![]() ![]() The expansive views of the river alone are worth the effort. (drive time <20 minutes) A play at the Ivoryton Playhouse. A visit to the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme A behind the scenes tour of the Goodpseed Opera House (must be pre-arranged). It is a true gem of the lower Connecticut River and a must-see experience for anyone living in, or visiting, the area. A visit to Gillette Castle, a mere 25 minutes away on beautiful, scenic back roads. ![]() There is a modest admission fee for the castle. You can explore the 184-acre grounds free of charge. Today, Gillette Castle State Park welcomes roughly 300,000 visitors each year. Gillette himself played engineer aboard his diminutive locomotive as guests rode in open cars through tunnels and woodlands, traversing wooden trestles overlooking the river.īefore his death in 1937, Gillette decreed that the property should not fall into the hands “of some blithering saphead who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded.” In 1943, the state of Connecticut purchased the castle and grounds from Gillette’s executors. On the grounds he built extensive hiking trails and three miles of small-gauge railway. The interior featured elaborately crafted oak with many innovative and quirky elements designed to surprise and delight his eclectic assortment of quests. He purchased 122 acres of the hilly woodlands then designed and built his castle here, made of native granite over a steel framework. After climbing the rocky bluff, he fell in love with the spectacular views and majestic setting. While looking for a place to literally escape the limelight, he discovered the Seventh Sister when cruising the river aboard his opulent live-aboard houseboat, Aunt Polly. He also starred in the first film and radio adaptations of Holmes.Īll of this brought him international fame and wealth. His legacy was cemented by bringing Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes to life on the stages of New York and London. Gillette became a young actor, against his family’s wishes, and worked his way into increasingly important roles, eventually writing and staring in successful productions on both sides of the Atlantic. ![]() Public domain.Ī native of Hartford, Gillette was a direct descendent of both Thomas Hooker, a founder of Hartford and Connecticut Colony, and his namesake William Gillette who helped establish Windsor, Connecticut’s first English settlement. ![]()
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