Hidden Gems of North-Central Connecticut

WILLINGTON, CT — Driving down Route 32 in Willington, the eastbound side contains some old brick buildings which look like an old mill. In fact, it is the former Gardiner Hall Jr. Company, the first spooled thread production facility in the United States, but lurking upstairs is a magnificent performance venue.

The building at 156 River Road had been vacated in the late 1970s, and was placed on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places in 2014. The Packing House at The Mill Works was reborn in 2015 as an historic performance hall and event space - an eclectic mix of art, culture and entertainment.

The Packing House is available to rent for creative projects, events, meetings, receptions, workshops, recitals and much more.

More information is available at thepackinghouse.us.

(The Packing House)
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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. Do you have a favorite "hidden gem" in the area that you wish to see featured in this column? Email your ideas to tim.jensen@patch.com.

Other columns in this series:

• Cold Harbor Seafood
• Nye Holman State Forest/Heron Cove Park
• Hosmer Mountain Soda Shack
• Connecticut Trolley Museum
• Matterhorn Mini Golf
• Wood Memorial Library & Museum
• Hastings Farm
• Liquid Nirvana
• Iwo Jima Survivors Memorial Park
• Academy Hall
• Southington Drive-In
• Little Theatre of Manchester at Cheney Hall
• Somersvillage Gifts & Gourmet Baskets
• New England Civil War Museum
• The Pinchot Sycamore
• Stafford Palace Theater
• Mansfield Hollow State Park
• Old Tolland County Jail and Museum
• Hill-Stead Museum
• Mark's Restaurant