A Desire Named Streetcar East Windsor (Google Maps location) June 14, 2014 The Connecticut Trolley Museum's current slogan is, "Where History Moves You." And I think that's pretty great. For me and my boys, that slogan only has literal meaning; that is, we took a 3-mile historic trolley ride through the wilds of … [Read more...]
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Holy Apostles College
Holy Snappers Holy Apostles College & Seminary Cromwell Y'know... every so often you do something weird. And if by "you" I mean me, it's more than "every so often." Case in point: "Hey boys, let's go check out the fun at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell!" The poor dears had no idea what any of … [Read more...]
Essex Shad Bake
Don’t Be Shad Annual Shad Bake, Essex June 2, 20017 If you’re reading this, you likely know that the humble shad is Connecticut’s state fish. You’re probably aware that shad runs in the Connecticut River used to support a huge shad industry. And you may have even eaten shad or its roe. (Growing up, I think … [Read more...]
Christmas Village
HO-HO-HO... NO-NO-NO Christmas Village, Torrington December 2017 I do not like lines. I avoid them at all costs. If you read everything I ever write on CTMQ, you’ve noticed that I’ve done my best to avoid lines at the places in Connecticut with lines: Sally’s Apizza, Pepe’s Pizza, Lake Compounce, and a few … [Read more...]
Wood Memorial Gingerbread House Festival
Oh Snap! Wood Memorial Library Gingerbread House Festival, South Windsor November 28, 2014 I have no idea how many gingerbread house festivals there are in Connecticut, let alone New England, but I'm still confident that this one is one of the largest around. How can I be so confident? For one, I stay on … [Read more...]
Stafford Motor Speedway
The Finish Line! Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford August 11, 2017 A couple things to preface this page: 1. I had a really fun time at the Stafford Motor Speedway. 2. This was, in part, due to the fact that it marked my final visit in Stafford. I've completely completed the town! That’s right, … [Read more...]
Fire & Ice Festival
Melting Superlatives Putnam February 11, 2017 When Putnam was mentioned as one of the towns I was close to completing, someone commented on the CTMQ facebook page that I simply must get out there for the town’s annual Fire & Ice Festival. I was initially skeptical, as I don’t really go to every town … [Read more...]
Wickham Park Train
This Place Has Everything Wickham Park Trains, Manchester April 2017 I have been to Wickham Park over a half dozen times over the last decade and had never seen the outdoor model train set up. It’s fairly new and it is located in the Sensory Garden. Maybe I’ve just been avoiding the Sensory Garden in favor of … [Read more...]
Buckland Hills Carousel
Bucked at Buckland... But Saved Two Bucks The Carousel at The Shoppes at Buckland Hills, Manchester February 19, 2017 Lame. Shame on Buckland Hills Mall. The boys and I arrived around 11:45 on a Sunday. We ate some horrific slices of "pizza" from Sbarro, just killing time until the carousel was to open at … [Read more...]
Wintonbury Flying Club
Fly me to the Moon Wintonbury Flying Club Fly-In, Bloomfield September 2015 You can take a nice hike around this place too. I won't pretend for one second to understand the first thing about the world of giant radio controlled airplanes. All I know is that a bunch of people love this hobby, some of the planes … [Read more...]