The Atlas Obscura Guide To Connecticut

179 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Connecticut

Updated July 16, 2026

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Unusual Attractions in Connecticut

Warren’s Occult Museum

Monroe, Connecticut

The Warrens’ Occult Museum

A collection of haunted artifacts chronicles the career of the world’s most famous paranormal investigators. Museum is temporarily closed with plans to re-open.

Holy Land 2016

Waterbury, Connecticut

Holy Land USA

A religious-themed park filled with folk art to bring biblical stories to life that fell into disrepair and now being restored.

Black skull supposedly found hidden in the home of a local politico

Stratford, Connecticut

Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal

The intriguing personal collection of a professional demon-chaser.

Union, Connecticut

Traveler Restaurant

This small-town Connecticut restaurant gives each diner a free book from its vast library.

Hartford, Connecticut

Museum of Natural and Other Curiosities

A wunderkammer hidden on the top floor of the Hartford statehouse.

New Haven, Connecticut

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Yale University's home for rare works, including the mysterious Voynich Manuscript.

Waterbury, Connecticut

Abandoned Fairy Village

A miniature village lies nearly forgotten in the forest by the side of a major highway.

See All 179 Things To Do in Connecticut

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Connecticut

Union, Connecticut

Traveler Restaurant

This small-town Connecticut restaurant gives each diner a free book from its vast library.

Louis’ Lunch

New Haven, Connecticut

Louis' Lunch

While many places make the claim, the Library of Congress says this restaurant is the birthplace of the hamburger.

PEZ Visitor Center.

Orange, Connecticut

PEZ Visitor Center

The world's largest public collection of PEZ memorabilia.

See all 12 Places to Eat in Connecticut

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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

A Haunted Road Trip Through New England

New England has a longer, denser record of documented supernatural lore than almost anywhere in America. This is partly a function of age—the region’s colonial settlements date to the 1620s, giving four centuries for tragedy, execution, epidemic, and obsession to accumulate—and partly a function of the Puritan worldview that shaped its earliest culture. This long-weekend itinerary spans eight spooky spots from Connecticut through Rhode Island into Massachusetts, including a duplex that spawned a horror film franchise and the only surviving structure from the Salem witch trials.

Explore Connecticut

Museums 23

Abandoned 17

Architecture 16

History 15

Statues 13

Collections 13

Parks 11

Architectural Oddities 11

Homes 10

Memento Mori 9

Ruins 9

Cemeteries 9

History & Culture 9

Eccentric Homes 8

Roadside Attractions 7

Monuments 7

Geology 7

Memorials 7

Gravestones 7

Animals 7

Unique Restaurants & Bars 2

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Stories About Connecticut

Rosemary & Mary from Healthy PlanEat

Healthy and Sustainable Local Farms

Exploring local farms and meeting the people who grow our food

by Rosemary Ostfeld, Community Contributor

These roughly 4,000-year-old tablets may be the oldest existing cookbook.

What Researchers Learned From the World’s Oldest Cookbook

Now, you can view—and cook from—these nearly 4,000-year-old ancient Babylonian recipe tablets.

by Diana Hubbell, Atlas Obscura

September 11, 2024

Podcast: The Lighthouse Keeper

Meet the woman behind the light in the dark.

by The Podcast Team, Atlas Obscura

Podcast: The Grave of XYZ

A bank robber’s burial site is still six feet deep with mystery.

by The Podcast Team, Atlas Obscura

Stanwyck, as Lane, is challenged to perform a perfect flapjack flip in the film.

The Real Women Behind ‘Christmas in Connecticut’

The 1945 Barbara Stanwyck film is a classic for its charming portrayal of a food writer who can’t cook. It had its basis in real life.

by Mayukh Sen, Atlas Obscura

December 20, 2023

A sea lamprey that’s clearly ready for its close-up—and for a new appreciation of its role in its native ecosystems.

Sea Lampreys, Long Reviled, Are Finally Getting Some Respect

Once dismissed as "ugly," this sucker-mouthed fish plays an important role in its native ecosystem.

by Ted Williams, Atlas Obscura

The Patsy Green was built around 1906. A married couple, Henry A. Wise Wood and Elizabeth Ogden, once paddled and sailed the canoe from New York City to Prince Edward Island, Canada.

This Museum's Broom Closet Is Actually Full of Historic Boats

A room meant for mops and buckets is now the best-kept secret at Mystic Seaport Museum.

by John Boudreau, Atlas Obscura

August 10, 2020

Researchers in the Northeast are tracking ticks with a linen cloth and a lint roller.

Researchers Track the Tick Boom With Linen Squares and Lint Rollers

The blacklegged bloodsuckers go on three "quests" in their life, each time seeking a blood meal.

by Isaac Schultz, Atlas Obscura

August 28, 2019