Hidden Gems Of Connecticut

HARTFORD, CT — This week's Connecticut Hidden Gem comes as a challenge delivered by the Connecticut Capitol Information and Tours Twitter page.

Here are the directions:

Look up ...

Keep looking ...

There's more than one Gem actually ...

Inside the Capitol itself are ornate designs unique to the building. Some of the trimmings are pointed out during tours, but the challenge is to also walk around and see them without any time constraints. They are on ceilings, around windows and in just about every nook and cranny inside the historic building.

According to the Connecticut General Assembly website, the building is classified as "modern secular Gothic." Construction of the building began in 1871. The building was completed in 1878, and it opened for the session of the General Assembly in January 1879, according to the site.

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The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Connecticut. Other columns in this series for 2021 include:

• Wickham Park Aviary
• 55 West Main, New Britain
• Fox Hopyard Golf Course
• The Dodd Center For Human Rights at UConn
• Manchester Ropes Challenge Course
• 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm
• Fuego Picante Food Truck
• The Amistad
• 9/11 memorials
• Club Champion Golf Fitters
• New England Civil War Museum and Research Center
• Avery's Soda
• Salt 2.0 Restaurant
• The Grave of Jonathan, The Original Husky
• Golden Gavel Auction House
• Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut
• The Cogswell Temperance Fountain
• The Old State House
• BouNom Bakery
• Union Pond Park/Jay Howroyd Fitness Trail
• The Submarine Force Museum/USS Nautilus
• The UConn Dairy Bar
• Grove Hill Cemetery, Vernon
• Backwoods Smokin' BBQ
• The Ranch House
• Connecticut State Police Museum
• Berlin Historic District
• Connecticut Parachutists Skydiving Club
• Tail Winds Ice Cream Shop
• The MLK Mural
• The Hilltop Restaurant and Bar
• Fork & Fire
• Lena's Italian Kitchen
• The Benedict Arnold Trail
• Swank Pearce
• Vernon Depot Historic Park
• Farr's Sporting Goods
• Robs Drivin Diner

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