Connecticut i a little state with big heart.

There are many well-known wonders to be found here, but what about the less recognizable finds hiding in plain sight?

There's adventure around every corner if you're willing to find it.

Let's explore Connecticut's Hidden Gems.

Animal lovers, this one's for you.

From having coffee with cats to supporting rescued exotic animals, there's nothin like exploring the hidden gems that bring us closer to furry friends.

First up, Flaming Farm.

Founded in 1907 by Herman Flamig, this family farm offers a variety of activities, but their petting zoo, home to dozens of charming animals, is the piece de résistance.

Today's expert is an absolutel incredible jack of all trades.

He is so passionate about what he does here and he's a fifth generation family member.

Let's go learn about the farm.

So our family has owned this farm for about 120 years.

As of 2027, it will be.

And basically it has transferred through the generations, starting with my great grea grandparents, Herman and Bertha Flamig.

It's changed a lot over time.

But it's really cool to see.

Its still standing and adapting and changing every day.

This is Graffiti.

Graffiti is actually just turning 31 this year.

He's very old, but he' doing really well for his age.

He is sweet as can be.

Right now.

He's just enjoying his lunch.

Hi, buddy.

I have a fear of horses.

Really?

I do.

If if you want to meet one, this is the guy to meet.

He is so sweet.

He is very, very friendly.

So this is our guy who does not get along with the other chickens, but he is excited to see us because he does not like other birds.

He loves people though, so we'll say hi to him.

So General is probabl our biggest rooster on the farm.

He is very, very large, but he's very friendly.

You want to hold on to a chicken?

Ever held one before?

No.

So basically, when you hold o to these guys, you just support.

You want to support their wings.

Because if you let go of their wings there, sometimes they can feel a little unsteady and they'll flap around.

He's very good about this though.

You can see I can move them all around.

He just likes to sit there.

So you're just going to hold on to his wings, keep those covered an just hold him llnice and gently There we go.

My goodness.

Hello.

One thing I'll show you that's cool with chickens, they will keep their heads stationary.

It's an evolutionary thing where basically, when they used to fly, you can see they'll keep their head nice and steady.

And that's why when you see a chicken bob its head, when it's walking, it's actually keeping its head stationary where its body moves forward.

One thing I wonder if he'll let me do it today.

Sometimes he'll sit on my shoulder like a parrot.

There you go, buddy.

Oh my!

He likes it up there, too.

He gets good view, see?

He likes to show off.

He likes to get up high, be the center of attention.

George is definitely a draw.

George is a Himalayan yak mixed with a cow.

And the cool part about him is even though he's huge, a lot of people get nervous with those big horns.

He is friendly as can be, almost a little too friendly, because the only thing I'll warn you about is he will try to lick you, so.

Nothing wrong with that!

Hello.

Hi big guy.

Hello.

It feels like sandpaper, doesn't it?

Yeah.

Hi.

So our farm is essentially what we call agritourism, meaning that we have people come in, they visit all the animals.

They learn about kind of agriculture and farming as a whole.

And a lot of that also consists of agri-tainment, meaning, like basically agricultura based tourism and entertainment.

So people get to meet the animals, build a bond with them, and sort of build memorie in a place that they might not typically expect.

You know, a lot of people don't think that they would be able to come into a farm and like, kind of see all the operations and see how the animals live.

So it's nic because we get to not only teach but also entertain, and that helps people kind of, you know, build new memories.

Have a great time while they're here.

Located in Deep River, Connecticut, Pandemonium Rainforest Project is a rescue and rehabilitation center for formerly abused or neglected exotic animals.

You can visit their variety of rescued creatures at their animal sanctuary, and support the cause by walking over to their thrift shop and cafe.

Allison Sloane is our guide for this spot.

Let's go meet her now.

We rescue, rehabilitate and rehome exotic animals.

We kind of try to cover everything and help people to learn about the animals before they adopt them.

Some of these birds can live up to 100 years.

Sulcata tortoises, 125.

People buy the because they're just really cute or they're really sweet.

They don't do the the research.

So that's really important to us to to be able to be on that educational side.

This boy we've had since he was about this big.

How old is he now?

He's about 25.

26.

Wow.

Okay.

Yep.

Okay.

Gen Z love it.

Yep.

This is Ivan.

He's going to be going out on adoption soon.

We got him from the streets of Waterbury a few years ago.

The streets?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

People.

People let their animals go because you don't want them, you just let them go.

Isnt that what you do?

So Stella is the only parrot that's over here.

But she's not a parrot.

She's from the ram bastardized family.

So she is actually toucan.

But unfortunately the place where she was before.

They waited until her beak broke.

Her bill broke before they gave her to us.

But that was malnutrition.

It's actually growing back now.

And she's molted and she's absolutely gorgeous now.

This is my big boy, Clyde.

Oh!

He is about 15ft.

He is the sweetest thing in the world.

Absolutely a doll.

And hes an albino Burmese python.

So this is our parrot side near the African Grays.

Oh, yeah.

There's three of them in here now.

Hi, guys.

Hi, baby.

We have a beautiful thrif store here in an old ivory mill that we have renovated, the thrift store allows us the funding for the rescue of the animals.

We could spend all day shopping and learning more about these beautiful creatures who call this spot home, but our last spot is over New Haven Connecticuts cat cafe awaits.

Here we are in New Have to check out Mew Haven Cat Cafe.

The very first in the state of Connecticut.

This is a very unique spot and great for animal lovers.

Let's check it out.

Mew Haven Cat Caf is Connecticut's first cat cafe.

It's a place where you can come hang out with cats, get a cup of coffee and just enjoy yourself.

All the cats are here and they're up for adoption.

We are associated with a local rescue and we've been doing this for almost eight years now.

We currently have 30 cats.

Some have been here for a couple of days.

Some have been here for over a year.

We keep them until they find their forever home.

We usually have our cats go home, 90% of our cats go home within three months, which feels amazing.

It started with a question.

We lived in New Yor and we had seen cat cafes there.

We visited the first one in New York City called Meow Parlor.

But my husband one day said, what if we did this?

You know, his cat had passed.

You know, a little over a year ago we were not ready to adopt.

And we thought about it.

You know, it' kind of a throwaway line, right?

What if we did this?

But when we thought about how we could be a part of some catch stories being a social goo and also having food and coffee, which we love so much, putting them together seems like really an ideal business for us.

If you're looking to visit, please do book tickets.

They are time tickets, similar to movie theaters.

So you come for a specific time slot.

And we don't want to say we don't want to tell anyone to that they can't come in.

Come.

Come visit, come meet the cats.

Bring your friends.

It's a really enjoyable, relaxing way.

We have a lot of monthly events like yoga with cats or sometimes painting, sometimes sound baths.

We try a lot of different events in this space, and the cats love it.

There you have it.

Three more of Connecticut's hidden gems.

Where should we go next?

Let us know.

And don't forget to follow along for more of Connecticut's Hidden Gems.