Castle – The Adventures of Shadow and Wilma

Today we Adventured to Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, Connecticut. This was our second trip to the Gillette Castle. Gillette Castle was once the estate of William Gillette, a famous Actor in the early 1900’s. It was later bought by the state of Connecticut. The Park includes a visitor center, museum, hiking trails, and picnic area. There are even live theater events and walking tours available to visitors.

We had an intriguing Adventure to Gillette Castle State Park. Our first visit was in August 2018, on a warm day, while today was a overcast, almost chilly Fall day. Gillette Castle State Park is a magical experience, transforming visitors back into medieval time, or sensing an escape on a journey abroad. We greatly enjoyed our visit to the Castle, circling the grand structure many times so as not to miss an inch. Shadow enjoyed some rolls in the grass, while Wilma jumped up high to climb along the rock-like fence, posing for photos. Not only is the Castle itself just breathtaking, it is located on the beautiful Connecticut River vast with Fall foliage. Just gorgeous from every direction! Today the Castle was mobbed with visitors, dulling the experience a bit, but really that cannot take away from the brilliant beauty of the Castle.

After visiting the Castle we wandered the trails on the side of the Park, and headed down to the water. Shadow and I were a bit tired from our earlier Adventure so we decided not to engage in any strenuous or lengthy hiking. The trails were not labeled, so we just sauntered around for a bit. We were thrilled to locate three adorable walking bridges along the way, adding some charm to the trails. From the trails we walked around some spots along the main road, finding a gorgeous stone bridge, a leaf filled pond, and several other small features along the way. We of course had to have one last visit to the Castle before finishing up our day. Although I wish we could have had this spot all to ourselves (haha), we still cannot say enough about the spectacular Gillette Castle State Park. I expect we will be back again in the future (Rating: 5).

October 2018

August 2017

Today we visited Greycourt State Park in Methuen, Massachusetts. This Park is a recreation area that covers 24 acres atop the partially restored ruins of the Charles H. Tenney estate. Grey Court, which is also referred to as Tenney Castle, was built in 1893. It was the centerpiece of the Charles H. Tenney estate. The Tenney family were a successful business family, world known merchants in the business of hats. The Tenney Castle was later destroyed by fire in 1978.

This Park was not easy to find, but luckily I had done some research ahead of time, and knew exactly how to locate it. We parked at City Hall, and hiked from the Historical Society down the paved road to the park. It did not take long to locate castle ruins up on the hill. Many tall trees and green landscape surrounded this spectacular landmark. The paved trail took us up a small hill, and directly to the ruins. We strolled through the beautiful architecture, taking many photos. I was awed by this castle ruins, and enjoyed studying the many architectural features. There was an old water fountain, lots of holes to peer through and beautiful arches, and pillars. Standing in the ruins really made me feel like I was on an international journey, almost magical.

Once we had finished wandering the ruins we sauntered past and found some dirt paths. There were no markings, or directors, but we weaved in and out of the trails. I found them a bit humdrum, and was disappointed to hear clear sounds of cars and construction. However, we found some unique trees, and were able to get some always valued exercise.

After we finished at the trails we headed back to the castle ruins for one last visit. We sat for a bit next to the ruins, where Shadow and Wilma enjoyed their normal rolls, and some time playing together. We only saw a couple people on our visit, mostly locals walking through the area with their dogs. It was a fun little spot, and definitely a cool ruin to explore (Rating: 3).