Some of the towns in Connecticut are ridiculously old. What is now Wallingford was added onto the…read moreNew Haven Colony over 350 years ago. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has the same inscription on both sides, and is located on a strip of grass in Wallingford's downtown near the intersection of North Main Street and Center Street. It was dedicated in 1976 and the blue paint and white lettering are overall in pretty good shape, but there is small areas of peeling at the top left and a larger peeled section at the top right. The inscription is not one of the more scintillating ones I have read. Judge for yourself -- Wallingford This territory was purchased by the New Haven Colony in 1638 from Montowese, son of an Indian sachem. It was named after Wallingford, England, and was settled in 1670 by planters from New Haven and Stratford. Its boundaries originally encompassed present-day Cheshire, Meriden, and part of Prospect. From 1766 when the "True Sons of Liberty" order was formed in the town, the cause of liberty was of foremost importance. A native son, Dr. Lyman Hall, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Originally agricultural, the town has made a lasting name for itself through the development of the silverware industry. Erected by the Town of Wallingford the Wallingford Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1976

Easily 5 stars! This…read morebeautiful World War I Monument is distinguished by two very distinctive features. The first is a large sculpted bronze panel with five marching soldiers and sailors carrying flags. The other prominent feature is a fierce looking bronze eagle with its wings raised in flight. That eagle is pretty fierce looking! Dedicated in 2006, the memorial has a three-panel granite base with a bronze plaque on each panel. The side plaques list about 500 names of Wallingford residents that fought in the Great War. Some of the names are marked by an asterisk, and we know what that means, don't we? The center panel is the real show-stopper here. There is a large inscription that reads: Dedicated in Honor and In Memory of Those Men And Women from Wallingford Who Served in the World War. 1917 - 1918 Above the inscription is that stunning sculpted panel of the five marching servicemen. And above that panel is the fierce looking eagle. It's a very impressive, original, and gorgeous monument.

All time FAVORITES!!! For every occasion and mood!!! Like literally happy sad depressed and…read moreexcited!! Come here and relax it's so beautiful! They have safety rails now too lol

I came here on a fall afternoon as the sun was setting. It's a bit of a drive up to the castle from…read morethe entrance of the park but not too bad- about 10-15 minutes. I like that there are stairs inside the castle. What a beautiful view from the top! The foliage was a bit past peak but still gorgeous. It was windy and chilly but totally worth the views!

"The Soft Parade has now begun Listen to the engines hum…read morePeople out to have some fun A cobra on my left Leopard on my right" (The Soft Parade by the Doors) Jim Morrison's bizarre lyrics really seem to fit this bizarre marker. I've seen a lot of the State of CT Historical Markers, but never before one that celebrates a parade. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has the same inscription on both sides, and is located in the heart of Wallingford's central business district near 23 South Main Street. It's in excellent condition with a bright blue background and crisp white lettering. The marker is dated 1992. The full inscription reads: The Parade Ground Few things better symbolize the history and evolution of a New England town than the town green. Set aside as the town "common" in the original 1670 plan of development, Wallingford's town green, or "Parade Ground," is as old as the community itself. In those early days the community centered round North and South Main Streets. By placing the town common and adjacent meetinghouse here, Puritan founders hoped to symbolize the shared values, goals, idea, and beliefs which had spurred their migration to the New World and which now guided this new community. During the nineteenth century, local industrialists built stately homes along Main Street and a commercial district along Center Street. The town green became a central park for the bustling urban center. Today those two purposes are united with the town green serving as both a park and a symbol of the community. Erected by Wallingford Visitors Council 1992

The tour is about 45 minutes long and it's just ok. It's more about the life of Dr. Harvey Cushing,…read morethe egomaniac who collected brains, than a review of the brains on display. It's free and it should be. Parking is around the corner and $6 for two hours.

What an amazing person to have collected such a unique collection on his undergraduate years of…read morestudy! Highly recommend going and thanking your tour guide if you have one with you- it's not exactly a cheerful place! Try going at the less busy times if possible! Yale also has other great architecture to see, mainly the gothic architecture that was originally modeled after Oxford. Trying to get a sense of the history behind the buildings may very well bring you to the Cushing Center and other places like it! Cameras are allowed so feel free to bring them!

A really nice, out-of-the way park in a bucolic setting. The museum and restrooms were closed…read more(seasonal?), but there were lots and lots of joggers, walkers, bike riders, dog walkers, and roller bladers. The main path, which parallels the old lock, is paved, at least as far as we went in. Beautiful day, with plenty of outdoor benches. Only graffiti I saw was on wooden bridge by caretaker's house. A'hole(s). Otherwise, no litter, and well maintained.

So, the Lock 12 Historical Park is separate from the Farmington Canal Trail, it is a historical…read morepark just off of the trail in Cheshire. It is a pretty park, with bathroom facilities, but all of it could use a little bit of TLC. There aren't any interpretive signs to speak of explaining about the canal's history or even explaining the lock that is here. The lock itself is a bit overgrown and in need of restoration. The bathrooms are nice but could be in better condition. It really could be and should be more than it is, hopefully the town could put some funding into this park for improvements. It's a nice place to stop to use the bathroom, but not any sort of park that I would consider a destination in and of itself. And most important: being that how it's located just off a bicycle trail, there are no bike racks. That's a big oversight, IMO.

Another great example of some of the weird stuff you'll find in just about any town…read more This tower was built back in 1925 and it controlled downtown traffic for over 40 years. It was located at a 4-corner intersection, so it had red, yellow, and green lights on all four sides. A guy used to climb up into the tower with a ladder and he manually operated the lights. The full history of this strange contraption can be found on the detailed plaque at the base. The inscription reads: Meriden's Traffic Tower Erected on September 21, 1925, Meriden's Traffic Tower was an innovative traffic control device designed to provide safe travel for the vehicles and pedestrians of the growing city. The unique character of the tower quickly made it a local landmark and a symbol of the city. The traffic tower's original location, a short distance north of this site was in an area rich in historical significance for both Meriden and Connecticut. One of the earliest colonial roads ran through the area that is now downtown Meriden and in 1784 Connecticut's first stage coach ran from Hartford to New Haven passing through Meriden from Cook Avenue to West Main Street and along Colony Street. In the 1930's the Meriden Daily Journal ran a daily news column entitled "The Traffic Tower" indicating the tower's popularity as a city landmark. During World War II Meriden servicemen received a monthly "News From Home" bulletin which carried a picture of the traffic tower as a reminder of home. On May 22, 1967, after 42 years of successful operation, the traffic tower was retired from service to make way for modern traffic control devices. However, the memories associated with the tower and the symbolic value it had gained remained in the hearts and minds of many. Accordingly, in 1974 the tower was purchased by Kogut Enterprises and renovated through the efforts of the Union - Parker Co. and the American National Bank. In 1981, through the efforts of the Pride in Meriden Committee, the traffic tower was replaced near its original location at the intersection of Colony and West Main Streets. As part of Meriden's downtown revitalization the city has chosen to restore the traffic tower and provide it a place of dignity and prominence in the city's new downtown. From this place the traffic tower can continue to serve as an important symbol of the industry, innovation, values and community spirit of a city with a great past and a promising future. October 1993

You don't see that many memorials solely dedicated to the 1898-1902 Spanish-American War, but you…read morewill find this striking monument on a strip of grass in downtown Meriden. I did some research on this monument and learned something about the veterans who fought in the war that won America the lands of Guam, Puerto Rico, and (temporarily) Cuba. World War II soldiers were called "GI Joes", World War One vets were "doughboys", and Spanish-American War vets were called "hikers". There are many variations of a hiker statue across the country commemorating that war -in fact I saw a similar one in Bristol. The Meriden statue portrays a hiker in the uniform of his day -long boots, a wide brimmed hat, his shirt sleeves rolled up, and a rifle held across his body at waist level. A plaque lists approximately 200 names of local men that served in the war. The inscription over the names reads " This memorial presented by the City of Meriden to the veterans of the Spanish American War". The plaque is getting hard to read, and the statue is showing obvious signs of age. Check out the hiker's face -it's an awesome statue.

If you're not paying attention as you drive in downtown Meriden, you might be startled at the sight…read moreof this gigantic monument that rises from the median strip on Broad Street like an approaching Godzilla. Dedicated in 1930, I'd say it's 35 feet or so tall. The main obelisk looks to be carved out of stone. On the monument's base are four gorgeous sculptures that represent an infantry soldier, a marine, a sailor and a nurse. The statues are amazing and very life-like. The crowning touch on this monument is at it's highest point. At the very top sits an eagle with his wings fully spread as if in flight. The base is inscribed with hundreds of names. There's an inscription on the base that reads, "Dedicated to those from Meriden who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of their country during the World War 1917-1918."

This trail is about 4miles give or take there and back. There are benches along the way and two…read morebridges going over the water and one tunnel under the highway. It does flood under that bridge if raining a lot. There is a sign that says flood zone turn around don't drown or something like that. I can walk the whole thing in about 45 minutes. And there are a few little tails off it into the woods but they don't really loop and you have to turn around and come right back. You cal also park at either end.

"Oh, Suzie Q Baby, I love you, Suzie Q"…read more(Creedence Clearwater Revival) The indigenous people's word "Quinnipiac" roughly translates into English as "long-water people". The Q River is 38 miles long, and you'll get a gorgeous view of it from the bridge on the Quinnipiac Linear Trail. We had a lovely hike on the trail today, as did dozens of friendly walkers who smiled and waved to us as we walked from the main parking lot to the bridge and back. It was a very easy low impact walk of about two miles round trip. The trail is flat, paved, and very wide -at least fifteen feet wide. There were a few side trails marked by fresh mulch or wood shavings if you want to go off the beaten path. We saw plenty of interesting things on our walk - basketball courts, a wood walkway over some wetlands, several informational kiosks, a Lending library with a box of Narcan Nasal Spray prominently on display up front, a labyrinth, and scenic views of the Merrit Parkway which at times seemed about 50 feet from the trail. One other interesting but infuriating thing we saw was a collection of red, black, and blue knotted bags of dog doody that was neatly stacked around a Pet Waste station just under a sign that read "Please Keep This Area Clean".