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I’ve lived in Connecticut since 1991 when I entered UConn. During the time since, I’ve lived in Storrs, Mansfield, Glastonbury, New Britain, Manchester, Cheshire, East Hampton, and now West Hartford. I’ve stayed with friends from Stamford to Brookfield to Ledyard. I’ve hiked in Canterbury, Newtown, Berlin - and camped out near Salisbury. I was on the cycling team while at UConn and have therefore ridden every backroad within 40 miles of campus. I used to ride Route 66 from Willimantic to Wesleyan in Middletown and back again in successive days. More than once I rode from Storrs to the small little towns out west on Route 44. Needless to say, I thought I knew this state pretty well, even if there are 169 independent towns in the state all told.
After all, Connecticut is the 3rd smallest state in the country and one can transverse the state from Union to just west of Danbury in about 90 minutes. But if you were to make that trip, all along I-84, you’d be leaving a small, somewhat isolated, mainly rural and unspoiled town in the so-called Quiet Corner of the state, passing very near UConn, then cutting right through downtown Hartford, continuing west to suburban sprawl and McMansion towns, then splitting the still-rebounding post-industrial towns of New Britain, Bristol, and Waterbury and then finally, once west of there, driving into the richest county in America, Fairfield County, with its massive stone manors and absurd cost of living. One road, one state, 90 minutes - vastly different worlds.
It turns out I don’t know anything about my home state. My wife Hoang and I had our first child, Damian, in late January 2006. (Read about our special challenges raising him here.) Among other far more important things, this meant that our lavish and lengthy vacations would be put on hold for a while. Our goal to climb to the highest point of all 50 states (ok, 49… and maybe it’s mainly just MY goal) would also be temporarily shelved, stuck at 17. I never had a purposeful thought to create another list or sought out something to do, just to have something to do at all.
But day after day on my way to pick up my son in New Britain after work, I would pass the above highway sign over and over. This is the sign that generated the idea… Why? Because what the heck was this “Industrial Museum?” I knew what the Youth Museum was (Hoang had been there as a child) and the New Britain Museum of American Art is fairly well-known in these parts, but neither she nor anyone else I asked had any inkling of the Industrial Museum’s existence, let alone what is was like. This got me thinking… Why not try to visit all the museums in Connecticut? Sure it would take a while, but how hard can it be to visit maybe 100 places - tops?
I began scouring the Internet to gather my list. Days turned into weeks as I kept finding hidden gems and different pathways to historical societies and out-of-the-way collections. The list grew past 200, 300, 400… It is hard to give an accurate tally because there are some museums that are only someone’s dream at this point, there are some that may disappear at any time, and several more that I can’t find sufficient information about. Then there are the gray areas - small historical societies with a few old maps and the various small art galleries and things like important trees around the state. My arbitrary system of MuseumQuest worthiness is subject to change and impossible to quantify; just deal with it. (And really, with over 400 places to visit, who’s going to complain?)
Someone will… So that’s why I’ve added to the madness by writing about my goal to hike CT’s major blue-blazed trails too! Then there’s the “curiosities” tab which contains just that - all pertaining to CT. Lastly there’s the “ephemera” tab, which serves as a dumping ground for unrelated - yet somehow - related stuff like our Top 100 English novels of the 20th century and state highpoint projects.
That’s it - the genesis and growth of a slightly insane idea. Another list for me to check things off of to feel that warm sense of completion. I initially roped in my blogosphere superstar friend EdHill to join me for as many museums as possible (and to contribute his thoughts and pictures) as well as a game Hoang, a clueless Damian, some willing friends, and always unsuspecting tour guides. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: CTMQ is not, in any way, associated with any museums or other places discussed on this website. Nothing here is official, nothing is to be taken as gospel, and nothing should be used as your top resource for any museum, trail, restaurant, etc. I’m just one guy having some fun. So get out there yourselves and form your own opinions.