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CTMQ > Middletown

Summer Brook Valley Farm Alpacas (Closed)

October 23, 2012 by Steve 1 Comment

Alpaca? But I Hardly Know Ya Summer Brook Valley Farm Alpacas November 26, 2011 This page is... crazy. Summer Brook closed in 2015 for one, and it goes way too deep into alpaca-dom for some reason. But this is the only alpaca place you'll find on CTMQ, though other similar places are of course still operating in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biology & Geology, Everything Else Tagged With: Animals, Closed/Gone/Former, Damian, Farms, Hoang, Middletown, Zoos

Rockfall Foundation & Col. C.S. Wadsworth Living Museum

December 20, 2011 by Steve 4 Comments

The Rockfall Files Middletown (Google Maps location) May 2011 Connecticut museum visit #204. Perhaps you're not old enough to remember the show that my title alludes to, but if not I have a slightly newer pop culture reference for a secondary title: "Trees Glorious Trees!" Remember those "Cheese, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biology & Geology, Museums Tagged With: Arboreta, Free Museums, Middletown, Not Really a Museum Museum, Trees

Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate

December 15, 2011 by Steve Leave a Comment

It’s a Lovely Building, For What That’s WadsWorth Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate, Middletown (Location) August 2010 Connecticut museum visit #182. My visit to this place came at the end of a full day of traveling around central Connecticut for CTMQ. I had some food stops and a bunch of National … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hikes, Bikes & Paddles, Museums, Town Land Hikes Tagged With: Appointment Only, Free Museums, Historic Houses, Middletown, Not Really a Museum Museum

Shoyoan Teien (Japanese Garden)

June 16, 2011 by Steve Leave a Comment

You Sho Yoan, I’ll Sho You Mine Shoyoan Teien (Japanese Garden at the Mansfield Freeman Center), Middletown May 15, 2011 I’m in the midst of writing up a few of the “official” Historic Gardens of Connecticut, but couldn’t resist doing a page on another, newer – and arguably cooler – garden I’ve recently … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Biology & Geology, Everything Else Tagged With: Colleges & Universities, Gardens, Middletown, Plants, Wesleyan

201. The Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies

June 16, 2011 by Steve Leave a Comment

I Think I’m Turning Japanese, I Really Think So Middletown (Google Maps location) April 23, 2011 Being married to a (south)east Asian woman and having produced two half-Vietnamese sons with her probably gives me a little more leeway with the Asian jokes than the next WASP guy. Oh, who am I kidding. Aside from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Museums Tagged With: Art, Colleges & Universities, Damian, Free Museums, Gardens, Middletown, Wesleyan

Steamed Cheeseburger at O’Rourke’s Diner

January 19, 2011 by Steve Leave a Comment

O’h, O’kay O’Rourke’s Diner, Middletown If you’ve read any of my other burger reviews you know that I generally don’t eat beef. I always mention that because I don’t want people to think my (often) negative reviews should be seriously considered. What the heck do I know? Well, for once I can report that I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Best, Unique, & Historic Restaurants & Foods, Classic Diners & True Taverns, Food & Drink Tagged With: Classic Diners, Middletown, o'rourke's Diner, restaurants, Roadfood's Eat Before You Die, steamed cheeseburger

NHL: Samuel Wadsworth Russell House

February 18, 2010 by Steve Leave a Comment

Samuel Wadsworth Russell House National Historic Landmark 350 High Street, Middletown, quasi-public Now this place just looks like a National Historic Landmark. I’d stopped by in the midst of my Middletown Heritage Trail experience and wussed out on poking around inside. Now I know I should have… Especially … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, National "Stuff" Tagged With: Colleges & Universities, Historic Houses, Middletown, National Historic Landmarks, Wesleyan

NHL: Richard Alsop IV House

February 18, 2010 by Steve Leave a Comment

Richard Alsop IV House National Historic Landmark 301 High St., Middletown (House is owned by Wesleyan and you can maybe check it out with a guide) Funny – I’ve been inside this NHL and had no idea. You see, Wesleyan’s Davison Art Center is located inside this beautiful old house, and I visited that a while … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, National "Stuff" Tagged With: Colleges & Universities, Historic Houses, Middletown, National Historic Landmarks, Wesleyan

The World’s Largest Jack-in-the-Box (Gone)

August 2, 2009 by Steve Leave a Comment

The Stuff of Nightmares Wild Bill's Nostalgia Center, Middletown Wild Bill's closed in 2018. If you haven't already, Wild Bill's you can read about my visits the store here. Oh - and don't forget about the world's largest Wacky Wobbler, which you can read about here. Now it's time for the best Wild Bill … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, Houses, Communities, Libraries, & Businesses, Superlatives Tagged With: Closed/Gone/Former, Largests Longests Mosts Smallests and Tallests, Middletown, Other Companies and Businesses

The World’s Largest Wacky Wobbler (Gone)

August 2, 2009 by Steve Leave a Comment

It's a Giant Head. It Wobbles. Wild Bill's Nostalgia Center, Middletown Wild Bill's closed in 2018. I don't get it. But this is apparently a big deal to a certain segment of our society. I'll admit I find the World's Largest Jack-in-the-Box really, really cool - and that's also here, at Wild Bill's wacky … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Everything Else, Houses, Communities, Libraries, & Businesses, Superlatives Tagged With: Closed/Gone/Former, Largests Longests Mosts Smallests and Tallests, Middletown, Other Companies and Businesses

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