Disappearing Act Southington After a very brief existence, this museum closed in... 2020? Ish? At least I'm pretty sure it's closed. I've reached out to David Mirto, the owner, funder, collector, teacher, and showman responsible for this place through a variety of means a number of times over the course of … [Read more...]
Southington Community Cultural Arts Center
This Place is So... So... SoCCAC! Southington, (Google Maps location) March 24, 2018 Every town in Connecticut with a population over 40,000 should have a place like the Southington Community Cultural Arts Center. Many do, of course, but not enough. The arts are integral to a healthy society, and - what's that? … [Read more...]
Southington Historical Center
Typical Nuts and Bolts Town History Museum Southington, (Google Maps location) March 24, 2018 Southington is a nice town. Nothing wrong with it at all. It has a nice mix of development and forests and fields. It's famous for its apple orchards. Quick access to interstates. An excellent historical society. But for … [Read more...]
Rosie’s Royal Chocolates
Where Snacks Get the Royal Treatment Rosie's Royal Chocolates, Southington April 2022 We live in an age of repurposing empty factories. These buildings are very often hulking ugly brick structures with massive open floors and giant windows. Some have become loft apartment buildings, some now house breweries or … [Read more...]
The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
Boooo! The Haunting in Connecticut, 2009 Straight up: I'm not a horror film fan. Sure, there are a few I've liked. From the campy fun (Evil Dead) to the cool (The Ring) to the not-really-horror (Get Out). By and large, they're all terrible. I simply don't enjoy torture and gore and cheap scares. The … [Read more...]
Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Intro
Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Massachusetts border (Suffield) to New Haven The summer of 2020 - the pandemic summer of 2020 - sort of forced my son Calvin and I to begin riding Connecticut's rails-to-trails in earnest. Nothing was open for visits in any normal way, so why not ride our bikes. Unfortunately, Calvin … [Read more...]
CTMQ’s Guide to Southington
Everything Southington I’ve been exploring and writing about Connecticut since 2006. After a decade, I began compiling CTMQ guides for each town in the state. I plan on “completing” Southington CTMQ-style... as well as the other 168 towns, cities, and boroughs in Connecticut. That is the ultimate goal of CTMQ. … [Read more...]
Southington’s Town Trails
Southington's Town Trails If you read Southington's Wiki entry or the town's website, you'll note that the bedroom community is described as being in between two mountain ranges. And while that's technically true, if you were standing in the center of town, you would hardly notice either. But hey, there's a … [Read more...]
Southington Land Conservation Trust
Southington Land Conservation Trust Queen Street. I-84. I-84. Queen Street. I know some Southington residents who are pretty darn happy with their town, and probably don't want outsiders like me urging people to check out the town beyond the major thoroughfares. Well, tough. The town owns and maintains a … [Read more...]
444. Milldale Train Depot Museum
It Happened to Me Southington (Google Maps location) June 22, 2019 Historic preservation is a funny thing. A lot of what gets saved is obvious, but a lot is not. Take, for instance, the Milldale Train Depot, a tiny little building in Southington not unlike hundreds, if not thousands, of very similar little depot … [Read more...]