Bizarre with a capital "B"…read more There is a Timexpo Museum in Waterbury that tells the story of the Timex company, and the history of watches and time. But as important as that might be, they are nothing when compared to the totally cool 40' tall Easter Island Moai statue that graces a strip of grass in front of the museum. What exactly this statue has to do with the history of time, I don't know. What I do know is this- I pity the poor drunken fool who might be unfortunate enough to be stumbling down Union Street when he glances up and sees this 40 foot tall beast blocking his path. I think that would sober up our poor guy pretty fast.

Discover the Easter Island Moai…read more Forget your bucket list. Don't wait till you can't climb the hill at the quarry to one of the world's most amazing places, Rano Raraku on isolated Easter Island. A giant Moai is waiting to be freed from a thousand years of captivity. What was the last carver's thoughts as he walked away from his final creation? Take a flight or a cruise to French Polynesia and visit Easter Island. Sign up with Tiare Edmunds of Easter Island Guides for a one or two or day tour and see what time left behind. Tiare is the only Rapanui native guide with direct descendents to the original natives. She leads you on an adventure back in time in her air conditioned vehicle. Easter Island is situated on a triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific over 2,000 miles from Tahiti and Chile. It's a living outdoor museum and Tiare has the E ticket pass. We were picked up at the pier and spent two incredible days exploring and learning about what might of happened to a thriving culture that almost lead to extinction. While historically no one knows exactly what happened to leave behind over 900 massive Moai, Tiare will help you understand the culture and the people. She also brought along a picnic lunch on both days of arugula from her garden on fresh sandwiches and olives and Rapa Nui locally brewed beer. What a treat. Looking out over the ocean, drinking a cold beer, having a great lunch and talking with a real local historian about her family's history. A truly memorable time. Don't wait.

I did not come to tour the museum, but did get to see part of it as part of a hearth cooking class…read more The Stanley-Whitman is part original house arranged how it may have been with the original owners, and part new structure with a gift shop and modern restrooms. There is also an herb garden outside, and an apple tree grown based on the teachings of Benjamin Franklin. Apparently having fruit took more than a grocery store way back when. The house is very interesting to experience. Everything was smaller back then, and cooking was a task and a half. The employees/docents are obviously learned about their subjects, and you'll learn a lot. Definitely check out their special programs - parking may be a challenge (so carpool!) but if they're food related they'll be delicious.

Stopped in for a short tour during the day. The docent was very knowledgeable. It's a small place…read morebut tons of information. Great way to spend an hour.

I found this park while Geocaching (there is one there!), and it's a nice quiet space off a busy…read moreroad. There are multiple benches along a little path waving through this spot of greenery. Two large trees provide shade in the summer (I imagine, I was there in solid winter), and there are monuments to those Plainville lost in conflict. The newest seems to be dedicated to Gold Star Families who lost their loved ones. There are also monuments to the Civil War, WWI and WWII, the Persian Gulf, and Vietnam and Korea. There is one hour parking behind the park off Maple Street, and municipal parking across the street as well.

Running through Bristol, there's a stretch of Route 72 named Memorial Boulevard. It's pretty much…read morebetween Main Street and Blakeslee Avenue. It's a lovely area with parkland and trails on both sides of the road. Memorial Boulevard is quite the appropriate name for this stretch, because the grassy areas bisected by the boulevard contain eight monuments honoring veterans from the Revolutionary War through Vietnam. This review is about one of those monuments; but trust me, this gets confusing. "The Hiker" statue is a copy of a pre-existing statue depicting a soldier from one war, but it's dedicated to the soldiers of a different war. Confused? Yeah, I was too. Let me explain. This "Hiker Statue" on Memorial Boulevard is a 1983 replica of the same statue used in Bristol's 1929 Spanish American War monument over on Park Street at Muzzy Field. When the Memorial Boulevard version was dedicated in 1983, it was meant to honor all soldiers killed in WW II. It's a very detailed bronze statue of a Spanish American War soldier hiking with a rifle held in his right arm. He's dressed in the manner of his time (1898), wearing a wide brimmed hat, a military jacket, and knee high boots. Check out the jaunty angle of his hat. He looks like a bad-ass Indiana Jones. The plaque's inscription reads: The Hiker Spanish American War Soldier Given By The Vanesse Family In Memory Of Deceased World War II Veterans November 12, 1984

Memorial Boulevard Park is a beautiful spot both to walk your dog, or just to walk through by…read moreyourself. One of the parking lots has a large picnic table if you just want to stop by for a quick bite instead of eating your car or at work. All in all, it is maintained beautifully MOST of the time. BUT Bristol's goose population keeps getting bigger & bigger and they do have a hard time occasionally, keeping up with the droppings, mostly near the East end of the park (by the pond). It is usually very well maintained though. If you walk around the whole three to four block area, it's approximately 2 miles from Barnes Spring to Downes Street. Personally, since getting my high energy doggie, just from walking this area, I've lost 52 lbs (& have clocked 1350 mi per my GPS). It's especially beautiful in the Spring & Fall!!

The Old Stone Schoolhouse, at Red Oak Hill and Coppermine roads, was a schoolhouse from 1790 to…read more1872. From 1875 to 1956, it was used as a chapel. The building is now owned by the Farmington Historical Society. Exhibits feature the history of Farmington and the surrounding area. It is open for tours each summer on Sundays during July and August. It is also the site of the annual Scarecrow Contest held in October.

It's famous for clock making…read more It's famous for lock making It's the final resting place for dozens of veterans of America's two wars of the 1700's. These are some of the interesting facts inscribed on this one sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It's located on the front wall of the Plymouth Historical Society on Route 6. Dedicated in 1979, the marker is in pretty good condition, but I can't say the same about the overgrown shrubbery in front of the building that does a real good job of hiding the lower portion of the marker. Hint to the Historical Society- invest in a good Weed Whacker, please? The full inscription reads: Plymouth First settled in the 1720's on land acquired from the Tunxis Indians, the Town of Plymouth, originally named Northbury, was incorporated in 1795. It includes the communities of Plymouth, Terryville, Pequabuck (formerly Susanville), East Church, and Greystone. In 1793 Eli Terry began making clocks in Plymouth, a craft carried on by his three sons, notably Eli Terry, Jr., for whom Terryville was named. The 1830's here saw the beginning of lock making, which became a major enterprise with the formation of the Eagle Lock Company in 1854, active until it closed in 1975. In 1847 a grandson of Eli Terry began the casting of malleable iron, a business still operative. Modern industries include agriculture, metal and wood products, meters, plastics, dies, pumps, chemicals, electrical equipment, and computers. In the old cemetery adjacent to Plymouth Green lie the graves of forty-one veterans of the French & Indian and Revolutionary Wars. Erected by the Town of Plymouth the Plymouth Historical Society, Inc. and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1979