Offbeat, Unique New England Roadside Travel Attractions
Gillette Castle, East Haddam, Conn.
by Eric Hurwitz. Updated 12/07/16.
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With all due respect to some of our revered and beloved
famous New England travel attractions, sometimes we need to take a
vacation break from the ordinary and seek out something entirely
delightfully
offbeat, strange, weird or unique. New England has its share of
unconventional
and often eccentric travel attractions. You might not read about them
in your ordinary travel guide, but, believe us, some of these "outer
limits" elements can be found around our otherwise predominantly
quaint, traditional region. In the upcoming months, we'll be adding to
this fun section.
Connecticut
American Clock and Watch Museum, Bristol, Connecticut. Photo
source: American Clock and Watch Museum web site at
http://www.clockandwatchmuseum.org/
The Traveler Restaurant
in
Union offers three free books with each meal. The menu and book
selection are vast. Book some time there, we say! Read
the article
Gillette Castle in East Haddam
looks and feels like a real castle with a spectacular stone exterior,
24 rooms, 47 doors (each one different), white oak woodwork and
carvings, stone stairways, built-in couches and a movable table on
tracks, an inside porch fountain. Touring this castle will make you
feel like a king or queen! Read the
article
The Pez Visitor Center in
Orange offers a self guided tour of the history of that beloved
mechanical candy dispenser. Sweet! Read the article
The American Clock and Watch Museum
in Bristol features an amazing display of American-made clocks and
watches. For sure, a good "time!" Visit the
American Clock and Watch Museum web site
The New England Carousel Museum
in Bristol has the "largest collection of antique carousel pieces in
the country."
Definitely a museum where it's good to be taken for a ride! Visit the New
England Carousel Museum web site
The Waterbury Button Museum is
located in the Mattatuck Museum (an arts and history center) in
Waterbury and features the city's prominent button making history with
10,000 hand and machine made buttons on permanent display. From
military to fashion, this museum is right on the button with its unique
presentation! Visit the Button Museum web site
The world's largest Jack-in the-Box
is located in Middletown, Conn. If you have been searching for a 600-lb
clown head that peaks its head out of a 33-ft. tall silo, then this is
your travel attraction. There's something about this one that gives me
the creeps, but in a great way. The Jack-In-The-Box is located right
next to Wild Bill's Nostalgia Center. Wild Bill's Nostalgia Center,
1003 Newfield St., Middletown. Tel. (860) 613-0061
Maine
A
37-ft. tall statue of Paul Bunyan
resides in his reported hometown of Bangor, Maine. I always thought
Paul Bunyan came from Minnesota, but am grateful that Bangor's claim to
his birthplace has brought the statue closer to home. Seeing this large
structure kind of amplifies the books I read of this mythological
lumberjack. Just to let you know, there's another Paul Bunyan statue
located at the Timberland Treasures Gift Shop on Pulaski Blvd,
Bellingham, Mass., but he looks a little gaunt. Now that's a travel
attraction that stands tall! Paul Bunyan Statue,519 Main St., Bangor,
Maine. Tel. (207) 947-0307
The Maine State Prison Showroom
in Thomaston features 600-plus wood products handcrafted by Maine
prison inmates. According to the State of Maine Department of
Corrections web site, "This highly regulated program enables
participating prisoners to earn money which goes toward reimbursing the
state for their room and board expenses, as well as paying victim
restitution and child support." Hope you can do some time there! Visit the
Maine State Prison Showroom Facebook page
The Umbrella Cover Museum,
Peaks Island, Maine, is dedicated to umbrella covers. No "cover" charge
here! Call 207-766-4496 for hours. Visit
the Umbrella Cover Museum Facebook page
Massachusetts
Milk Bottle restaurant, Raynham, Massachusetts.
The Museum of Bad Art,
relegated to the basement of the Somerville Theater in Somerville,
Mass., features some of the world's worst art. Collected from some
unknown amateurs, dusty attics, thrift stores, yard sales and trash
cans, The Museum of Bad Art truly lives up to its slogan: "Art too bad
to be ignored." The Museum of Bad Art is located at 55 Davis Square,
Somerville MA. Tel. 781-444-6757
A gigantic milk bottle
structure sits on top of the Milk Bottle Restaurant on an otherwise
mundane strip of Route 138 North in Raynham, Mass. With no sign out
front, this unique-looking restaurant features very friendly service
and excellent lunches, breakfasts and yummy ice cream for dessert. Now
this is what you'd call a restaurant in the "Hood!" Read the article
A humongous "Leaning Tower of Pizza"
structure
at Prince Pizzeria on Route 1 in Saugus, Mass., creates a truly offbeat
version of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy? Once inside, the
restaurant's look becomes more typical, with its large, family-style
dining rooms and some excellent Italian-style pizza and pasta with
homemade sauce. The Castrberti family has run this local landmark since
the early 1960s with its quality still intact -- as well as the Leaning
Tower of Pizza. A true slice of Americana roadside travel attraction!
Read the
article
The Fall River Historical Society features the world's largest collection of artifacts
pertaining to the rather infamous Lizzie Borden
-- accused of exe muders but ultimately acquitted of the charges. We
have no axe to grind with the Historical Society's exhibits! Visit
the Lizzie
Borden web site
New Hampshire
Chutters in Littleton, New Hampshire.
The world's longest candy counter
at nearly 112. ft. long is located at Chutters in Littleton, N.H. We're
not just talking about one row of candy, either -- three rows of new
and hard-to-find flavors will make you feel like the ultimate version
of a kid in a candy store! Sky Bars, Necco wafers, Goobers and
Raisinettes, and Sour Balls, anyone? You'll feel like a kid in a candy
store here! Read
the article
Ruggles Mine in Grafton has
been around forever. I ought to know, I was there as a kid! Ruggles is
actually the oldest mica, feldspar, beryl and uranium mine in the
United States. This open pit mine
with giant rooms and tunnels makes for fascinating explorations -- and
the mountain views are spectacular. Mineral collecting (over 150
minerals on the premises) is allowed. Hope you have a Gniess time
here! Visit the
Ruggles Mine web site
America's Stonehenge in Salem
features an intricate 30 acre network of chambers, walls,
astronomically aligned rock formations and ceremonial meeting places
that date back up to 4,000 years ago. That not only means this site
could be the oldest man-made construction in the U.S.A, but also that
it was probably very hard to access with no Route 93 back then -- or
Canobie Lake Park, to round out a wonderful southern New Hampshire
Bronze Age family travel day! No one really knows who built this place,
but educated archaeological-based guesses center on Native Americans or
migrant Europeans. Whatever the case, this is truly a fascinating place
to explore (it's a self-guided tour with an into video), especially
during the warm weather season. Stonehenge America is also home to
several alpacas as well as good snowshoeing opportunities in the
winter. So save the airfare for that visit to Stonehenge in England,
and opt for the southern New Hampshire version -- and enjoy the
"structure" of this interesting local attraction. Visit
America's
Stonehenge's web site
Rhode Island
Mr. Potato Head statue in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
The Mr. Potato Head statue
stands outside the Hasbro Headquarters in Pawtucket (Exit 2A, right off
Route 95). This famous toy icon is surely a "eye" catcher! Read more about the Mr. Potato Head statue
Some say the Flying Horse Carousel
at Watch Hill in Westerly, might just the the oldest carousel in the
United States. A seasonal summer favorite dating back to 1884, the
carousel runs on an operational ring and the horse fly out of the
structure. Truly a "mane" attraction! Read the article
The Beef Barn in North
Smithfield is a one-of-a-kind restaurant with a silo out front and on
the inside a huge stone wall as well as mock chicken coops within the
wall. The roast beef is amazing here, and at retro prices. We have no
"beef" with that! Read the article
The Spring Lake Arcade in
Burrillville is the world's oldest penny arcade located at beautiful
Spring Lake Beach in Glendale. The summer-only arcade dates back to the
1920s with many exceptionally well maintained older arcade games (and
some good new ones, too!). We're always "game" for that! Visit
the Spring
Lake Arcade web site
Vermont
Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, Waterbury, Vermont.Photo
source: Ben and Jerry's web site at
http://www.benjerry.com/about-us/factory-tours.
The Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory Tour
in Waterbury Vt. offers an intro video, tour of the manufacturing
process and free samples of delicious Ben and Jerry's ice cream. A tour
with great local flavor! Read the article
The Rock of Ages Granite Quarry Tours
in Barre features electronics kiosks, a theater and historical
exhibitions that educate and entertain on the history of granite.
There's also what might be the world's only outdoor granite bowling
alley (other than in The Flintstones, but, hey, that was a cartoon) for
you to try out. The guided shuttle tours allow you to look down into
the deep, expansive granite pits. You also get a free sample of granite
from the grout bin. This places rocks -- and don't take the experience
for granite! Visit the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry
web site
Related article:
Find
the best family travel attractions in New England
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