Insight Guides: New England by Insight Guides

Author:Insight Guides
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Travel, New England
Publisher: APA
Published: 2015-03-12T16:00:00+00:00

Serenity at Tyler Lake, Goshen.

Kindra Clineff

The Quiet Corner

The Nutmeg State’s relatively unheralded northeastern region has been dubbed the “Quiet Corner.” The best way to enjoy the small, scenic villages is to “shun pike” – avoid the well-traveled highways and explore the meandering byways.

For a small town, Storrs £ [map] has much to offer. The extensive campus of the University of Connecticut is located here, and it encompasses numerous museums. The William Benton Museum of Art (245 Glenbrook Road; tel: 860-486 4520; http://benton.uconn.edu; Tue–Sun; voluntary donation) hosts a wide variety of temporary exhibits during the year. The Connecticut Museum of Natural History (2019 Hillside Road; tel: 860-486 4460; Mon–Fri; voluntary donation) is the repository of a vast collection of Connecticut American Indian, colonial, and industrial artifacts. The Archaeology Center uses “story stations” to integrate Connecticut’s natural and social history. The Ballard Museum of Puppetry (1 Royce Circle; tel: 860-486 8580; Tue–Sun; donation) is a magical place filled with puppets, marionettes, and shadow figures from Bali, Italy, Java, and beyond. The Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts (2132 Hillside Road, UConn campus; tel: 860-486 4226; www.jorgensen.uconn.edu) has a dynamic schedule of classical and contemporary music and dance.

Dip southwest to Coventry and the Nathan Hale Homestead (2299 South Street; tel: 860-742 6917; June–Sept Wed–Sun, May and Oct Sat–Sun), the family home of the official state hero, hanged as a spy by the British in 1776. Adjacent is the 1730 Strong-Porter House Museum (2382 South Street; tel: 860-742 1419; June–Oct Sun; voluntary donation). A reconstructed two-story barn, carriage shed, and carpenter shop give a glimpse into rural life of the times. The museum is particularly proud of their “accurately reconstructed” privy. Willimantic $ [map], is home to the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum (55 Bridge Street; tel: 860-456 9999; May–Oct Sat–Sun). Exhibits housed in vintage railroad buildings include locomotives, rolling stock, and a reconstructed roundhouse.

The Windham Textile and History Museum (411 Main Street; tel: 860-456 2178; Fri–Sun) demonstrates how the experiences of craftspeople, workers, designers, and consumers influenced the technology, immigration, and culture of Connecticut.

To the east in Canterbury, the Prudence Crandall Museum (Junction Routes 14 and 169; tel: 860-546 7800; May–Oct Wed–Sun) was the home of Connecticut’s Official Heroine. In 1833, she admitted an African-American woman to her boarding school. The town reacted by passing a law forbidding her to accept African-American students. She was arrested for refusing to obey the law. When her conviction was overturned, a mob attacked the building, forcing her to close the school and leave Connecticut, eventually settling in Kansas. In 1886, the Connecticut legislature awarded her a pension, while the citizens of Canterbury signed a petition apologizing for their actions.

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