Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Wallingford (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Andrews Homestead Museum, Toyota Oakdale Theatre, and Center Street Cemetery. Also, be sure to include Paul Mellon Arts Center in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Wallingford (Connecticut).
Table of Contents
Andrews Homestead Museum
The Moses Andrews House is a historic house museum at 424 West Main Street in Meriden, Connecticut. Built about 1760, it is one of a small number of surviving 18th-century houses in the city. It has been operated by the local historical society as a museum property since about 1940. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1]
Toyota Oakdale Theatre
Auditorium in Wallingford, Connecticut. The Oakdale Theatre is a multi-purpose performance venue, located in Wallingford, Connecticut. Opened in 1954, the venue consists of an auditorium and domed theatre, known as The Dome at Oakdale.[2]
Address: Wallingford, 95 South Turnpike Rd, Wallingford, CT 06492-4326
Center Street Cemetery
Cemetery in Wallingford, Connecticut. The Center Street Cemetery is a historic cemetery on Center Street in Wallingford, Connecticut. Established about 1670, it is the town's oldest cemetery, and the burial site for many of the city's civic and industrial leaders. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[3]
Paul Mellon Arts Center
Building in Wallingford, Connecticut. The Paul Mellon Arts Center is an arts building on the campus of Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, Connecticut designed by architect I. M. Pei.
The original design began in 1968 and the building was completed in 1972. It was funded in large part by school alumnus Paul Mellon, who was also responsible as the National Gallery's president for Pei's commission for the East Building of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. at roughly the same time.[4]
Address: 332 Christian St, 06492-3819 Wallingford
Wallingford Dog Park
Park, Relax in park
Address: 345 Quinnipiac St, Wallingford
On Track Karting Wallingford
Game and entertainment center, Racetrack
Address: 984 N Colony Rd, 06492-1818 Wallingford
Franklin Johnson House
The Franklin Johnson House is a historic house at 153 South Main Street in Wallingford, Connecticut. Built in 1866, it is a distinctive local example of Italianate architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It is now home to the American Silver Museum, which is generally open by appointment or on special occasions.[5]
Samuel Parsons House
The Samuel Parsons House is a historic house museum at 180 South Main Street in Wallingford, Connecticut. Built about 1770, it is a well-preserved example of Georgian residential architecture. It has housed the local historical society since 1919. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[6]
Yalesville Underpass
Bridge in Wallingford, Connecticut. The Yalesville Underpass is a 30-degree skew arch bridge carrying the railroad over Route 150 and Route 71 in Wallingford, Connecticut. Built in 1838 for the Hartford and New Haven Railroad by William MacKenzie, it is reported to be the first skew underpass in America. The arch was designed to allowed tall hay wagons to pass through but it is not wide enough for modern two-way traffic, the one-way traffic being controlled by a pair of lights. Due to the age of the bridge, it has to undergo repairs on a regular basis.
In 2018, work was done to accommodate for an additional train track.[7]
St. Stanislaus Parish
Catholic church in Meriden, Connecticut. St. Stanislaus Church in Meriden, Connecticut is a Roman Catholic church originally established in 1891 and dedicated to the Bishop of Kraków, Stanislaus of Szczepanów, an 11th-century Polish Saint. St. Stanislaus's is the third oldest Polish-American Roman Catholic parish in New England and the oldest in the Archdiocese of Hartford. In 2017, Saint Stanislaus parish merged with the nearby Polish-American parish SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Wallingford to form St. Faustina Parish.
The Saint Stanislaus campus of Saint Faustina Parish is made up of the church, school, community center, gymnasium, rectory and garage, convent and chapel, and the cemetery, as well as an outdoor shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Stanislaus parish built the first Polish Roman Catholic church building in Connecticut in 1893, which was replaced by the current church in 1908. The original building also housed the parish school until the construction of the current Saint Stanislaus Parochial School in 1915. The parochial school operated for grades kindergarten through 8th grade until 2015, after which the building was used for a pre-kindergarten program.
Saints Peter and Paul Church was established as an independent parish in 1924 for Polish immigrants setting in Wallingford. The current church building was dedicated a year later in 1925.
The combined parish is named for Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun canonized in 2000, known for inspiring devotion to Divine Mercy. The parish offices and records are maintained at the Saint Stanislaus campus.[8]
Nehemiah Royce House
The Nehemiah Royce House, also known as the Washington Elm House, is a historic home located at 538 North Main Street in Wallingford, Connecticut. The saltbox house was constructed in 1672. George Washington visited the house twice, first in 1775 while on his way to take command of the Continental Army in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and again in 1789 when he gave an address to the townspeople in front of the house near the Elm.[9]