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.

Dedicated in 1884, this is an absolutely beautiful monument. It is a stunning 48 feet tall. It has…read moreornate and incredible detailed sculptures on all sides. I saw an old grizzled exhausted soldier sitting to catch a few minutes of rest. A grim looking citizen soldier holds his rifle in his right hand while his left hand is clenched in a fist of fury. A seated woman holds a book while two children crowd around her. A blacksmith stands tall and proud. The monument is capped by a Greek goddess holding her crown of laurels. There is artwork everywhere- sculpted panels and lamp posts made of rifles. And of course, there are inscribed plaques with the flowery language of the day. One reads: In honor of the patriotism and to perpetuate the memory of the 900 brave men who went forth from this town to fight in the war for the union. This monument has been erected by their townsmen that all who come after them may be mindful of their deeds, and fail not in the day of trial to emulate their example. 1861-1865 Another one reads: Brave men, who rallying at your country's call, Went forth to fight - if Heaven willed, to fall! Returned, ye walk with us through sunnier years, And hear your nation say, God bless you all! Brave men, who yet a heavier burden bore. And came not home to hearts by grief made sore! They call you dead and lo ye grandly live. Shrined in the nation's love forevermore! 1865-1885 So many of Connecticut's old towns have a monument or two like this. They are so easy to overlook, so easy to drive by without even realizing what they are. Look at the statues, look at the sadness in the faces. These are treasures.

This museum is adorable! I came because of a Groupon, and parking may be an issue for events. It…read morewas very limited on the property itself, although there is handicapped parking right next to the main house. Outside there is a barn and old outhouse, and a beautiful garden display. it's very well maintained. The entrance is off the front porch, where you're greeted by a docent or intern. Tours of the house are 20-30 minutes, and it contains so many original items from the original family who owned it (it went right from the last surviving to a museum), and the last generation was into collecting. There's a lot of local history, many dog decorations, and GOBLETS. There's over 1,000 goblets, and most seem to be single styles. They are working on cataloging them. The house is beautiful, and the history is fascinating. If you live in the area, you'll pick up pieces of Southington back in the day. Children would even enjoy seeing the cases of old products and what names they may recognize. And the goblets are breathtaking. This is a great value museum! (They also sell postcards for a great price)

This guy never…read more threw out anything The Barnes Museum, formerly known as the Bradley Homestead, is a cool old house that serves as a historical library and is open to the public. It was built in 1836 and for five bucks you get to see and hear about another time and way of life. The first thing you notice once you are inside the house is that there is a lot of stuff. Lots of lots of stuff. All kinds of stuff. Stuff everywhere. It turns out Bradley Barnes, a son of the original builder of the house never threw out anything. He collected and kept all kinds of stuff. Some very cool stuff but also a lot of crap. It seems every single receipt, letter, photo, magazine, toy, knick knack and doo dad he every owned he kept. Perhaps some serious OCD going on there. It almost seemed like he knew the house was going to be a museum and wanted it well stocked with stuff. Of course all this stuff makes the house interesting to tour. The lady bringing us around seemed to know exactly what every single piece in the house was and where it came from. Pretty cool and amazing. All the stuff isn't from Bradley or from one temporal moment. Leela Barnes, Bradley's wife was a prolific painter and many of her paintings are scattered throughout the domicile. She also had many collections and also seem to keep just about everything she ever owned. You can definitely see what the attraction between these two was The house was being lived in until the 1970's when it was donated to the town so there were modifications and changes to the original structure and items from different decades. Going through the place is almost like a walk through time. Shifting back and forth through different years ands individuals. Of course you inevitable go back to Bradley's stuff. A great old house that is in absolutely pristine condition. It's filled with lots of very cool and some not so cool stuff. So much stuff that you have to thread carefully in places so that you don't end up breaking some of the stuff. I have a feeling that Leela and Bradley were a couple of crazy sob's but because of them we have a great old historic house filled with lots of very interesting stuff.

I had to walk past City Hall on the way to Library Park, which was unmarked and closed due to it…read morebeing Columbus Day, but the building on it's own struck me as such a grand place with all of it's granite, fountain and statue of Columbus, I just had to stop and take pictures. I read on the City of Waterbury website that it was dedicated in 1915.

On November 22, 1963, I was nine years old, and learned about it from a school crossing guard as we…read morewalked home from Public School 95 in the Bronx. I was the only kid in the group who knew that our Vice President's name was Lyndon Johnson. But he wasn't our Vice President any more. As we approach the 50th anniversary of that terrible day, I want to remember the wit and charm and charisma of JFK. When he was running for President, he made a campaign stop in Waterbury on November 6, 1960. A crowd of over 40,000 packed the Waterbury Green at 3:00 AM to welcome him to Waterbury. He was elected President two days later. In 1962, Kennedy returned to Waterbury. This marker commemorates those historic days when the President visited. A JFK quote from that second visit (there was no third visit although it was promised) is inscribed on the plaque: "I must say, having been here at three o'clock in the morning and now at six-thirty in the evening, that Waterbury is either the easiest city in the United States to get a crowd in, or it has the best democrats in the United States. In any case, our meeting here two years ago at three in the morning was the high point of the 1960 campaign, and we will meet at three o'clock in the morning the last week of the 1964 campaign and see what's going to happen then." The second inscription reads: This plaque is presented to the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial Library By the townspeople of Wolcott, Connecticut, In gratitude to the only president in history to honor the Waterbury area by his continued promises to return His pledge was fulfilled in the fall of 1964 by the late president's brother Robert F. Kennedy Who has accepted this plaque on the anniversary of that promise. We hope that his library and the examples set therein, Will serve as an "Eternal Flame" By which future generations of Americans will be guided Presentation made at The Kennedy Memorial Library Ball State Armory, Waterbury, Conn. The plaque is not in the best of shape and is rather faded. It's located at the base of an exterior wall at the Hotel Elton building, and is very easy to miss, which is a real shame.

This site is Most sacred to USA history. In October 1962 President Kennedy made an early morning…read morespeech from the balacony here. After his speech,he said ,that he " would be back" after reelection in November 1964, We All know what happened ,on November 22,1963. I am a well known portrayer of past US Presidents,in Living History and TV. I hope to reenact this moment in time in the near future,2022?

I would give them way more than 5 stars if I could. I live out of state so I had to depend on them…read morefor information regarding my parents' monument. They were very efficient and their prices were fair. They sent me a picture of the work done complete with engraving and I could not be more impressed. They made a very difficult time for my family bearable. If you are looking for a company that you can trust, this is them.

When Our Loved one dies unexpectedly you are blindsided and lost. Life must go on and you have to…read moretake the steps necessary in this process. Dick & Joan Burton was a God Send !!! The Process was completed Professional, Compassionately, Extremely Reasonable, Beautiful and ahead of schedule. Everything was explained thoroughly. When you are with them for more than 10 minutes you feel like you have known them for years. What an absolutely gift they were to My Mother & Myself in this very difficult time !!!!!

Dedicated back in 1880, this is another of our state's impressive Civil War memorials. It's located…read moreon the Southington Green at the intersection of Main Street (Route 10) and Academy Street It has a 7' tall sculpture of a Union soldier standing on a granite base that looks to be twice as tall as the soldier, so the whole thing must be around 20 feet tall. The soldier is a very young looking guy, and unlike so many of the Civil War memorials I have seen (old grizzled craggy guys with beards), he is clean shaven. Of course he's carrying his rifle by the barrel, like just about every other Civil War statue, and the butt of the rifle is on the ground. The lower pedestal has a column at each corner. At the front is a bas-relief carving of the US stars and stripes shield and the CT state seal. The front of the platform is inscribed: THE DEFENDERS OF OUR UNION. 1861 - 1865. There is a large square planter around the base, and it was beautifully decorated with purple flowers and American flags. The monument was dedicated on August 18, 1880, pretty soon after the Civil War ended. The monument is in great condition and its size and life-like detail make it a very impressive sight indeed.

It was settled way back in 1674, and twelve years later it became the 28th town of the Connecticut…read moreColony. It's name acknowledges the many streams that empty into the Naugatuck River. The waters led to energy from water power that fueled local industry and Waterbury's celebrated brass industry. Now we know why the town's shopping mall is known as the Brass Mill Center. This is a one-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It's located indoors -in the front lobby of the Chase Municipal Building at 236 Grand Street. . The marker was dedicated in 1974 and is in excellent condition