to his picteresque location. The stores are all quaint and original. The Village Chocolatier and the Tea store are jump to mind as being really fun. Then there is historic Page's Hardware which has been there forever. There are great restaurants nearby -- two favorites are South Lane and a world class Thai restaurant call Som Siam. Historic churches and creative clothing stores round out the unique - NON-franchise local flavor. The green itself is huge and rectangular...a fantastic place for art festivals, concerts or a game of frisbee. The newly designed Markeplace is a combination of food, coffee, and supplies kind of place.....check out the white and blue tiled wall that were uncovered recently in a renovation...they are ancient but still beautiful. Meryl Streep starred in a movie that used this quaint location for a set.

This is a nice little park by Main Street. You can read about the history. There are picnic benches…read moreand tables. It's the perfect place for a picnic. You can see the sailboats. You'll see some nice people there.

I've seen about 80 of these town markers now. Seen them in all kinds of settings, downtown big city…read more(Bridgeport and Hartford), suburbs (Simsbury and Avon), and rural (Salisbury and Canaan). But it's hard to recall seeing one in as pretty a setting as the one I saw today in the gorgeous little shore town of Essex. The plaque is just off of Main Street, set in a picture perfect landscaped and flowered Village Green. If you walk into the green, you'll pass a nice gazebo as you approach the water- actually Middle Cove, an inlet of the Connecticut River. Just look for the boats. Its proximity to the water played a big part in the long history (settled in 1648) of Essex. Trading, shipbuilding, maritime service are all mentioned on the marker. One interesting fact I learned- Essex was attacked and burned by the British during the War of 1812. Dedicated in 1983, this is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. There is text on both sides and they are both in excellent condition. The full inscription reads: Originally called Potopaug by local Indians, Essex was named after England's Essex County, whence some of the earthly settlers had come. As a part of Saybrook colony, the Essex area was first settled in 1648 by John Lay, William Pratt, and William Hide. Essex was incorporated in 1852, having been long a part of Saybrook township. The village became involved in West Indies trade in the later 1800's. The first wharf for this trade was built in 1656 on the site of the present Steamboat Dock building; south of the dock a warehouse was erected in 1773. Essex thus became the main port of Saybrook and remained so until 1871. Shipbuilding began in 1733; the Hayden shipyard, among others, became one of the most important in New England. This yard built Connecticut's first warship, the Oliver Cromwell, in 1775. Many other yards made Essex a major ship-building enter where packet ships, the first American transatlantic liners, were launched. Men from the Essex area became captains and seamen in large numbers and sailed all over the world on voyages lasting many months. During the War of 1812 the British raided Essex in 1814, burning twenty-eight vessels at anchor and under construction before retiring. Since the total loss amounted to $160,000 the newspapers of the time called this raid the worst disaster to befall the new country since the war began, nearly two years earlier. The steamboat era opened in 1823 with small boats running between Hartford and Saybrook, later with larger vessels between Hartford and New York. The Steamboat Dock building, the third landing place since 1656 that has been in use at the site, was built in 1878. Centerbrook and Ivoryton became part of Essex in 1859. The meetinghouse of the Second Ecclesiastical Society (1722) still stands in Centerbrook, and ivory piano keys, a long-time product of Ivoryton, continue to be made today. Erected by the Town of Essex The Essex Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Committee 1983

Can confirm the first review's report that you can't see either this lighthouse or the one that's…read moreon land in Fenwick unless you own property in the immediate vicinity or are the guest of someone who does. We thought we would drive up to visit the nearer lighthouse like we did with the lighthouses in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but there are signs telling you that access is restricted. We decided not to flout that but can verify that the golf course looks very nice. Stars awarded for the history of the lighthouses.

A light that's hard…read moreto see The Old Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse was completed in 1888 and was built to replace the much older lighthouse at Lynde Point. It's a very typical lighthouse for this period and stands 48 feet tall and is constructed of brick and cast iron. These lights are frequently called bug lights, coffee pots of most commonly spark plugs. Strong and cheap to build they can survive just about anything, including massive hurricanes and ice and freezing cold. The one was automated in 1958 and recently went up for sale in 2013. It finally sold for 340,000 dollars but the price is somewhat misleading. The owners are responsible for maintenance and the Coast Guard still owns the land that the light sits on. This lighthouse isn't a particularly easy one to get close to. It's in the very expensive and exclusive area called Fenwick and they aren't very fond of people walking around there. The best way to view it is by the water or by kind of landing a yak on a beach in the off season and they walking down the breakwater up to the light. Just hope nobody sees you. This is a classic Connecticut lighthouse and is even featured on the CT license plate. The money for the special plate goes to hope preserve Long Island Sound. A cool little light that everyone sees while crossing over the Connecticut River on I-95 but one that very few people get to see up close.