"The moon is big and yellow And the stars are all a' glow…read moreFrom the bridge, I see reflections In the waters far below" (Dolly Parton) The Upper Sheffield Covered Bridge was built in 1999 as close to a stick-by-stick replacement (as close as modern engineering standards would allow) of the original 1832 bridge that was destroyed in a fire in 1994. Some materials salvaged from the original bridge were used for continuity. It's a nice example of "One Span Town Lattice Truss" open construction with a wood plank floor and wood siding painted grey. No vehicles are permitted on the 93-foot-long bridge that spans the Housatonic River. I read that the original 1832 bridge was the oldest covered bridge in Massachusetts and one of the oldest Town lattice truss bridges in the U. S. There's an information kiosk with vital information about the history and restoration of the bridge. There's a parking lot and a little park where you can access the bridge, and a hiking trail at the other end of the bridge, It's a very peaceful place to stop, take a stroll, enjoy the construction of the bridge and a nice water view at the park.

Cool little place to stop - over the Housatonic river in Sheffield. There is a small dirt parking…read morelot and a wide path for walking.

Bizarre with a capital "B"…read more There is a Timexpo Museum in Waterbury that tells the story of the Timex company, and the history of watches and time. But as important as that might be, they are nothing when compared to the totally cool 40' tall Easter Island Moai statue that graces a strip of grass in front of the museum. What exactly this statue has to do with the history of time, I don't know. What I do know is this- I pity the poor drunken fool who might be unfortunate enough to be stumbling down Union Street when he glances up and sees this 40 foot tall beast blocking his path. I think that would sober up our poor guy pretty fast.

Discover the Easter Island Moai…read more Forget your bucket list. Don't wait till you can't climb the hill at the quarry to one of the world's most amazing places, Rano Raraku on isolated Easter Island. A giant Moai is waiting to be freed from a thousand years of captivity. What was the last carver's thoughts as he walked away from his final creation? Take a flight or a cruise to French Polynesia and visit Easter Island. Sign up with Tiare Edmunds of Easter Island Guides for a one or two or day tour and see what time left behind. Tiare is the only Rapanui native guide with direct descendents to the original natives. She leads you on an adventure back in time in her air conditioned vehicle. Easter Island is situated on a triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific over 2,000 miles from Tahiti and Chile. It's a living outdoor museum and Tiare has the E ticket pass. We were picked up at the pier and spent two incredible days exploring and learning about what might of happened to a thriving culture that almost lead to extinction. While historically no one knows exactly what happened to leave behind over 900 massive Moai, Tiare will help you understand the culture and the people. She also brought along a picnic lunch on both days of arugula from her garden on fresh sandwiches and olives and Rapa Nui locally brewed beer. What a treat. Looking out over the ocean, drinking a cold beer, having a great lunch and talking with a real local historian about her family's history. A truly memorable time. Don't wait.

Here's a tiny spot in one of the rural corners of Connecticut, but a fun spot to poke around…read more Seeing the images of Beckley Furnace, then and now, are astoundingly different! It's a place you can get up close to the past, but also a peaceful spot to view the river and furnace locks, I especially recommend being here in autumn, watching sycamore leaves float down the river. Parking by the furnace isn't huge, but additional parking is just over the small bridge. There is plenty of interpretive signage to guide you, and ample picnic space to enjoy, but no facilities. We didn't even see a port-o-let. All the same, enjoy your drive and short hike!

I wouldn't exactly call this a destination sort of park, it's a landmark/monument with a little…read moreparkette along Lower Road in East Canaan. IIt's mainly of interest if you're interested in the history of the area, but something you could combine with visiting nearby Haystack Mountain Park. Still, it's well maintained and has a nice parking area, with a number of highly informative signs around the area, leading you on a short walk from the furnace over to the dam where the piping for the steam turbine is still somewhat in place. There's a few picnic tables as well, if you're in the mood for a picnic. Altogether a nice little pleasant stop on the road.

Really lovely and understated estate/museum to visit in an area rich in those, Chesterwood is…read moredefinitely worth a visit. Daniel Chester French was the sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial, and there's a smaller version of the famous sculpture here in his studio. The house he resided in is well-maintained and is quite lovely. The tour guide was informative and friendly. The house tour is worth the admission but the views of the valley puts it over. The garden where the studio is has a nice fountain. I had to leave just before the end of the tour. With the tour, try to have at least a couple of hours so you can get the full feel of the estate.

I was up in the Berkshires the other week and found out about Chesterwood whilst searching online…read morefor music and poetry events. Turns out they had an hour long poetry reading event curated by Voices of Poetry, an amazing poetry group run by Neil Silberblatt. I drive in, parked in the free lot, bought a ticket in the main building and explored for a bit before the event began. The poetry reading featured Chard di Niord (poet laureate of Vermont), Patrick Donnelly (director of the Poetry Center at the Frost Place), Shanta Lee (recipient of the Arthur Williams Award for Meritorious Service to the Arts), Hilde Weisert, winner, 2017 Gretchen Warren Award (New England Poetry Club) & 2016 Tiferet Journal Poetry Award. Every single poet was super talented and covered a large range of topics. Now I've been to my fair share of poetry readings however the talent and environment here really set this one apart. The backdrop and setting of the grounds is absolutely gorgeous. There is a short trail that you can hike and also plenty of beautiful walking paths, with plenty of sculptures, artwork, fountains and incredible trees/flowers for your viewing pleasure.

This house is where the pre-treasonous Benedict Arnold recuperated after being wounded at the…read moreBattle of Bemis Heights. The house is an interesting landmark for what it represents historically. It is not open to the Public.

What an odd, interesting little place. My son is obsessed with the Titanic so as a surprise we took…read morea 2 hour drive from NY to come here. Street parking was very easy. There was a lovely woman working inside who was happy to share her knowledge of all things Titanic. It is a small space but packed full of artifacts. We stayed about 1/2 hour. Absolutely recommend to those interested in the Titanic and White Star Line!

This will not be to everyone's tastes, but it is to mine so five stars! Located in a small suburb…read moreof Springfield, in the back of a family-run jewelry shop, in a converted photography studio, is this quintessential Americana Titanic museum. It represents the life work of one man (the current owner's brother) who developed an interest in the Titanic as a teenager and started writing to the survivors. The collection is of the ship (with White Star Line china, banners, documentation of the discovery) as much as it is about the survivors (with items from the journal one woman had with her in the lifeboat to one woman's frog) and pop culture (the man was was a background character in THE movie). It is $4 to see the collection, but if you're interested in the Titanic or just want to see what a life's work can look like, it's a once in a lifetime experience.

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.

"Extra! Extra! Read all about it…read morePinball Wizard in a miracle cure! Extra Extra read all about it" (Pete Townsend) When I was a kid, a lot of black and white movies from the 30's and 40's were standard fare for television. A lot of those movies had scenes of young newsboys selling newspapers on the streets yelling "Extra! Extra! Read all about it". Nowadays, the only time you see newspapers being sold on the streets are by homeless people who catch you at a red light or an on-ramp. This unique Newsboy Monument is located on a triangular patch of grass bounded by Maple Street, Silver Street and Newsboy Monument Lane in Great Barrington, MA. It was dedicated on October 10, 1895 by a gentleman named Colonel William L. Brown. Now that makes perfect sense, because he was part owner of the New York Daily News. I read that Brown thought of the newsboys as "unsung heroes" in the success of his newspaper and the industry in general. The passage of the decades and the advances in technology have made this occupation all but extinct. It's a very cool 5' tall bronze statue of a newsboy perched on a 10' high granite base. He is dressed in the style of the day, with a cap, jacket, knickers and very long socks. He holds up a copy of a newspaper in his raised right hand and clutches a bundle of newspapers under his left arm. The statue sits on a fountain that was designed as a watering trough with several fountainheads to quench the thirst of thirsty dogs, horses, and people. A near bronze plaque is inscribed: Newsboy Statue and Fountains Presented to the town of Great Barrington by Colonel William L. Brown on October 10, 1895. Colonel brown was a resident of this neighborhood and part-owner of the first New York Daily News. It was Colonel Brown's wish to create a lasting monument honoring hard-working newspaper carriers. It's a nice piece of history commemorating an era where people learned about the news before radio, TV, and Facebook came along.

What a great little historic spot tucked along the Hudson River. We were trying to kill time before…read morean afternoon wedding and I came across this place while searching online. This historic site was home to pivotal decisions during the Revolutionary War, made by George Washington himself. The museum/buildings themselves have limited hours (which are listed on the parks website) but we were able to walk the grounds freely which was nice. There are gates/fencing surrounding the site, which were locked as we went around - but toward the opposite side of the site (where I believe their designated parking lot is? We weren't sure but it looked like their lot) there is an opening where you can walk a gravel path that will take you through the site. It was really cool being able to see the buildings here. Even though the park is nestled in a neighborhood/town, I felt pretty immersed in the history just walking along the paths. We got to see the buildings that George Washington was present in, plus the various monuments that were erected on site. The state parks put up informational signs around the area so we could easily read up on the history. It was a really nice way to get even just a taste of history while we were here, which was perfect for our constricted time frame. If I'm ever traveling this way again, I'd definitely try to make it for a tour of the interiors.

Very nice park to walk around. There are few historic monuments here. Great views. If you are…read morenearby, definitely worth visiting.

Steepletop was poet Edna St Vincent Millay's home before she passed away in 1950. According to the…read morenice man we spoke to here, the Millay Society opened the house and grounds up to the public in 2009-ish. What's here now is the house itself, which is only open for guided tours, the gardens, a small historical gallery with the poet's family tree, photographs, and heirlooms, and a Poetry Trail into the woods, leading to Millay and her family's burial site. Admission was a bit more than I expected, but I'm not sure why (why it surprised me, that is... not why it was more than I thought). Maybe it's just been a while since I've been to a historical site, but it was $10 to view the gallery and grounds; guided tours of the garden or the house would have been $16; and a combination of the two comes to $25. According to the website, reservations are required for the tours. Walking the Poetry Trail alone is free. As you come up East Hill Rd from Rte 22, you'll see the Millay Colony for the Arts on the left. That's not it. Keep going until you see the sign for the Millay Society at Steepletop. The gravel driveway is very tight, but I don't think they get a lot of traffic. There are signs directing you to the side of the house, where you enter and go up some stairs to the office. My friend and I did the gallery/grounds thing. The man working there was amazingly informative and loved to tell us everything he knew, but he was also happy to step back and let us browse on our own. The family tree that sprawled across an entire wall, though it was packed with information, seemed a little chintzy, created with printouts and typed with not always the best grammar -- a bit disappointing for an author's home. In addition to the family history, you can find books from Millay's own collection, a piano she grew up with, a couple of garments -- one real, one a replica -- and a few other family mementos. When we had fully saturated the gallery's displays and our host's brain, he pulled out a big cardboard map to show us the layout of the gardens. It wasn't until then that I realized the building we were in as not the actual Steepletop house. But it was not going to be hard to find. We memorized the map (why they don't have a version you can take with you, I have no idea) and ventured across East Hill Rd and up a soft incline to the house. All we could do was wander around the outside, but we were interested enough to do so. The Millay Society is in the process of restoring both the house and the gardens to their previous condition, and at the moment the gardens are in an odd in-between state where some bits are meticulous and well maintained and others are rustic and overgrown. But the swinging gates, the weather-stained sundial and other stone features, and grassy areas like the one that used to be a circular badminton court all still have a quaint and beautiful feel, even in their disrepair. The swimming pool has seen better days. And hopefully will see better ones to come. One intriguing stop in the garden area was Millay's writing cottage. It's small and musty and was the only building we encountered that didn't have its windows blocked from the inside, so we peeked in. A couple of desks are inside, one with a pile of papers and a composition book. The Poetry Trail is charming. It takes about 20 minutes to roam from the road to the burial area. Every so often, a passage of poetry by Millay appears on a post. The distance between poems is just right for letting the previous one sink in. Eventually we reached the burial site and found Millay and her husband Eugen Boissevain's graves easily enough. Millay's mother, sister, and brother-in-law are supposed to be there, too, but we didn't spot them right away (and it had started raining, so we weren't going to spend much time searching). Millay and Boissevain's flat gravestones were scattered with leaves and fit right into the unmanicured grove. I'm in this area once a year and might try a guided tour at some point. Whether you're a Millay fan or just Millay-curious, this little historic site is worth coming a little bit out of the way to check out.

Things are very much closed up at the home of Edna St Vincent Millay, because of funding issues, I…read morebelieve. They need support in order to re-open, I suspect. Keep an eye out for future chances to experience this stunning site. I hope they get some help from an angel donor or some other source.