| 
Summer is here and as the kids let out a sigh of relief with the thought of no school, your breathing picks up at the thought of keeping them entertained for three months. Are we right? Breathe easy, our friends, Connecticut has enough fun to last all summer long – and then some. 
New Connecticut Science Center Opens
Located downtown Hartford and opening this June, the brand new Connecticut Science Center sparks creative imagination and an appreciation for science by immersing visitors in fun and educational hands-on, minds-on interactive experiences. Visitors will explore more than 150 exhibits in 10 galleries and a range of topics, including space and earth sciences, physical sciences, biology, the Connecticut River watershed, Connecticut inventors and innovations, a children’s gallery and much more. Other visitor amenities include four educational labs, a state-of-the-art 206-seat 3D digital cinema, function room, gift store, café and ongoing events and lectures for all ages. A 3D Digital Theater features state-of-the-art Dolby® technology, stadium seating and unique battery-powered 3D glasses. Playing when the Science Center opens in June: Dinosaurs Alive and 3D Sun. Extend your Connecticut Science Center fun and stay the night! Hartford area hotels are offering special overnight packages you will not want to pass up.
For your Amusement
The title says it all. Connecticut’s amusement parks are sure to amuse and entertain even the toughest (and youngest) critics. Let us get right to it, shall we? Going overboard is not only allowed, it is recommended at the water park at Bristol’s Lake Compounce Theme Park, where there are enough twists and turns to last for hours. While you are there, do not forget to ride Boulder Dash, voted number one wooden roller coaster in the world, or any of Compounce’s dozens of other rides. Another lakeside retreat you will want to check out is Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury. Water is the main theme here, with waterslides, swimming and even old-fashioned (but still lots of fun) pedal boats to take out on the lake. Rated one of the best beaches by National Geographic, Ocean Beach Park in New London is way more than a beach. On top of beautiful white, sugar sand beaches, the 50-acre park boasts a complete offering of summertime fun. From the Olympic-size freshwater pool, to the 18-hole miniature golf course to the carousel and rides and everything in between, there is just too much to list. This is one you will have to experience to believe! Immerse yourself in the tropical island of Connecticut (yes, Connecticut) at CoCo Key Water Resort in Waterbury. CoCo Key combines the relaxation and enchantment of the islands with the wild excitement of a 55,000-sq. ft. indoor water park. Every day is a bright, sunny 84 degrees at CoCo Key, featuring a wide selection of signature attractions.
Animal Adventures
Ranked by Zoo and Aquarium Visitors as one of the Top 10 animal attraction states in the country, Connecticut has just what you need to create your very own safari. From tigers and wolves to bison and sharks, our state offers an up-close look at hundreds of species. Learn what’s under the sea at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. In addition to seeing an array of sea animals and wildlife, visitors can meet New England’s only beluga whales and discover what stingrays really feel like at the new Ray Touch Pool. At the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, you’ll see more than 1,000 marine animals. From April through June, visitors can embark on Marine Life Study Cruises to learn about Long Island Sound’s many inhabitants and help collect marine life. One of the museum’s new exhibits “African Penguins” features a small colony of African penguins in an outdoor display on the riverfront courtyard, with plenty of viewing windows above and below the water line. Another new exhibit on display beginning in July is “African Underwater Safari.” Explore the aquatic wonders of Africa including amazing fish and reptiles from the Nile River, Red Sea, lakes of Africa’s Great Rift Valley and the remarkable ecosystem of Madagascar. Located within this exhibit is “Dolphins: The Ride,” a motion-simulator ride film that lets you experience the world of dolphins as if you were one yourself. It is a must-see – and ride! Venture onto dry land at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport. The zoo houses more than 300 animals from North and South America, including endangered and threatened species like the Siberian tiger, ocelot, red wolf and golden lion tamarin. The zoo also features a South American rainforest, prairie dog exhibit and New England farmyard, complete with goats, sheep, cows and pigs. See where the buffalo roam at Creamery Brook Bison in Brooklyn. Established in 1990, this buffalo farm offers year-round guided tours that include a petting area and ice cream- and butter-making. From July through September, Saturday visitors can take a 40-minute wagon ride by a working dairy farm and into the fields to see the buffalo and their calves. Take advantage of the unusual opportunity to observe and learn about animals from North America, Africa, India, New Zealand, Asia and the Arctic at Action Wildlife Foundation in Goshen. Not only is a visit to AW an education in animal life and habitats, it is also a fun activity for children to touch and feed the smaller animals in our petting zoo. Older children and young adults are sure to be intrigued by the museum gallery.
A Day at the Beach
For the perfect blend of fun and relaxation, grab your beach bag and umbrella and head to one of the beaches along Connecticut’s scenic coastline. Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison stretches for two miles along Long Island Sound and boasts a nature center, picnic areas, snack bar and boardwalk. For a weekend by the sea, reserve a campsite. Nearby, on Route 1, feast on fresh seafood and soft-serve ice cream from several local favorites, or visit the many antiques, beach and gift shops. In New Haven, Lighthouse Point Park offers something for everyone. Beach bums can relax on the sand, while devoted anglers can fish off the pier or launch their boats. For kids (or those who are kids at heart!), there’s a playground with swings, as well as a saltwater hands-on “touch tank” at the ranger station, where visitors can learn about and hold inhabitants of Long Island Sound. Kids can also take a spin on the carousel. Built in 1916, it is one of less than 100 historic carousels in operation today. If the sun’s rays are strong, cool off at the Lighthouse Park Splashpad, a series of fresh water fountains in all shapes and sizes. Ocean Beach Park in New London, which has appeared on National Geographic Traveler’s “Best Beaches” list, offers old-fashioned fun for the entire family, from the sugar sand beach and boardwalk to the classic carousel and restored vintage kids rides. Additional amenities include adult amusement rides, a fresh-water Olympic-size pool with slide, arcade, miniature golf, playground and café and lounge. Head to Sherwood Island State Park in Westport and explore 234 acres of beaches, wetlands and woodlands. Visitors can hike, bike, swim, fish, play volleyball, have a picnic or explore the nature trail. For a day of frolicking in fresh water, visit Lake Compounce in Bristol, New England’s family theme park. In addition to a lake beach, the park’s Splash Harbor features water slides, rafting and a wave pool. At Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, families can cool off in Lake Quassapaug at Quassy Beach. Chill out at the Saturation Station in the amusement park. Featuring water cannons, waterfalls and water slides, this gigantic jungle gym provides the definitive “cool” experience.
Dino-Mite Sites
Take your courageous little explorers on the ultimate dinosaur-tracking trip. Sites throughout Connecticut offer a gargantuan glimpse into the lives of these colossal creatures. Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill houses one of the largest collections of preserved Jurassic tracks on the continent. Kids will love seeing the 500 authentic sandstone dinosaur tracks and making their own plaster cast of a Eubrontes footprint. Surrounding the park are more than two miles of nature trails and the Dinosaur State Park Arboretum, containing more than 250 species of wildlife from the dinosaur ages. In 1866, philanthropist George Peabody was convinced by his nephew, O.C. Marsh, the first professor of paleontology in North America, to begin the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven. Today, it is home to one of the world’s top paleontology collections and features a juvenile Apatosaurus skeleton and a fossil of an Archelon, the largest known turtle species. Monty, the massive teenage T-Rex, greets visitors to The Dinosaur Place in Montville. The park offers simple walking trails that lead past 25 life-size concrete and steel dinosaurs. See the creatures that roamed the state up to 230 years ago on the Connecticut Trail, or veer toward Raptor Bay to see a 12-foot tall, 36-foot long Suchomimus – a much larger version of today’s crocodile! Kids can continue their discoveries in the Bone Zone, where they can dig for faux fossils.
Top 10 Budget Roadside Bites
What could be more satisfying than simple, delicious food? How about simple and delicious food at a great price. We made the ultimate sacrifice and traveled Connecticut to test out some of the best quaint and convenient places in Connecticut to grab a quick bite. Hop in the car, roll the windows down and check out some of our favorite finds. Harry’s Place in Colchester offers a deliciously rugged menu, including their famous burgers, chili dogs, crinkle fries, fried clams, onion rings…the list goes on. Place your order on the right, pick up on the left. If ice cream is what you crave, there is a separate line for that too, so you will not have to think twice about getting back in line for dessert. The Place in Guilford is as wonderfully simple as its name, with tree stump chairs and cable spool tables amid an open, grassy clearing. And the food? Simply delicious. Cooked on an open-air wood grill, the menu items include bluefish, lobster, clams, corn-on-the-cob and a local favorite: littleneck clams split open and daubed with hot sauce. The Place is open rain or shine, starting the last weekend in April, and it is BYOB. Feel free to bring a bottle of your favorite wine, or maybe even stop at nearby Bishop’s Orchards for one of their unique, fruit infused wines.
|  | Combine the hot, summer weather with We-Li-Kit in Abington and you have got yourself the perfect excuse and means for some of the best ice cream in the area. Just follow the sweet aroma of home made ice cream and waffle cones to the wood sided farm stand and order up your choice of delicious flavors at the window. We-Li-Kit offers more than a dozen ice cream flavors, including your standards like chocolate and vanilla, as well as creative concoctions for which the place is known. With names like Ape’s Delight (banana ice cream with chocolate chips and walnuts), Road Kill (vanilla ice cream with cherry swirl, white chocolate chips and walnuts) and Indian Pudding (a frozen version of an old-time molasses New England treat), ordering your flavor of choice is often half the fun! The food is not the only thing that makes the Sea View Snack Bar in Mystic worth visiting. The brightly painted blue building is located at the perfect spot, overlooking the northern edge of Mystic Seaport. Take your pick of fried and seafood favorites, listed in a large menu on the side of the building. Then, grab your food at the pick-up window and find yourself a picnic table to enjoy. Super Duper Weenie. A name like that makes it easy to guess the house-specialty item on this menu. Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield serves up locally-made hot dogs, fresh from the grill. Toppings including the sauerkraut, hot relish, meat chili and onion sauce are all made from scratch and add the perfect pizzazz to your dog. For non dog-lovers and even vegetarians, there are plenty of other options including hamburgers, sausage and pepper sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, veggie burgers and more. The fries are a must-try! For a little friendly competition, try out Blackie's in Cheshire, who also serves hot dogs as its specialty item. In fact, hot dogs are almost the entire menu, with only hamburgers, milk shakes and drinks to add. Really, there is no need for anything else because it is no secret why most come to Blackie’s – the dogs and their famous homemade condiments, mustard and relish. Order up a few and you will find yourself in hot dog heaven. Get back in touch with the “good old days” at Sycamore Drive-In in Bethel. This genuine drive-in style diner offers car-hop service and window trays for in-car dining. Just blink your lights and someone will be right out to take your order. Menu favorites include the Dagwood burger and the house-made root beer. Try them both!
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Few events signal summer more than a classic baseball game. Plan an outing to one of Connecticut’s stadiums offering minor league baseball games and family-friendly activities sure to be a home run with big and little fans alike. In Norwich, Dodd Stadium, the turf of the Connecticut Defenders, offers an inflatable playground area (for ages 12 and under) and a video arcade. On Fridays, families can enjoy post-game fireworks, and kids age 12 and under can run the bases after the game and indulge in a free ice cream treat on Sundays, also known as Sundae Fundae Rundaes. For only $6, children can become members of the Cutter’s Kids Crew. Membership benefits include a free T-shirt, discounts in the souvenir store, a free game ticket and a day of free admission to the inflatable playground area. Home to the New Britain Rock Cats, New Britain Stadium’s many family value nights include Kids Eat Free nights, Family Fun Days on select Sundays and fireworks or laser light shows on Friday nights. On select Wednesday evenings, purchase a Family Four-Pack, which includes four reserved tickets, hot dogs, sodas and popcorn for only $30. Before each game, kids can meet two players in the autograph booth or play in the Best Buy Fun Zone, which features interactive games, an obstacle course and a moon bounce. Rookie’s Club members receive a free T-shirt, reduced price tickets to Sunday home games, invitations to members-only events, such as Meet the Players Day, special deals on season ticket packages and the opportunity to run the bases after Sunday home games. At the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, catch a Bridgeport Bluefish game and reel in the fun. Kids of all ages will love the “Hi-Ho” D’Addario Kids’ Cove, which features interactive games and activities, such as a speed pitch machine, inflatable obstacle course and moon bounce. The stadium also offers family days and Friday night fireworks throughout the season.
Rainy Day Fun for $10 or Less
Do not let the rain stop you and your family from having a good time. Instead, see it as an opportunity to take advantage of the indoor excitement available throughout the state. Connecticut has lots of rainy day fun for $10 or less, even free, so plan to stay the whole weekend. Visit the Submarine Force Museum, home of the USS Nautilus, and peer into the lives of the men who sail the ocean depths in their "sharks of steel." Aboard Nautilus, experience first-hand the thrill of being a submariner, as you walk the decks that made Naval history: the world's first nuclear powered vessel, first ship to go to the North Pole, and first submarine to journey "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." Explore the spaces where the crew of this amazing ship worked, ate, slept and entertained themselves on their long voyages far beneath the ocean's waves. The Garbage Museum in Stratford is an unusual twist on museums that is sure to peak the kids’ interest, while teaching them along the way. Come face-to-face with Trash-o-saurus, a dinosaur made of a ton of trash, which is how much trash an average person throws away in a year! Walk through a giant compost pile, meet resident compost worms and discover how much energy savings is derived from recycling. Watch what happens to recyclables in a “sky-box” view of the tipping and sorting process. From the mezzanine walkway, you can even follow glass and plastic containers, cans and newspapers through the sorting process and on to the end of the line where items are crushed and baled for shipping to processors, who turn them into products. It’s a truly smashing time! If you like what you see at the Garbage Museum, you’ll really love the Trash Museum in Hartford, where you can tour the 6,500 square feet of educational exhibits beginning at the Temple of Trash. Visit the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven to explore more than 11 million specimens and objects in anthropology, botany, zoology, paleontology, entomology, ornithology and historical scientific instruments. Take a stroll down the Great Hall of Dinosaurs and discover an Apatosaurus, Camarasaurus, Stegosaurus and Camptosaurus. Come to the museum for “Science Saturdays,” a special lecture series designed for families that brings the excitement of research and the passion of scientists to school-age children. Love sports? Then you will love the Connecticut Sportsplex in North Branford. The five field outdoor complex hosts baseball and softball tournaments every weekend, in addition to weekday leagues. Come be a spectator or get involved yourself. The 75,000 square-foot indoor dome facility is joined by a new Fieldhouse, including pool tables, air hockey, jungle gym and three-level laser tag. For a larger than life experience, visit the IMAX Theater at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, featuring a six-story high screen and10,000-watt digital proprietary surround-sound audio system. Huge, crisp images make you feel like you are inside the action. Films arriving later this summer include Star Trek in June and Night at the Museum 2 in July. After the show, explore the aquarium’s exhibits and unique touch tanks. Watch seals and sea turtles, get a feel for crabs, sea stars and more in the center’s touch tanks, come face to face with sharks and hundreds of other amazing animals from Long Island Sound. The Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop in Hamden was established in 1979 as a not-for-profit historic and educational organization to preserve the site on which Whitney constructed the first American factory in 1798. Today, permanent installations at the museum, such as the outdoor experiment area, serve to engage a new generation in the fundamental engineering experiences reflective of Whitney’s work. Visit on a weekend or afternoon and an apprentice will work with your children to build special projects and experiments. Among the many exciting activities is the popular pinball machine project that teaches game design, logic, marble movement and creative design. With more than 75,000 square feet of exhibit space at the New England Air Museum, it is easy to spend hours viewing not only the aircraft and engine displays, but the many fascinating exhibits on such diverse topics as the Lafayette Escadrille, WWII Combat Gliders, the History of Sikorsky Aircraft, Early French Aviation, a History of Air Mail, the Tuskegee Airmen, Airships, and many others. Come to the museum Sunday, June 7 and 21 for Open Cockpit Sunday and climb into the cockpits of 10 aircrafts, meet the Fidelco Dogs and their trainers and explore the museum. The Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry is home to hundreds of puppets donated by puppeteers and organizations who wish to see the art of puppetry preserved, studied and expanded. Come be a part of their goal and discover a whole new world of puppetry. Exhibits running through November 30 include Títeres y Máscaras, an exploration of the tradition of puppet, mask and object performance of Latino culture on the Iberian Peninsula and in North, Central, and South America and Toy Theaters of the World, a representation of the exciting and unique form of puppet performance. Stepping Stones museum in Norwalk features interactive exhibits, educational programs and fun for the whole family. With four main galleries, a toddlers-only gallery and more than 100 hands-on activities, Stepping Stones offers children ages ten and under plenty to explore and discover. All exhibits and programs of the museum are designed to promote active inquiry and investigation. Children construct racecars and learn about momentum, explore whirlpools and the water cycle and role play as scientists studying tropical rainforests and conservation. This Father’s Day, June 21, fathers get into the museum free of admission. KidCity in Middletown encourages children to use their imagination to its fullest potential. Themed rooms include musical planet, video theater, clubhouse, reading room, cornfield, slipper ship and fishery, Main Street, farm, space age road trip, toddler sea caves. Bring the kids and explore them all!
Beat the Heat with a Sweet Treat
Simply said, there’s nothing like ice cream on a sweltering hot summer day. Here are just a few places around the state where you can beat the heat with a cool cone or cup. Timothy’s Ice Cream Shop in Bridgeport no longer uses the salt-and-ice churners that stand in the front window, but the ice cream made there will always remain classic. Flavor stand-outs include Black Rock (French vanilla and chocolate-covered almonds) and Sweet Cream. Try one (or both) for yourself! Enjoy the views of cows grazing the field while savoring a variety of home-made ice creams at Rich Farm in Oxford. Try everyday flavors like peaches-and-cream or mocha almond fudge, or sample one of the alternating flavors of the day, which include Almond Joy (chocolate ice cream with coconut and almonds) and Strawberry Kiwi (strawberry ice cream with kiwi slices). Wentworth Old-Fashioned Ice Cream in Wallingford has continuously been voted the best in the state by Connecticut Magazine readers – a well-deserved honor. Visit either the Hamden or Wallingford location (even better, why not visit both?) and you are in for a treat, as two dozen homemade flavors are available. We simply can not say no to the Chocoholic Sundae Cup or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. People from all over flock to Shady Glen in Manchester for the mouthwatering cheeseburgers, and rightfully so, but there’s something else that keeps them at the top of our list: ice cream. The menu includes all the classics, as well as fruit ice creams made with fresh fruit from local and regional farms and even seasonal flavors including Pumpkin and Licorice Chip. Seasonal gourmet ice cream, cakes, pies, baked goods. Now that we have created your sweet craving, we will tell you where to satisfy it: Tulmeadow Farm in West Simsbury. Since 1768, the family-owned and operated farm has made delicious ice cream from scratch using only the finest ingredients. The flavors offered include Banana Chocolate Chip, Coconut and the house specialty, Red Raspberry Chocolate Chip, available in cake or waffle cones.
|
