Unusual Attractions in Connecticut

Connecticut has some attractions that are a bit out of the ordinary, a bit on the unusual side. Did you know that the hamburger was invented in Connecticut? Or that there is a giant dinosaur made from recyclable trash? Seeing attractions that are unique and unusual can take a boring day and turn it into an interesting one. Or adding one or two to your vacation plans, can give you something unusual to talk about around the water cooler when you come back.

Museum of Natural and Other Curiosities.
Old State House
800 Main Street,
Hartford, Connecticut 06103
860.522.6766

The Old State House served as the state capital from 1797 to 1873. The original museum opened in 1797, spent some time in the attic of the State House. Eventually, the exhibits were dispersed across the country. Most of them were recovered and some replicated and now the State House is their permanent home. The exhibits are all oddities like a 2 headed calf and the horn from a unicorn. The State House is also a museum of Connecticut history.

Savin Rock Museum
6 Rock Street
West Haven, Connecticut 06516
203-937-3666

This is not a museum dedicated to rocks. Back in its day, Salvin Rock was an amusement park and recreation center. It is long gone, but the museum has exhibits like horses from the old carousel, the carousel bell, a bar from one of the hotels, tons of pictures and signs from the different attractions. It is a good look at what an amusement park was before they became the huge parks of today.

Louis' Lunch
261-263 Crown Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06510
Phone: (203) 562-5507

Legend has it that the first hamburger was sold here in 1900. You can still get a burger here, but like it was back in 1900, not like you know it today. The first burger was put together in a hurry, just a ground been patty between two slices of bread. The burger today is cooked in the original broiler, which cooks them vertically, not horizontally, and is served between two slices of toast.

Garbage Museum
1410 Honeyspot Rd Ext.,
Stratford, Connecticut
Phone: 203-381-9571

The Garbage Museum is really a place to learn about recycling with its Trash-o-saurus. This dinosaur is made from the amount to trash each person creates in a single year, one ton. You can also take a stroll through a giant compost pile and get to know some compost worms. There is also a display that shows what happens to trash that is recycled instead of being thrown away.