did
when we took a day off from work to recover from a late club night. We slept
late (8:30am…that’s late for us) and then decided to go for a ride. We
purposely selected places that were less than an hour’s ride from where we
lived.Gillette Castle and Devil's Hopyard, East Haddam, CT - July 12, 2006
by the Cranky Yankee
(Photos by C. LeBeau)
If you have a day off and have nothing to do (no chores,
errands, or what not), why not take a day trip? That’s what the hubby and I
did
when we took a day off from work to recover from a late club night. We slept
late (8:30am…that’s late for us) and then decided to go for a ride. We
purposely selected places that were less than an hour’s ride from where we
lived.
Here in Connecticut, just within our self-imposed
time-limit, is the town of East Haddam. There are several things of 
note, most
importantly, Gillette Castle and the Devil’s Hopyard. Both are state parks with
notable history.
Our intention was to first visit the Castle then the
Devil's Hopyard, but the weather was very iffy
and Joey suggested we go to the Hopyard first before it started raining. Smart
move….as it was, it was rather damp and misty in the state forest. At first, we
were only going to stop and take a picture of Chapman Falls. Then we started
walking
around,
then I got the bright idea to check out the “Devil’s Oven” a natural rock cave
about a quarter mile down the river. We had no idea that the trails were so
rough! Just so you know....if you visit the Hopyard in East Haddam, CT, make
sure you are not wearing a long dress, maryjane shoes, and lots of jewelry. Who
the hell is stupid enough to go hiking in the woods dressed like
that?
Yours truly...that's who! And 
this was not a stroll in the woods, believe me!
We wondered out wet, dirty, sweaty and
smelly…but
we loved it! The place is beautiful and when we return, we will be dressed
appropriately. After all that, THEN we went to Gillette’s Castle!
Gillette Castle is worth a visit. It's a wonderful place and William
Gillette's story is really interesting, especially if you're into the character
of Sherlock Holmes, who was first brought to life on stage by William Gillette.
The Castle is on many acres of park land,
great
for walking and picnicking, with a great view of the Connecticut River…all for
free (the tour of the castle is $5). Make sure you get the full tour story from
the tour guides as they are very well-informed about the castle and its former
occupant’s history. They must have loved us, looking like we did. But they
seemed impressed that we (especially Joey) were so knowledgeable about Edwardian
theatre, art and literature. And Mr. Gillette
must have been a good man…he
loved his cats!
It had started to downpour when Joey and I visited the
place (I found out later there was a tornado 
that went
through
Greenwich with the same storm). Because of
the weather, we didn’t get to tour the grounds like we wanted to, but we’ll
definitely make a return trip.
We drove down Rt. 82 and picked up Rt. 85 to Montville, all
the while it was raining buckets. Joey suggested we go to Montville because I
would finally get to see what I’ve heard other people talk about…Monty the
Dinosaur! Sure enough,
there
he was…a life-size T-Rex right outside
Nature’s Art Gift Store. And the rain let up just a mile before we hit the
place and stopped by the time we parked our car. Perfect timing. Nature’s Art
might be looked at as another rock fossil shop, but it is so much more.
For
one thing…it’s HUGE! It’s got gifts, toys, fossils, rocks, jewelry (uh oh!) and
BEADS! Tons of them! I LOVE beads! Guess what I did when I was there? (Hint:
$$$) There’s a picnic area, an ice cream shop, trails, over 25 life size
dinos, archeology digging for the kids, a playground, and a water park. Yep,
it’s the ultimate tourist trap…a grade A fun time for the whole family. They
certainly suckered me in just with the beads.
It
was 5:00 pm and we were starving, having had no lunch. Well, right across the
street was a typical New England clam & burger shack.
Dave’s Place has both indoor and outdoor tables and a nearby ATM (in case
you decide to order extra and don’t have enough dough). Both Joey and I got
seafood…I got the fried wholebellies and he got the fried shrimp. Both dishes
came with French fries, and we ordered an extra plate of onion rings to split.
Joey also had a chocolate shake and I drank a grape flavored slushie. Dave
posts a sign letting everyone know his seafood was FRESH! No frozen pre-fab
crap here. The seafood tasted just like the sign said. I was impressed with
both the clams and
the onion rings. The batter was very light and not greasy at
all. Joey’s shrimp was also done well. And the portions are
big…very generous. The French fries were good and the chocolate shake was just
okay. I really liked the slushie...I hadn’t had one in years. It hit the
spot. Yummy! Dave’s Place definitely warrants a return trip.
After our meal, we headed home. The food was a wonderful topper to a wonderful full day of activities. Driving the back roads of Connecticut, you never know just what you might find. Hit the road!
