Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Guilford (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Henry Whitfield House, Medad Stone Tavern, and Hyland House Museum. Also, be sure to include Falkner Island Light in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Guilford (Connecticut).
Table of Contents
Henry Whitfield House
Museum in Guilford, Connecticut. The Henry Whitfield House is a historic house located in Guilford, Connecticut, down the street from the town green. This house dates from 1639, having been built just before the town of Guilford was settled. It is the oldest house in Connecticut and the oldest stone house in New England. The house, with its massive stone walls, also served as a fort to protect the community. Henry Whitfield, for whom the house was built, was a Puritan minister who had come from England to flee religious persecution. The house was remodeled in 1868 and opened to the public in 1899 as the first museum of the State of Connecticut, the Henry Whitfield State Museum. The house was restored in 1902–04 and in the 1930s and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997. It was named a State Archeological Preserve in 2006.[1]
Address: 248 Old Whitfield St, 06437-3459 Guilford
Medad Stone Tavern
The Medad Stone Tavern is a historic house museum at 191 Three Mile Course in Guilford, Connecticut. Built in 1803 but never actually used as a tavern, it is well-preserved example of early 19th-century Federal period architecture. It is now maintained as a museum by a local historical society. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.[2]
Hyland House Museum
Museum in Guilford, Connecticut. The Hyland House Museum or Hyland-Wildman House is a historic house museum at 84 Boston Road in Guilford, Connecticut. Built in 1713, it is one of the town's best-preserved houses of that period. It has been open to the public as a museum since 1918, under the auspices of a local historic preservation group. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The house features Colonial-era furnishings and artifacts.[3]
Address: 84 Boston St, 06437-2874 Guilford
Falkner Island Light
Lighthouse in New Haven County, Connecticut. Falkner Island Light, also known as the Faulkner Island Lighthouse, is a lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, on Falkner Island which is off Guilford Harbor on Long Island Sound. The lighthouse was constructed in 1802 and commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. The lighthouse has had three keeper's houses: the original house of 1802 was rebuilt in 1851 and then again in 1871. The 1871 keeper's house survived to 1976, when it was destroyed by fire; the Coast Guard repaired and automated the lighthouse two years later. A volunteer group, the Faulkner's Light Brigade, has undertaken the restoration and preservation of the lighthouse since 1991, completing the last major restoration work in March 2011. Access to Falkner Island and the light is restricted during the nesting season of the roseate terns from May to August yearly. The Falkner Island Lighthouse, as the second oldest extant lighthouse in Connecticut, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4]
Greene Art Gallery
Art gallery, Shopping, Museum
Address: 29 Whitfield St, 06437-2631 Guilford
Sabbathday House
The Sabbathday House, also known as the Daniel Bowen House is a historic house at 19 Union Street in Guilford, Connecticut. Built about 1735, it is one two surviving houses in the town built for the purpose of sheltering church-going families between morning and afternoon services. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[5]
Bishop's Orchards
Market in Guilford, Connecticut. Bishop's Orchards is an agricultural operation in Guilford, Connecticut, that serves as a farm, retail market, tourist attraction and winery.
Bishop's Orchards began operating as a family farm in 1871. Over the years, Bishop's Orchards expanded to a 313-acre (1.27 km2) farm, with the Bishop family members maintaining control of all duties ranging from corporate decision-making to retail operations to crop maintenance. In 2007, the Bishop family members created a 10-year stock purchase and loan program to ensure a continuation of family ownership.
Bishop's Orchards has attracted tourism via its retail market and seasonal apple- and pumpkin-picking programs; visits by local school groups are also coordinated.[6]
Address: 1355 Boston Post Rd, 06437-2399 Guilford
Guilford Historic Town Center
Guilford Historic Town Center is a large historic district encompassing the entire town center of Guilford, Connecticut, in the United States. It is centered on the town green, laid out in 1639, and extends north to Interstate 95, south to Long Island Sound, west to the West River, and east to East Creek. It includes more than 600 historic structures, most built between the late 17th and early 20th centuries, reflecting the town's growth and history during that time. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The town center has been listed as a census-designated place (CDP) since 2008. As of the 2010 census, the Guilford Center CDP had a population of 2,597, out of 22,375 in the entire town of Guilford.[7]
Jared Eliot House
The Jared Eliot House is a historic house at 88 Mulbery Farms Road in Guilford, Connecticut. Built in 1723, it is a well-preserved example of period residential architecture, built by Rev. Jared Eliot, an influential figure in the social and economic life of the community. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[8]
Elisha Pitkin House
Building. The Elisha Pitkin House is a historic house at 173 High Woods Drive in Guilford, Connecticut. With a construction history estimated to date to 1690, it is one of Connecticut's small number of surviving 17th-century buildings. It was moved to this site in 1955 from its original site in East Hartford, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[9]
Griswold House
Museum. The Griswold House is a historic house museum at 171 Boston Street in Guilford, Connecticut. Built about 1764, it is a well-preserved example of New England colonial architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The Guilford Keeping Society operates the house as the Thomas Griswold House Museum. The museum includes the late 18th century period New England saltbox house, a historic blacksmith shop, a barn with farm tools and implements, two corn cribs and a Victorian era three seat outhouse. The museum is open seasonally from June through October on a limited number of days each week.[10]