Local Sight Seeing Weekend

Boy this humidity is really starting to get to us. Don't get me wrong, I love summer and I like heat, but the humidity just takes a toll on ones body. There was no way we were sitting in the house, laying around on the couch like bums, all weekend. Trying to think of what we could do and stay cool while doing it, Jerry remembered an old castle he saw in Norwalk. So we decided to take a ride and see if they gave tours. Well turns out they did and what a beautiful mansion. It was called Lockwood-Mansion. Jerry didn't care for our tour guide, but I thought he was pretty good and informative. This mansion was built 20 years 'before' any of the gorgeous mansions built in Newport, Rhode Island. (One of my favorite places to visit) If your interested, you can read up more on this mansion here

Unfortunately, we were not able to take any pictures inside the mansion. But here are a few we took outside. Way to hot to spend much time out in the yards though.

 

 

 

After our tour of the mansion and our 'short' walk around the grounds, we decided to look for somewhere to stop for lunch. We found this really nice restaurant called Old Post Tavern.

 As soon as we saw the outside, we knew we had to go in :)
So glad we did! Was so pretty inside and the food was delicious!

 

Forgot to take a picture of our food :( But here is a picture of one happy man with a full tummy *LoL*

 

After getting home, we decided we didn't want to sit home. So we headed out to Gillette Castle in East Haddam. But we had started out too late to this destination and the Castle was closed when we got there. Such a disappointment :( I was able to take a couple pictures outside and we will have to go back again to be able to go in and enjoy the tour. This was the home of William Gillette who played the very first Sherlock Holmes! We found out on our tour of Mark Twain's House, that the Gillette Family lived right down the street from Samuel Clemen's House (Mark Twain). William Gillette's family refused to support his pursuit of acting so Samuel loaned him the money to go to acting school. Now how cool is that?! That one house we visited today, had to do with another house we were at!! I am full of history today!! *LoL*

 

View of Gillette Castle from the parking lot. That was as close as we could get to it. If we go back again, I will post better pictures :)

 

They turned the property into a State Park, which is extremely pretty. I was only able to get this one picture because the grounds close when the Castle does. We are definitely going to have to come back when we can spend more time here!!

 

Now as if our day wasn't full enough. We decided to stop in to the Gelston House for dinner. Well it 'was' just down the road from Gillette Castle :D

We had been to Gelston House just one other time, last year when we were going to see a play at The Good Speed Opera House. The Opera House is right next door to this restaurant. We sat outside on the deck and they had a live band playing. If you are looking for Crab Cakes? These are the best I have ever tasted, and I have tasted a LOT of Crab Cakes! *LoL*

 

The batter in my camera died so I had to take these pictures with my cellphone. Sorry some of them aren't too clear. That will teach me to charge my camera battery next time!!

 

Out on the patio, they lit the torches to attempt to keep the bugs away

 See the red train in the wood across the water from the deck we are sitting on? That is the Essex Dinner Train!! :D

 You can get a glimpse of the East Haddam Swing Bridge under the umbrella. And the white building there is where the Goodspeed Opera House is.

When it got dark, there were fireworks down the river and then it was time to go home. What a long day, but so much fun!!