A Variety in Bridgeport, Connecticut

We've all heard a lot about Bridgeport, Connecticut.  Unfortunately, most of it isn't good.  So, in my in depth study of places to visit and life in Connecticut, I went to Bridgeport, and I spent some time there.  So, we all know that there is a prison right in the middle of town.  We all know that the city has a  reputation for run down neighborhoods, violence, car theft, and so on.  I have heard it all, but just as in the cases of Cleveland and Chicago; I thought that maybe we should focus on the positive.  So, what did I find in Bridgeport?  I did find all the run down neighborhoods, and I did find the prison.  I actually had a little trouble finding a lot of things, but when I did; it was worth it.

Bridgeport is a bustling metropolis of around 140,000 people that sits right on I-95.  I normally go to Bridgeport to change trains on my way to New York City.  It does have one of the bigger train stations in the state.  Downtown is just like any other city with tall buildings and green places put in to break up the scenery of glass and cement.  The traffic is what I would call normal for the city.  There are a lot of shops and restaurants downtown.  Nothing spectacular.

One of the more amazing things that Bridgeport does have is the Barnum Museum.  That should strike a chord with anyone who's ever been to the circus.  That's right.  This is the museum that teaches us about and celebrates P.T. Barnum.  You will see some really strange sights in there, but that's what we know P.T. Barnum for, now isn't it?  Unfortunately, there was a fire a few years ago, and they are still working on refurbishing the historic part of the museum, but the rest is really interesting.

There's an amazing waterfront in Bridgeport.  Seaside Park is the main focus of that.  It goes for miles and has an amazing view of Long Island Sound.  There are many facets of the park from ball fields to beaches to bandshells and more.  It's a great place to be, but keep in mind that you need a permit to park inside the park.  If you are not from Bridgeport, it can be quite steep.  If you're from out of state, it's expensive.  Other wonderful parts of the waterfront include: Dolphin's Cove, the waterfront restaurant that's not open on Mondays, two lighthouses, and a ferry to Long Island.  The waterfront is a great place to spend some time.

All of the sports activity in Bridgeport is also along the waterfront.  They have hockey and the Bluefish professional baseball team.  Connecticut does not have major league baseball, but we do have four minor league teams and they are all fun to go and watch.

As I've said before, Bass Pro Shops has a great store in Bridgeport, and in addition to shopping, you can eat and go bowling there.  The restaurant is really good and the bowling is black lighted and basically under the sea.  But, Bridgeport has many restaurants that are really good, even though many of them are in what a lot of people would call the bad part of town.  I say, go and enjoy.  There's Mexican, Peruvian, Italian, and so much more along East Main Street.  Give it a shot.  And when you're done eating, head to Discovery Park for the Children's Museum and the adventure park where you can fly through the trees.

Note:  Connecticut is big on adventure parks.  Pretty much anywhere you go you are close to one whether it be inside or out.  So, if that's you're thing, then you need to come to Connecticut.

But, by and large, the best reason to come to Bridgeport is for the animals.  I had never been to Beardsley Zoo.  I loved it and I would happily come back again and again.  Look at what you see there.

Now, I am an advocate of the more open and safari type zoos, but most of the animals in this zoo are kept because they are endangered and protected or because they have been injured and can no longer survive in the wild.  The habitats are really good, and I would visit this place again.  It's right in the middle of town, and sits along a riverside park.  It's a great place to spend some time with the family.  They have programs that the kids can do and classrooms for the programs right on the grounds.  They also have a great greenhouse with plants from all over the world.

So, what can I say about Bridgeport?  It's not what you'd expect given what you've probably heard.  I found a bunch of friendly people and a lovely place to spend some time.  It is true that there are no state parks there, but they have plenty to do without them.  They also have a growing university in The University of Bridgeport.  They've come a long way.  It's looking better than ever, and the food is good.  Come on down to Bridgeport and see a place that I think will really surprise you.  But, bring a map of the city or have it on your phone.  They do need better signage for their attractions.  Enjoy!

http://www.beardsleyzoo.org/#_=_
http://www.bridgeportbluefish.com/#_=_
https://www.discoveryadventurepark.org/#_=_
http://www.bridgeportct.gov/content/89019/95776/95824.aspx#_=_
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http://www.bridgeportct.gov/
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http://www.barnum-museum.org/#_=_
http://www.go-connecticut.com/Bridgeport/
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http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPageC?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&appID=94&tab=3&storeID=80&affcode_c=17kw14333809&SST=1c2762f7-e1f1-45cf-8fcd-378fffb0ef05
http://www.bridgeportct.gov/parksandrec
http://www.downtownbridgeport.com/web/shopping.php
http://dolphinscovect.com/
http://88844ferry.com/
http://www.westmarine.com/?cm_mmc=PS-_-MSN-_-none-_-boating+suppliers&creative=10850282725&device=c&matchtype=b
http://www.ctsportfishing.com/
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https://www.facebook.com/adventuresforanyone?fref=ts#
https://www.fictionpress.com/u/530752/Nina-Kindred

We Call It Storrs...UCONN and Mansfield

Back in 1880, Charles and Augustus Storrs donated some land to make an agricultural school.  Who knew where that train was going?  Today's University of Connecticut at Storrs is it's own town.  And, the area that surrounds it is a lot of fun to spend time in.  My son has some inklings of pursuing his academic career there, so while we were out checking out Connecticut this summer, we went to take a look.  For yet another installment of my in depth study of travel and life in Connecticut I give you Mansfield, Storrs, and Manchester.

I won't lie, when we came into Mansfield on Route 44, I saw a little gathering of buildings wondering how on Earth 20,000 students managed to go to school in such a small place.  I also wondered where the top notch football and basketball teams were holed up.

Needless to say, when my son directed me down the road to the "real campus," I was impressed.  Storrs is the city that's in Mansfield, the tiny town.  There's positively everything there.  Every single building from Gampel Pavilion to the student union is impressive.  I got lost driving around the campus, to the point that we found the agricultural school on the other side.  It was one of the biggest farms I'd ever seen in the northeast.  Long story short, this gargantuan educational city just pops up out of the wilderness that tends to be northeastern Connecticut.  In the end I told my son that if that was what he wanted, I couldn't argue.  I already knew that they have an amazing engineering program and that they are improving that department as we were there.

Being summertime, there wasn't a whole lot going on, although it was busier than colleges used to be in the summer when I was in school.  I wanted to see what else goes on in the area, so our first stop was the UCONN Dairy Bar.  My son spends a lot of time out that way with school programs already, so he told me that I had to try the ice cream that they make right on campus.  He wasn't joking.  If you go out that way, give it a try.  It's worth finding a campus map so you can find the Dairy Bar.  It was some really great ice cream.

But, what to do with spare time in the wilds of northeastern Connecticut?  Well, on the deserted road to UCONN, there was a park called Shelter Falls Park.  You know me. It said falls.  So we stopped at the trail head and went in to take a look.  Along the road there was a little pond/swamp, so we knew that there was water.

It was a little dark in there.  The woods are thick.  There was a cute bridge to cross the stream on.  The walk was nice, and there were cascades.  I don't know if anything I saw was really a falls, but it was a nice park.  It would be a great place to escape when Storrs is a little much.  After that we checked out downtown Mansfield.  There isn't much there.  The whole town is basically Storrs.  The rest is barely a hole in the wall.  So, we moved on.  Where would you go to shop?  Where would you go to eat out?  Where would you go for activities?

We did find a lovely state park called Gay City in Hebron which isn't far.  There's a great picnic area there, with a pavilion and lots of space.  They have a beach on the pond which is quite nice.  They have hiking trails and the whole place is very scenic.  We liked it.  We also found an adventure park by Storrs where you can zip line and climb through the trees.

Manchester, Connecticut is a great place to spend your time, and it's just over 10 miles from Storrs and UCONN.  Case Mountain is the park of choice to visit there.  The view and the trails are great.  But there are many things to do in Manchester.  It's a hub of entertainment in that area of Connecticut.  You can do everything from shop til you drop to shooting archery.  They have an indoor adventure park and a rock climbing spot.  They have movies, arcades, and even a Sonic Drive In.

Manchester has a great downtown with all the small town charm you'd like to see in New England.  They also have a historic district and museums.  There are a lot of parts of Manchester that are scenic and pretty quiet where you can go and just do what you want.

However, where all the highways come together, there's the shopping and eating.  Buckland Hills Mall has been a shopping staple for decades.  It sits up on the hill above the main drag that connects to all the interstates around.  It does share that hill with a lot of other things from Walmart to Christmas Tree Shops to Home Depot and beyond.  Below the hill are strip malls with all kinds of other shops.  This is a great discount shopping area and it's full of really great restaurants.  If you want to get away from school, this is your stop.  Especially the discount shopping.

So, it's an area.  It's not a particular place.  If you want to visit UCONN at Storrs, remember that it's actually in Mansfield.  If you want to check out the neighborhood sights, you will drive around a little.  If you want, there are a lot of things to do right there on campus.  Your child will not be bored.  But, seriously; how did a gargantuan university end up in the middle of nowhere?  Probably because it used to be an agricultural school.  I wonder if Charles and Augustus Storrs had any idea what they were starting?  Enjoy!

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https://www.fictionpress.com/u/530752/Nina-Kindred

One of My Favorite Spots in New York...Ausable!

When I first moved to New England, everyone I knew talked about vacationing in Lake George, New York.  I've done that, and I really enjoyed it.  However, if you drive a couple more hours up I-87 towards Canada, you will arrive in one of my favorite areas of the state.  The town is called Keeseville, but the chasm is called Ausable.

Ausable used to be a small attraction.  It was just the chasm, which is beautiful and amazing.  You walked through it, taking a raft for the last part of the tour.  Then they added the night tour with lanterns, which was really cool.  Now you can take the adventure tour, walk any of a dozen trails, to a photography tour and more.  You can even come up and take the winter tour where you wear crampons and stuff.  You can climb the rock walls, you can rappel down the walls.  If you stay in the campground, all the tours are at a discount and you can do all kinds of stuff.  It's a great place to spend some time.

There's a lot to do.  And in the evening, you can go into town and go out to eat and shop.  It's a lot of fun.

There are activities at the campground too.  You can play Frisbee golf, take a swim in the pool and many other things.

And if you aren't done after, not far away is High Falls Gorge.  I must admit, when I first arrived at this place, I thought it was a rip off.  I was wrong.  Even though it is fenced off and privately owned, it is beautiful and the admission price is well worth it.  It's a short stop, but a gorgeous one.

Also in the vicinity is Howe Caverns.  This heads a cave system that runs down the eastern part of the country.  Howe Caverns is a great place to spend any rainy times while you're in the area.  They have a spot where you can get married too.  They also have a boat trip inside the caverns.

About three miles from Ausable is Port Kent, which sits right on Lake Champlain, and the ferry that takes you to Burlington, Vermont.  There is a little beach there and a snack bar.  It's a great place to watch the sun set after a day at Ausable.

Burlington is the largest city in the vicinity.  They are a college town, and an old town.  The city streets are beautiful, the waterfront is beautiful.  The shopping and restaurants are great.  After taking on the wilderness, this is a great way to balance your trip with some urban time.  Or, at least as urban as you can get in Vermont.

Do you have kids to travel with, or a girl that you would like to romance?  Well, Burlington is home to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory.  You can stop off here and see the bears being made.  You can make one for yourself as well.  It's a lot of fun, I don't care how old you are.

So, take the road less traveled.  Spend some time in the true Adirondacks and spend some time with nature.  Ausable Chasm is one of my favorite places.  The whole area is beautiful and relaxed.  The people are friendly, and the scenery is amazing.  There's a lot to do, and time to reconnect with your family.  Take the time to go north of Lake George.  No offense to that area, but I like something a little less.  A little less crowded, a little less expensive, a little less inhabited.  It's back to nature in a lot of ways, and it's well worth the time.  Come to Ausable.  You won't ever regret it.  Enjoy!

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