Recently in Connecticut Category

Every American student knows the work of Noah Webster well. The lexicographer, author, and word enthusiast first published An American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828, a classic that would live on under the Merriam-Webster banner for generations to come. Scholarly types and the merely curious can make their way to the Noah Webster House in West Hartford, Connecticut to see where the "Father of American Scholarship and Education" was born and spent his formative years before changing the face of American academia forever. The house was built in 1748 as part of a farm, and the young wordsmith grew up here in the 1760's, spending his days studying for his entry into Yale at the precocious age of 16. Today it's been restored to look much as it did in the 18th century, with various rooms of the historical house open to explore, as well as a library, archives, shop, and a modern exhibition gallery. A few special events provide meaning and context to the experience. Kids First Saturdays, for example, offers fun, interactive educational programming for children, while Tavern Night combines delicious home-cooked foods and traditional beverages with Colonial-era tavern games and rowdy entertainment. Now that's my kind of history lesson. Starwood has four hotels in and around Hartford, including the Sheraton Hartford Hotel.

[image via The Noah Webster House]

One of the classics of 20th century architecture is open to the public after more than 50 years, although that doesn't mean you can just stroll right in. American architect Philip Johnson's famous Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut is now allowing a limited number of visitors on guided tours of the iconic 1949 house that, true to its name, is walled entirely in glass. CNN.com points out that the tours, which cost between $25 and $40 per ticket, include the main house as well as 13 other structures on the 47-acre property in the New England countryside. The Glass House is the work Johnson is most closely identified with, though his other buildings, including the Crystal Cathedral in California and the Bank of America building in Texas, are considered American classics as well. Tickets for the 2007 season are going fast, so click here for more information about tours and reservations. The Four Points by Sheraton Norwalk is conveniently located 10 minutes away from the Glass House.

[image via CNN.com]

The town of Stonington, Connecticut boasts a fascinating living relic of American history: a working steam-powered apple cider mill. USA Today points out in an AP item that B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill has been churning out hard cider--one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in America from Colonial times to the early 20th century--since 1898. The mill produces cider from various types of apples grown in New York's Hudson Valley, including Honeycrisp, Macintosh, Red Delicious, and Empire. The two-acre property features a steam engine that can be seen in action from September to late December, powering a 100-ton press that squeezes the juice out of 30 to 40 tons of apples a week. The juice is then pasteurized, bottled, and consumed by many happy visitors who swear that it's the finest cider in the land, with slight variations in taste depending on which apples are used. Apple foods are available as well, such as apple cider donuts, apple fritters, apple jams, and apple salsas. Guest at the Four Points by Sheraton Meriden might find the short drive to B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill worth their time.

[image via USA Today and the AP]

In honor of Halloween, New Haven, Connecticut's Center Church on-the-Green is offering tours of a historic crypt that hasn't changed for almost 200 years. Yahoo! News points out in an interesting AP story that the crypt, located in the basement of the church, houses the identified remains of 137 people and the unidentified remains of hundreds more. The Center Church, which was originally founded in 1638, is located in the New Haven Green, a 16-acre public park that's as much a symbol of the city as its other famous institution, Yale University. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the park served as the town's main cemetery, but some of the graves have since been moved, and the area has functioned as a grassland for many years now. Center Church itself is quite beautiful, featuring Tiffany stained-glass windows (pictured) that depict the Reverend John Davenport conducting the first Sunday service. Guests at the Four Points by Sheraton Meriden with an appreciation of New England history might want to drop by for a tour.

[image via Center Church on-the-Green]

Here's a tourism opportunity I didn't see coming: a former copper mine and prison in East Granby, Connecticut recently opened up its two miles of underground tunnels to visitors. Recently, that is, if you consider the mid-1860's recent. The Associated Press (via Yahoo! Travel News) points out in an interesting story that the Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine has the rightful claim to a number of firsts. It was the country's first chartered copper mine when it began mining operations in 1705. Following years of weak profits, it began housing Revolutionary War prisoners in the 1770s, and earned the distinction of being the nation's first state prison in 1790. The prison closed in 1827, and by the end of the Civil War, Old New-Gate began welcoming curious visitors, becoming America's first and only copper-mine-turned-prison-turned-tourist-attraction. Guests at the nearby (and much more comfortable) Sheraton Bradley Hotel with an interest in Colonial and Revolutionary War history will enjoy this somewhat eerie look at the origins of the American mining industry, prison system, and tourist trade.

Photo via The Associated Press and Yahoo! News