Hiking Gillette Castle State Park in Connecticut

Hiking Gillette Castle State Park was not only beautiful, but we learned a bunch too! On this adventure we headed east in Connecticut towards the Connecticut River.

At the time we knew very little about the location we were heading to, but when all the images of the park centered around a castle, we knew we wouldn’t be disappointed. Gillette Caste State Park is a very unique park that revolves around an American actor-manager, playwright, and stage-manager’s past.

His name, William Hooker Gillette, may ring some bells if you are familiar with the fictional character Sherlock Holmes. If you head there in present time however, the castle feels very much alive.

PICNIC TIME!

As you make your way into the park, there are some beautiful areas to have a picnic. You can sit near a water feature like the beautiful ponds on the property, or you can go up a flight of stairs from the main parking lot and sit in a gorgeous wooded setting.

WALKING THROUGH HISTORY

One of my favorite parts about exploring the country is learning some of the history behind those particular areas. This may just look like an ordinary bridge (above) to hike across, but the trails throughout this park have their own history.  The railroad sign on the post next to the bridge gives the best clue of what used to roam these grounds.

TRAIN GOING AROUND THE PROPERTY!?

Yes, that is a train in the picture above. William Gillette actually had a small train track that covered his surrounding property to show guests around. How cool is that? The trails throughout the park used to be home to a small railroad track that would take passengers across his 184 acres of land.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of many actors that happen to have their own train track on their property.  There are also many other cool historical facts within the visitor center including a short film talking about the property and William Gillette.

While in the visitor center don’t forget to buy your tickets if you want to tour the castle itself. When we went, I believe it was $6 per adult. If you have doubts on whether you should check out the castle, view the slide show within our video. We highly recommend checking this castle out. 🙂

HAVE NO FEAR, SNACKS ARE HERE

If you are heading through this park on an empty stomach and you didn’t bring food for a picnic, no need to worry. Gillette Castle State park has its own “Castle Cuisine.” We didn’t head in to see what they had, but we did see signs for burgers and ice cream. Sounds like a complete meal to me!

SWEET LOOKING CASTLE!

When approaching the castle I couldn’t help but think of medieval times. How many battles must have taken place here defending the property! Alas, this castle was actually built between 1914 and 1919…just a few years after our ancestors in shiny armor.  You can still imagine it though right? Me too.

“SEVENTH SISTER”

William Gillette called the castle the “Seventh Sister” due to it being located on the seventh of seven hills in the area known as the Seven Sisters.

I was actually surprised they could build this castle in the span of about 5 years with the complex designs involved. The rock awnings really stood out to me as a really neat design feature. From what I read while visiting the castle, Gillette was involved in a lot of the design work throughout the castle.

NO FILMING OR FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY INSIDE

Just as a heads up to fellow video enthusiasts, they do not allow filming or flash photography inside of the castle. However, we did take loads of pictures that I attempted to compress into a small slide show. Also, if you did bring your pet with you on the grounds of Gillette Castle State Park, you are not allowed to take your pet inside the castle itself.

Which is a shame, I know Blaze would have loved running into everyone and leaning on them while they scratch his ears.  Really though, although it is a fairly large castle, I can see why they decided to say no to the pups.  Narrow hallways, small rooms, and not wanting “accidents” on preserved historic hardwood…to name a few reasons. 🙂

SO MUCH DETAIL!

If the stone work in the entrance of this castle impresses you, you ain’t seen nothing yet. William Gillette went above and beyond making his castle stand out. Whether it be the wood work, glass work, every room had its own unique features to marvel over.

EPIC HANDCRAFTED WOODEN LIGHT SWITCHES

It took me a little while to figure out what these switches were. Did have have secret trapdoors or entrances hidden among these walls!? Nope, these were just really cool light switches. If he put this much time and energy into the light switches in his entrance hallway, you can already start to imagine how meticulous the rest of the castle is.

GILLETTE’S WORKSHOP

I really am trying to keep this article as short as possible, but there are just so many cool rooms and historic bits to share throughout this property. Down in this room was Gillette’s workshop.

Down in this workshop is where you could say…the “magic” happened. This is where Gillette’s hired craftsmen built all the detailed wood designs, unique fittings, and other various decorative items you see all around the castle.

LOOK AT THAT CEILING!

Yea, my jaw kind of dropped too. This is the room you enter right after you climb some stairs in the main entrance. I’ll just let you admire the woodwork and imagine how much work and love really did go into structure of this castle.

AUNT POLLY – TINY HOUSEBOAT

I thought his houseboat “Aunt Polly” was a very cool concept. I wouldn’t quite call the houseboat a tiny house…because well, it was 142 feet long. Although it is cool to think of how the nomadic lifestyle was in full swing back in the early 1900s. It would be really cool to tour that boat, however I have no idea whether or not it still exists.

WILLIAM GILLETTE’S ROOM

The image above is actually from William Gillette’s room within the castle. As noted by the information card in the room, William Gillette wasn’t really into huge bedrooms.

In fact, I would say that every single room in our current rental house is bigger that William’s old room in Gillette Castle. He designed the castle in a way to leave the most room for the social areas of the castle rather than making the places they rested their heads overly luxurious.

VIEW FROM 3RD STORY WINDOW

Here is a view out of a 3rd story window in his art gallery. There is no doubt that Gillette picked a perfect spot to build his castle along the Connecticut River. There is even a 4th story with a lookout tower, but it was closed off when we were visiting that day.

DEFINITELY A MUST SEE

There is so much more information and sites to see at Gillette Castle State park so my recommendation is to definitely get out to this park sometime when you are able. We try to summarize these places we visit to the best of our ability but there is always of course more to see when actually there. 🙂

I’ll leave you with the above picture looking over the Connecticut River. We hope that our adventures inspire you all to get out there and explore your own states and beyond. There is so much to see in this world to be caught up in the small things that keep us down and build up imaginary barriers around us. The world you see and feel is only a matter of personal perspective. The more you see and feel the more you allow that perspective to grow and you’ll never know where that leads you until you try. 🙂

OTHER NEARBY HIKES

Sleeping Giant State Park

West Rock Ridge State Park

Chatfield Hollow State Park

Osbornedale State Park

NOTE FROM WRITER

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Also be sure to check out Deanna’s food blog when you get the chance! A lot of awesome and healthy recipes to use there!

Adventure On!