The Roseland Cottage is truly a beautiful historical gem in CT! I recently took a tour of the house…read moreand it was super interesting. Though the grounds are always open to visitors, guided tours of the house are only available June through mid-October, Thursday-Sunday from 11AM-3PM, every hour on the hour. Timed tickets can be purchased online in advance (and this is recommended). Adult admission is $20. Once I arrived, I was greeted by staff who were very friendly. The tour guide, MaryLou, took me through the house and explained the history of Henry Bowen (the original resident of the house) and his family. She was extremely knowledgeable and it was very interesting! The tour was supposed to last around an hour, but she went for about an hour and 15 minutes. After the tour you are free to roam the grounds and take photos, and there's also a small gift shop. Non-flash photography is allowed inside the house, but no video. Overall I found this to be a really beautiful historical spot in Woodstock, CT and would definitely recommend taking a tour!

My husband and I had our wedding here, the place was absolutely beautiful and that is the only…read morething that made the venue worth it. Laurie the women who handles Roseland cottage, on the other hand ended up being a bit difficult as our wedding got closer and closer. Sadly on the rehearsal day and wedding day she was rude and did things that we did not agree upon or said she wasn't going to do. She made herself seem understanding up until those days. She gave me sass remarks and honestly made the rehearsal day and wedding day more stressful. The only thing that made it worth it, like I said, was the beautiful venue. But Laurie in the end did make things feel way more stressful and difficult. Our catering was wonderful though, I could not have asked to better catering. They handled Laurie and everything else with class. Thank you renees Bistro.

Perfect day for a cemetary stroll. Very peaceful with some graves dating to the 1800s. The tower is…read morerather impressive. Would love to see it's twin in Ireland some day.

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO! A FREE EVENT & FREE PARKING! This is one of the Secret Hidden Gems of…read moreAmerica that most people have never heard of or been to before, If you love Castles, Towers & the Fairytale Rapunzel or the Disney movie Tangled then you'll be excited about our journey today. It's Time to jump into The TimeMobile & scour the Earth & take you to places from a different time that you won't believe still exist. We have set the dial to the 1890's in the town of Milford MA about an hour outside of Boston. We've landed at this Beautiful Irish Round Tower that conjures up images from a bygone era. The Tower looks like it has been plucked from medieval times from thousands of miles across the Pond in Ireland. IT IS BEAUTIFUL! Father Patrick Cuddihy envisioned an Irish Round Tower as the centerpiece of a new cemetery when the land was purchased in 1890 for the Catholics of Saint Mary's Parish in Milford. Travelers from all over the globe spend thousands of dollars & travel to Ireland to see The Irish Round Towers. There is one Irish Tower in particular called The Devenish round tower & is located in County Fermanagh on an island located on Lower Lough Erne Lake. The Round Irish Tower in Milford is almost an exact replica with the same look, design & height as the The Devenish Tower in Ireland. It is made out of Granite from the Milford quarry. It stands tall over the graves of thousands of Irish immigrants who were buried in the cemetery. They are laid to rest in an Irish setting that mimics the architecture & land of Ireland. You might wonder why did Fr. Cuddihy build this tower? The answer can be found in his obituary "It may be folly - yet when you and I have passed away, the Irish in America will make a pilgrimage to the Irish Round Tower at Milford." Now although it was very popular in its day this has now fallen completely under the radar. Now just about everyone has heard of the German Fairy Tale Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm, but have no idea that a Rapunzel like Tower even exists here in America. The Milford Round Tower was the only one of its kind in the whole USA for decades & only a few Irish Towers in the whole world even exist outside of Ireland. In 2003 The Tower at Castleton Lyons Farm was built in Kentucky to be an exact replica of the round tower at the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary Ireland. So now there are 2 Irish Round Towers in the US. The Milford one is well over a hundred years older than the one in Kentucky. It represents a unique granite architectural wonder that pays tribute to Father Cuddihy vision of an Irish Tower in America without going overseas. The 1978 East German stamps of Rapunzel look just like the Devenish Tower in Ireland & the one in Milford MA. I have posted the stamp pictures for you to see too. Just so you know the door to the Tower is locked so you can't venture to the top! In addition, behind the Irish round tower there is a small pond & benches with pine trees in the background that makes a peaceful place to pray, meditate & explore the grounds. On the other side there is a mysterious cave like structure that resembles a catacomb. Across the street there is a public park and free parking. You really wouldn't expect to see an Irish Round Tower or a Rapunzel Tower at a cemetery, but that's where it is - a True Hidden Gem. To make it really worth your trip in the area check out The Moon Tree a tree that went to the Moon & The Largest Rosary Beads in the World both in Holliston. All of these are Freebies as well. It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

The Town's namesake was General Israel Putnam. He lived quite an epic life. As a young man he…read morecrawled into a wolf den and killed a wolf, during the French and Indian War he was almost burned at the stake by Indians, he survived a shipwreck, and he was a hero at the Battle of Bunker Hill. This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The same text appears on both sides. It's located in a very pretty landscaped section of Putnam Rotary Park overlooking a pond, which seems bizarre when you consider the deplorable condition of the marker itself - peeling paint, fading, streaking...you name it and its happening here. The marker was dedicated in 1975. It deserves to be in far better condition.

I have to agree that the marker itself is in bad shape. But the landscaping and location in Rotary…read morePark around it is pretty good. The marker itself is on a little hill overlooking the Quinebaug River and one of the simple highlights of the River Walk.

Benefit Street is a nice little walk and The Shunned House is a sweet little surprise. What I like…read moreabout The Shunned House is that you would have NO CLUE that this house was significant amongst the others in the surrounding areas. The armory down the street stands out a lot more than the lil house that HPLovecraft wrote about. Still it's a great side trip that will only take seconds out of your day if you are in or around the colleges in the area. This is obviously a residence and they have since named the house after someone but you can see the wall that used to be used as the front of the house and the descriptions stand strong in Lovecraft's writing. No big deal but I liked being there and seeing it.

I was going to write about this curiousity, but I realized I couldn't do any better than what…read morebrought me in the first place: "The house was--and for that matter still is--of a kind to attract the attention of the curious. Originally a farm or semi-farm building, it followed the average New England colonial lines of the middle eighteenth century--the prosperous peaked-roof sort, with two stories and dormerless attic, and with the Georgian doorway and interior panelling dictated by the progress of taste at that time. It faced south, with one gable end buried to the lower windows in the eastward rising hill, and the other exposed to the foundations toward the street. Its construction, over a century and a half ago, had followed the grading and straightening of the road in that especial vicinity; for Benefit Street--at first called Back Street--was laid out as a lane winding amongst the graveyards of the first settlers, and straightened only when the removal of the bodies to the North Burial Ground made it decently possible to cut through the old family plots. "At the start, the western wall had lain some twenty feet up a precipitous lawn from the roadway; but a widening of the street at about the time of the Revolution sheared off most of the intervening space, exposing the foundations so that a brick basement wall had to be made, giving the deep cellar a street frontage with door and two windows above ground, close to the new line of public travel. When the sidewalk was laid out a century ago the last of the intervening space was removed; and Poe in his walks must have seen only a sheer ascent of dull grey brick flush with the sidewalk and surmounted at a height of ten feet by the antique shingled bulk of the house proper. "The farm-like grounds extended back very deeply up the hill, almost to Wheaton Street. The space south of the house, abutting on Benefit Street, was of course greatly above the existing sidewalk level, forming a terrace bounded by a high bank wall of damp, mossy stone pierced by a steep flight of narrow steps which led inward between canyon-like surfaces to the upper region of mangy lawn, rheumy brick walls, and neglected gardens whose dismantled cement urns, rusted kettles fallen from tripods of knotty sticks, and similar paraphernalia set off the weather-beaten front door with its broken fanlight, rotting Ionic pilasters, and wormy triangular pediment. "What I heard in my youth about the shunned house was merely that people died there in alarmingly great numbers. That, I was told, was why the original owners had moved out some twenty years after building the place. It was plainly unhealthy, perhaps because of the dampness and fungous growth in the cellar, the general sickish smell, the draughts of the hallways, or the quality of the well and pump water. These things were bad enough, and these were all that gained belief among the persons whom I knew. Only the notebooks of my antiquarian uncle, Dr. Elihu Whipple, revealed to me at length the darker, vaguer surmises which formed an undercurrent of folklore among old-time servants and humble folk; surmises which never travelled far, and which were largely forgotten when Providence grew to be a metropolis with a shifting modern population." H.P. Lovecraft, The Shunned House Be mindful that this is a private residence. Please be respectful.

Good. Had a good time looking at the old buildings and seeing the tools that they used.read more

Ready for an adventure kiddies? Then come to Fall River and see the aging ruins of the Old Fall…read moreRiver Ice House. But please, be discreet. Signs around the entryway state that fishing, boating, swimming and camping are strictly prohibited. But ever since I was a child I always wondered what the old Medieval looking ruin had to offer the not so faint of heart. Now as an adult literalist, I interpret the absence of a no trespassing order as something akin to an invitation. One side of the structure can be seen on the right while driving north on Route 24 coming from 195. Take exit 5 and follow Eastern Avenue then take a left onto New Boston Road. At the end, turn left onto Willow Street which turns into Ruth Street (over the freeway) and then Meridian Street (in a very short distance). Park on Hannah Street or Bergeron Street and then walk back toward whence you drove and go around the left of the fence across the road. What awaits you on the other side is a lonesome path long neglected over time. Weeds and trees flourish between cracks in the crumbling asphalt. Once past the noise from the street, an eerie quiet sets in. A short walk will lead you to the northern shores of the pond. Continue along and watch for the ruins on the right. Inside you will find excellent photo opportunities and a remarkable example of structural decay and a forest gradually reclaiming lost ground. Vines ensnare the surrounding trees and creep alongside the walls of the massive building. The colossal inner chambers are full of trees and enormous stones that have given way to time. Interesting exterior brickwork nestled among stones can be seen as one moves along the southern edge of the building closer to the shore. One wall bears the scar of what may have been a large lightning strike. Most of the walls have soaring vacancies in the stonework that may have once held windows or doors. Sadly, there is some graffiti, but it's a minor distraction in such an exciting place. After you've had your fill of the ruins, continue along the path and feel the eyes of the forest upon you. Low walls of stone accompany you throughout most of your journey and it would be difficult to get lost. Bear left when the path splits about a half mile after you've gone over the causeway (it can be difficult to discern) and you will eventually return to Meridian Street. Do NOT forget your camera!

Awesome Clam Strips made to order hot fresh tender crispy craggly coating. Good quality tat tar…read moresauce on the side. The Chicken tenders are made fresh not frozen and awesome Hand Cut Fries are sweet and delicious! Well done! Probably best clam strips around . Must try. Highly recommend! Next time will take photos to share

An honest review......Let me start with the positive…read more It's a beautiful place. It's well cared for. Beautifully manicured. Nice plantings and nice things to see. They even have a nice area for kids to play and a little raised up covered deck for live music. A tiny Antiques shop in it's own out building. They had two porta potties that were also clean which was nice. They had picnic tables and little bistro tables set up throughout. Nice plantings and a large boulder painted like a frog. The service was friendly. They were busy. The area was well kept. They had a station for trash and recycling and it was organized. Our order was easily placed through square and my recipt was texted to me. All that was great! Now for the not so great.... Our food. It was flavorless. For four of us: * Bowl of New England clam chowder.... It was very watery. No creaminess and the flavor was meh... boring. There was hardly any clams or potatoes. I ate only half of it and tossed the rest. * onion rings, out of all the items we ordered we liked these the best. They were crispy. And has some flavor. * 3 clam fritters- we're not sure what the batter was, if I were to completely guess, wheat based batter, it was brown inside and out. Doughy inside, crispy on the outside but no flavor, hardly any clams in them. They did LOOK big and nice though. But still, no flavor. We didn't finish them. * mushroom and Swiss burger with fries. Their attempt at home made fries was a nice touch but the fries were soggy. Not crispy. The burger had no flavor but it was juicy. The standard roll was ok. * 1 kids meal burger (with fries) my son only ate the meat and tomato and was also not impressed with the soggy fries. * Texas toast grilled cheese sandwich, the main complaint was there was no flavor. We ordered 1 water and 3 sodas. Our bill was almost $70.00 We did not order icecream like we had originally planned. We went elsewhere. The reason being they only serve icecream in soft serve. And also considering we were not too thrilled with our food. Over all, great atmosphere! It is a nice family place. But the food needs improvement in our opinions. For Atmosphere we give 5 stars For food we give 2 stars. We believe in supporting small businesses. And we give credit where it is due. And give our best honest reviews. We hope that frog rock takes our review as kind criticism. We can clearly see they love their business. But we were not impressed with the food.

Unique place to visit for any out of towners for Worcester. The tower was built 200 years ago. It…read moreis meticulously maintained.

When in Worcester, this is one of those 'Roadside America' type stops you can make. Bancroft Tower…read morea giant 'folly' built to look like a castle. Located at the top of a steep hill, in a neighborhood, it's a pretty impressive site. There was snow on the ground when we visited and the pathways are not shoveled so if you go in winter, wear appropriate footwear. I'm not sure when the gates are unlocked to climb to the top, but there is a staircase and I bet the views from the top are stunning. A small parking area is across the street from the structure. A small sign limits parking to one hour and there is one trash can should you need it. There is also a sign that appears to be at a trailhead but with all the snow it's hard to tell. One word of caution: when we arrived there was one car in the parking area with two persons inside. When we got out of our car they got out of theirs. We walked toward the folly. They walked toward our vehicle. I took photos, but remained near the parking lot because suede shoes and snow do not make a good combination. After taking my photos, I turned around, they were just standing next to my car. As I stared at them, they turned and looked over the edge of the lot down the hill. I walked down the road a piece to get a different angle of the structure and always had my vehicle in view. They eventually got back in their car and drove away without visiting the folly or really even looking at it. After they left I walked over to see if there was anything they could actually be looking at down the hill and no, it was someone's home and a wooded hillside. Nothing there to attract attention. Just a situational awareness 'head up' to visitors. Otherwise, the folly really is lovely and it was decorated for the holidays too. It was a quick visit overall and we were on to the next stop. In summer it might make a good spot to family photos and perhaps a picnic if you bring a blanket to sit on.

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are…read morethese: "It might have been!" (Maud Miller by John Greenleaf Whittier) While not necessarily sad, this is the only marker I have seen that commemorates something that "might have been". It summarizes the early settlement and history of Woodstock, including the questionable statement that Thomas Hooker's party "might" have passed through the area in 1636 on their way to settling Hartford. The marker talks about peaceful encounters with the local Indians, and how the Indians left when King Philip's War erupted, paving the way for 13 settlers to establish the town that became known as Woodstock. The marker is chock full of information including the names of all 13 of the first settlers. The marker is located on the Norwich Worcester Turnpike (Rt. 169), just across the street from Roseland Cottage. It's a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The marker dates to 1980 and is in very good condition. The full inscription reads: Near this place, in 1636, Thomas Hooker and his party may have passed by way of the Connecticut Path, going to settle what is now Hartford. In 1674 John Eliot, Apostel to the Indians, Pastor of the First Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Major Daniel Gookin visited a peaceful encampment of Wabbaquassets living in the vicinity of present-day Woodstock to preach from nearby Eliot Rock, and sought to establish their church among the natives of these lands. King Philip's War broke out in 1675, during which the Wabbaquassets deserted the area. The site was chosen as a place of settlement, and here on April 5, 1686, from Roxbury came Peter Aspinwall John Gore Thomas Bacon Benjamin Griggs Henry Bowen George Griggs Matthew Davis John Marcy John Frizzel Ebenezer Morris Nathaniel Gray Benjamin Sabin Jonathan Smithers known as the Thirteen Goers to found the Town of New Roxbury, the first European settlement in the area that became Windham County. (Continued from other side) Given the name "Woodstock" by Judge Samuel Sewall in 1690 "...because of its nearness to Oxford, for the sake of Queen Elizabeth..." the Town remained a part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony until 1749, when it seceded in favor of becoming a part of the Connecticut Colony. From these hills went Captain, later General, Samuel McClellan following the alarums sounded from Lexington and Concord in 1775, together with 184 men, who responded in a greater number than from any other town in the Colony. Born here were Jedediah Morse, the "father of American geography," and Henry C. Bowen, founder of the INDEPENDENT, a pre-Civil War anti-slavery newspaper; builder of Roseland Cottage; benefactor of Woodstock Academy, founded in 1801; and donor of Roseland Park. The many small rural industries of 19th century Woodstock are now represented by the making of electrical components and plastics in a community mainly agricultural and residential. Erected by the Town of Woodstock the Woodstock Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1980

This very cool sight is located on a small town green between Town Hall Road and Buckley Highway…read more You'll see a big jet-black cannon on a stone base and big pile of cannon balls arranged in a pyramid. The cannon is set on a series of granite slabs that act as the base of a Civil War memorial. There are plaques on the sides of the base, the charter members of Union's D. P. Corbin Post 74 G.A,R, (Grand Army of the Republic), a full roster of Union's Civil War soldiers, and the main marker that reads: In grateful memory, To the mothers who gave their sons To the soldiers who gave their lives and To those who daring to die, survived The War of the Rebellion 1861 - 1865 The monument is from 1902 and the plaques are showing obvious staining and weathering damage.

Very educational, very peaceful and great spot to eat, and sit in the shade on the grassread more