Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Windsor (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: First Church in Windsor, Vintage Radio and Communications Museum, and Northwest Park. Also, be sure to include Oliver Ellsworth Homestead in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Windsor (Connecticut).
Table of Contents
First Church in Windsor
The First Church in Windsor, Connecticut is the oldest Congregational church in Connecticut. Its origin can be traced back to 1630, when 140 men and women sailed out of Plymouth, England on the Mary & John. This was the first of 17 ships in the so-called Winthrop Fleet, bound for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. When they heard from the Indians about the fertile land along the Connecticut River in what is now called the Connecticut River Valley, a small contingent of settlers travelled southwest and established the first settlement in Connecticut at Windsor in 1633. Word soon spread that Windsor was a good place in which to settle: in 1635, the congregation of the First Church departed from their homes in Dorchester, Massachusetts to relocate to Connecticut.[1]
Vintage Radio and Communications Museum
History museum, Museum
Address: 115 Pierson Ln, 06095-2050 Windsor
Northwest Park
Museum in Windsor, Connecticut. Northwest Park is a municipally owned park in the town of Windsor, Connecticut, which includes walking trails, soccer fields and a nature center. Located in the Poquonock section of Windsor along the Farmington River, the park covers 473 acres of forests, fields and recreational areas.
The Luddy/Taylor Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum, dedicated to preserving the history of the tobacco industry in the lower Connecticut River valley, is located near the entrance of the park.
The Northwest Park Nature Center features natural history, geology and meteorology exhibits, and offers nature and environmental education programs including a summer camp. There is an adjacent barn with farmyard animals.
The park hosts an annual Coffeehouse Concert Series, bringing in a variety of regional and national acts to perform in an intimate setting. Additionally, a country fair annually takes place in the fall at the park.
Other park amenities are trails for hiking, cross-country and skiing, a maple sugar house, a playground, picnic facilities, and a gift shop in the nature center.[2]
Address: 145 Lang Rd, 06095-1550 Windsor
Oliver Ellsworth Homestead
Museum in Windsor, Connecticut. The Oliver Ellsworth Homestead, also known as Elmwood, is a historic house museum at 788 Palisado Avenue in Windsor, Connecticut. Built in 1781, it was the home of the American lawyer and politician Oliver Ellsworth until his death in 1807, and was designated a National Historic Landmark because of this association. Ellsworth helped draft the United States Constitution, served as the third Chief Justice of the United States, and was a United States Senator from Connecticut. The house is owned and maintained and operated as a museum by the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution, and is open for tours upon request.[3]
Address: 778 Palisado Ave, 06095 Windsor
Hezekiah Chaffee House
Museum in Windsor, Connecticut. The Hezekiah Chaffee House is a historic house museum on Meadow Lane in Windsor, Connecticut. Built about 1765, it is one of Windsor's largest and most elaborate Georgian brick houses. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and is a contributing property to the Palisado Avenue Historic District, listed in 1987. It is owned and operated by the Windsor Historic Society, which offers tours on a year-round basis.[4]
Grace Church Rectory
The former Grace Church Rectory is a historic church rectory and house at 301 Broad Street in Windsor, Connecticut. Built about 1865, it is a good local example of Gothic Revival architecture executed in brick. It was listed the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[5]
Address: 379 Broad St, Windsor
Farmington River Railroad Bridge
Bridge. The Farmington River Railroad Bridge spans the Farmington River in Windsor, Connecticut, just west of Palisado Avenue and north of Pleasant Street. It carries two tracks of the main railroad line between Hartford, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1867, it is one of the state's finest examples of a stone arch railroad bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[6]
Windsor Historical Society
History museum, Museum, Library
Address: 96 Palisado Ave, 06095-2526 Windsor
Windsor Public Library
Library
Address: 232 Broad St, 06095 Windsor
Col. James Loomis House
The Colonel James Loomis House is a historic house at 208-210 Broad Street in Windsor, Connecticut. Built in 1822 for a prominent local family, it is a good local example of Federal architecture executed in brick. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[7]
First Church Parsonage
The First Church Parsonage is a historic parsonage house at 160 Palisado Avenue in Windsor, Connecticut. Built in 1852 for the new minister of the First Congregational Church, it is a well-preserved example of transitional Greek Revival-Italianate architecture in brick. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[8]
Broad Street Green Historic District
The Broad Street Green Historic District encompasses the historic late-19th century town center of Windsor, Connecticut. It is centered around the Broad Street Green, a public park extending on the east side of Broad Street between Union and Batchelder Streets, and includes a diversity of architecture spanning much of the town's long history. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[9]
Deacon John Moore House
Historical landmark in Windsor, Connecticut. The Deacon John Moore House is a historic house at 37 Elm Street in Windsor, Connecticut. The oldest portion of the house was built in 1664, making it one of the oldest houses in the state. It has been altered and renovated, but retains its original frame and other elements. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[10]
House at 44 Court Street
Building in Windsor, Connecticut. 44 Court Street in Windsor, Connecticut is a well-preserved Italianate brick duplex. Built in 1876, it is one a few buildings of this type left in the town. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is currently the home of Court Street Financial Services.[11]
Loomis Homestead
The Loomis Homestead in Windsor, Connecticut, is one of the oldest timber-frame houses in America. The oldest part of the house, an ell adjacent to the main house, is believed to have been built between 1640 and 1653 by Joseph Loomis who came to America from England in 1638. Later additions to the Loomis house were made around the turn of the eighteenth century. The preserved house is now adjacent to the well-known Loomis Chaffee School, which was founded by Loomis' descendants who donated the surrounding farm land of the original homestead for the grounds of the school.[12]
Hathaways Store
Hathaways Store is a historic formerly commercial building at 32 East Street in Windsor, Connecticut. Built about 1850, it is a good local example of vernacular Italianate architecture in brick, and a reminder of the formerly industrial heritage of its immediate surroundings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[13]
Edward and Ann Moore House
The Edward and Ann Moore House is a historic house at 464 Broad Street in Windsor, Connecticut. Built in 1806, it is a good example of Federal style residential architecture executed in brick. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[14]
William Shelton House
The William Shelton House is a historic house at 40 Pleasant Street in Windsor, Connecticut. Built in 1830, it is a good local example of transitional Federal-Greek Revival architecture executed in brick. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[15]
House at 111 Maple Avenue
111 Maple Street is a historic house in Windsor, Connecticut. Built about 1871, it is a good local example of Italianate architecture, with lingering Greek Revival touches. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[16]
Stony Hill School
The Stony Hill School is a historic school building at 1195 Windsor Avenue in Windsor, Connecticut. Built in 1856 and extensively altered after a move in 1899, it is a good example of a Colonial Revival district schoolhouse built out of brick. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[17]