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 nothing like exploring the hidden gems that bring us closer to furry friends.

First up, Flamig Farm.

Founded in 1907 by Herman Flaming, this family farm offers a variety of activities, but their petting zoo is hom to dozens of charming animals.

Is the piece de resistance.

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 it's still standing and adapting and changing every day.

So general is probabl our biggest rooster on the farm.

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

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.

My, he likes it up there too.

He gets a good view.

See?

He likes to show off.

He likes to get up high.

Be the center of attention.

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 abl to be on that educational side.

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

But she's not a parrot.

She's from the Ramphastidae family, so shes actually a 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's about 15 feet.

He is the sweetest thing in the world.

So this is our parrot side near the African Grays.

Oh, you know, there's three of them in here now.

Hi, guys.

Hi, baby.

We have a beautiful thrift store here and 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 in New Haven, Connecticut's cat cafe awaits.

Here we are in New Haven 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 Cafe is Connectcut‘s first cat cafe.

It's a plac we 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 is - 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 cats stories, being a social good 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 a movie theater.

So you come for a specific time slot, and we don't want to say we don't want to tell anyone to do 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.

Next up, this episode features one of Connecticut's greatest features the great outdoors.

From state parks to heights and flights, the Nutmeg State's got it all.

Here we are at the adventure Park at Storrs.

This is a zipline and treetop ropes course.

in Storrs, Connecticut, with nine trails, 28 zip lines, 106 element challenges and endless opportunities for fun.

Let's check it out.

The adventure starts by watching a safety video first, then the expert staff help you get harnessed up, make sure you're all tucked in safe, and then you can hit the courses.

Climbers navigate from one tree platform to another crossing challenge bridges of rope, cable wood, and zip lines.

The trails are color-coded according to difficulty, rangin from beginner through advanced, so there's a challenge for everyone depending on your experience and abilities.

This is so much fun!

An entire day could easily be spent here, but if you're in central Connecticut, you need to check ou Hubbard Park, our next location.

Spanning 1800 acre in the Hanging Hills of Meriden.

It features a manmade lake, stunning views of the local area, and so much more.

Let's explore Hubbard Park.

Hubbard Park is home to a host of woodlands, streams, play spaces, hiking trails and more.

When Walter Hubbard, one of the most generous of Meriden philanthropists, gifted the land to the cit in the late 1890s, he specified that everything connected to the park was to remain free of charge for all.

Today, the park serves as a beloved community hub from Outdoor Adventures to community events.

And here at the top of East Peak is what many consider the finest aspect of Hubbard Park.

Castle Craig Castle Craig Tower The stone observation tower atop East Peak, was officially dedicated to th people of Connecticut in 1900.

The plaque reads that this is the highest point within 25 miles of the coast.

from Maine to Florida.

About 1002ft above sea level, the top of the castle offers a spectacular view of central Connecticut.

Last but not least, what might be central Connecticut's best kept secret Connecticut state parks offer exactly 21 place to go swimming across the state, from lakes and ponds to the fabulous shoreline.

But they're not all easy to find.

Wadsworth Falls State Park Beach is located a little distance away from the famous falls.

Here, both locals and out-of-state visitors alike can find solace in the sandy shore and a river pond swimming hole on hot summer days - in the old days for state parks you used to be able to go swimming pretty much anywhere.

They didn't really control where swimming happened.

If there was a natural body of water, or if there were some falls you could just kind of jump in.

Now there are more rules.

Safety makes sense, but this is one of the few state parks where you can still kind of splash around.

And when people come, they usually come to look up Wadsworth Falls.

They park and they go and se the really famous scenic falls, but they don't realize there's a secret beach back here.

Like, look at those ladies chillin with their chairs in the water.

like... they get it!

That's a beach day.

When you're in the area, though, be sure to stop and check out the falls.

They're breathtaking.

Next up.

Here we are at Bristol Bazaar, a year-round indoor maker's market that features over 75 small local artists.

Let's take a look.

Bristol Bazaar is a curated boutique style destination where shopping and community can come together.

There is another locatio in Milford, but as for this one, the storybook town square-inspired space creates an inviting, immersive setting for a rotating mix of local makers and independent creators, offering small batch, locally made goods WOW, they have a full- I can't believe- like this is huge!

I kind of can't get over how big it is.

It just keeps going.

Wild Raven Farm, Porta to other world I can't imagine a better like rainy day activity than coming here... Getting a little treat, shopping around.

Like, winner-winne if you suggest this to somebody, You're like, “Oh, you want to go to Bristol Bazaar, and-” “Yes, yes I do.” Another cool aspect of the space is that it's home to Yellow King Bristol, a 38 seat coffee shop with a diverse menu featuring light bites, beer, cocktails and a creative's best friend coffee.

Next up, let's switch vibes and check out Goodspeed Musicals over at the iconic Goodspeed Opera House.

Donna Lynn Hilton is our expert here and gives us an inside look at the organization in more ways than one.

Goodspeed produces only musical theater, right here on this beautiful stage in the historic Goodspeed Opera House and also down the river in the Terris Theater in Chester, Connecticut.

This building, this locatio on the banks of the Connecticut Rive is one reason that it's special.

I think the the real reason it's special is the incredible, excellent Broadway quality work that is that takes place on this stage.

Everything that we do at Goodspeed, all the props, the scenery, the costumes is built right here in East Haddam.

For every show, the shows are rehearsed here.

Everything is done right here in East Haddam, Connecticut, for Connecticut audiences.

And I think that one of the secrets to our success is that, as you see, the theater behind me is quite small and intimate.

There are 398 seats, and I think the energy that comes off of the stage to an audience is absolutely overwhelming, and is part of the reaso that we have been so successful for 63 years.

On our way out, we got a last minute moment with Dan McMahon, the marketing director of Goodspeed Musicals, who dropped some incredible theater lore.

So you know that “Annie” began h 50 years ago, and one of the stars in “Annie, besides Annie herself, is Sandy, and the original Sandy was a rescue dog, Bill Berloni, who lives in Deep River and started his career here with “Annie,” found Sandy, trained Sandy and he's made a career of animal training for the theater ever since.

And this is as a bronze statue of the original Sandy “Oh my goodness!” Look!

Sandy.

Our last stop on the creatives trail is Semilla Cafe + Studio.

This spot is a unique cafe that combines the best aspects of a part coffee sho and part community living room.

This multifaceted space operates as a cozy third place, a flavorful retreat, and even as a true studi for both art and entertainment.

Here are some shots by City Public photojournalist Ayanna Brown to help you get an idea of the late night vibes that can be found here.

Semilla cafe is warm and welcoming here.

Here, there's something for everyone Next up.

This episode is for the Romantics, and by thi we don't mean we're checking out the hottest date night spots around the state.

We are talking about thos who are looking to romanticize their life, who like to take in the beauty of everyday experiences and find the joy around every corner of this incredible state we call home.

We.

We're here at Lavender Pond Farm in Killingworth, Connecticut.

This nearly 25 acre farm is a glorious, relaxing oasis for everyone who comes.

Let's check out the beauty here at Lavender Pond Farm.

We traversed the grounds briefly before bumping into Denise Salafia, an owner and creator of Lavender Pond Farm, who gave us some great insider info.

So the inspiration behind the farm is a children's storybook called Miss Rumphius and it's about a little girl who tells her grandfather she's going to do all these amazing things.

And he says to her, “Well, that's nice, dear, but what are you going to do to make the world a more beautiful place?” And she grows up and travels and does all kinds of amazing things.

And as an older woman she comes back to her hometown and she goes for walks and scatters lupine seeds and the flowers grow.

And it' just it's a really lovely story.

I would read that story to my mom when she was in hospice, and talk to her about everything that she had done throughout her life to make the world a more beautiful place.

And so when we moved to this property, it wasn't zoned for farming, and we wanted to get it back into farming and all of our friends were giving us all kinds of ideas.

And I was out here and just had my Miss Rumphius moment and realized that this was my opportunity to do something, to make the world a more beautiful place and give back.

Afterwards, Denise brought us over to her son, Jackson, who would serve as our tour guide on their signature purple train the Lavender Pond Farm Express.

I'm going to leave you guys... You can sit anywhere you want.

All right.

Well thank you again, so much!

Bye!

Denise said that this ride was the best way to see all the farm has to offer.

To which we say, all aboard.

The trai ride is about 20 minutes long, very informative, and takes visitors through the lavender fields, by the pond, past the fairy garden and under a big covered bridge.

This is fun for visitors of any age.

After a quick stop into what may be the most beautifully scented gift shop in the state, it was time to head to our next destination.

Up next, here we are in Chester, specifically the vibrant downtown where you can find locally owned businesses around every corner foodie finds, arts, culture, you name it.

Specifically for this episode, Chester is home to one of the state's only romance bookstores, so of course we had to check it out.

Founded in 2024 by Sarah Borgnis -Tobin and Elizabeth Tucker, Montgomery and Taggart has seriously changed the local book scene in a big, lovely way.

They offer books exclusively from the romance genre, but also have some really unique merch and gift items.

We caught up with Elizabeth to learn more.

We're in Montgomery and Taggert, Connecticut's first romance bookshop.

The romance genre has been around for hundreds of years now.

It was invented by Jane Austen.

But only in about the last decade or so have we really started talking about it.

And the, I'll say women, because it is primarily women who read romance, who read romance have started sort of coming out of the woodwork with the inception of Booktok and Bookstagram, it has less of a stigma, and we're starting to look around and realize that kind of everybody reads romance We just didn't know it before.

A hill that I will di on and set fire to on my way out is that romanc must have a happily ever after if it does not have a happily ever after.

It is not a romance.

After leaving the bookshop, we explored more of Chester's charming streets.

You can feel the celebration of arts, culture and history around every corner and when in Chester, I highly recommend stopping into Honeycone Craft Ice Cream.

If you ask me, some of the best flavors in the state are found here.

Our last stop of the day is less sweet and more salty for our last hidden gem.

Here we are at Hole in the Wall Beach in Niantic.

There are two aspects that make this spot really unique.

One is the actual hole in the wall which guests have to pass through in order to reach the boardwalk and the beach.

And secondly, this is an extremely accessible spot.

The entire boardwalk i completely paved with concrete, so anything with wheel has a great chance of success.

Here is a fee to park if you want to use the beach if you're not part of this community, but the boardwalk is completely free to anyone, regardless of whether or not you live in the state.

The tunnel is actually underneath or through a set of train tracks.

So when you're here on the beach or on the boardwalk, you can actually see and hear the train passing at times, which makes it that much more romantic if you ask me.

There is so much incredible shorelin to be found here in Connecticut.

but Hole in the Wal has a special place in my heart, and I think it will find its way into yours too if you come visit.

Next up, Connecticut can feel seriously overlooke when it comes to foodie finds.

Any local will tell you the best places to grab a bite are hidden gems.

Come along as we sample just three of Connecticut's most delicious, best kept secrets.

First up, a spot with a little something for everyone.

We're here in the Elm Cit to check out East Rock market.

This is a community hub.

Third space and food hall.

The first one in New Haven, home to five eateries and a bar.

I cannot wait to check out this hidden gem.

Let's head in.

Let's go.

WOW!

This is a part of New Haven that you wouldn't really spend a lot of time in if you were not in the know.

I feel people always go to the Yale downtown area.

They just go right to those kinds of coffee shops and things.

But New Haven is quite expansive, I find.

All four year I went to school in West Haven, University of New Haven, and never did I hear mention of East Rock, except fo maybe like a hiking experience.

This is really fabulous.

Can't be a new haven and not try the pizza.

We stopped by Ozzy's Apizza and spoke with owner Chris Wallace and head chef Louis Matteo.

So as Ozzy's on beat started actually in Los Angeles when I was living there during the pandemic, I got sober and I neede something to keep my mind good.

So I started making New Haven pizza just in my apartment.

So we had a underground pizza pop up in my apartment for a few months, and it's named Ozzy's Apizza because Ozzy is my dog and he would eat the crumbs off the floor.

So my friend said we should just call it.

I was like, “Yep!” The marketplace, I just wish more people would know about it.

Right?

Like there's still people that come in here to, like, live in New Haven or like, “Oh, I never heard this place even existed.” So we got to get that out there a little more.

Ozzys is passion based business We all love what we do.

Just come here, get good pizza and talk to us about sports, about wrestling about your life, about anything.

We just want to, like, share our passio for food and pizza with people.

Ozzy's from day one was always about building a community with people, whether it was sober people or comedians or artists or whatever.

It's just community in Connecticut specifically, its pizza community like, we've been named the pizza capital of the world now, right?

So if you can bring that to a market, especially in this neighborhood, that's changed so much over the last 20 years, you have something special.

And we do.

And that's that's why I love this space so much.

This is phenomenal.

What's a New Haven trip without a little pizza?

New Haven, you've been great.

But now let's take things to the shore.

Next on our list is a seafood staple loved by locals and visitors alike.

We're here at Stow Seafood, a true southern Connecticut hidden gem with roots that date back all the way to the Great Depression.

For decades, this seafood shack has been a delight to Connecticut families across the board.

This is going to hit Fries!

I can't wait.

And what's really great is we were just that Stowe's got my food to go.

And you can always enjoy their lovely seating area of course or you can eat it on the beach.

Look at this view.

As much as we'd lov to spend the day at the beach, the food tour has one more stop.

Last but not least, what's a foodie adventure without dessert?

We headed to Limberia Tropical Algarete, a Latina owned and operated frozen treat shop in Willimantic.

That's super sweet.

My name is Jacqueline Garcia.

I'm the owner of Libreria Tropical Algarete.

The limber is like Italian ice a fruit, frozen, but is homemade we-we make it her so everybody can choose a flavor like Nutella, it will be made with Nutella, and it's frozen.

And you can serve it like that.

So they're frozen.

Yes okay.

Yeah.

Yes.

A frozen treat.

My father its his recipe.

He he has all those flavors of Puerto Rico.

And he gave it to me.

We survived Covid, a lot of business closed.

It was sad.

You know You know the inflation.

Everything is pricey now.

But we want to keep something here for everybody.

I learn that all dreams are possible and you just got to be strong and be there and believe in yourself.

And I did!

I believe in me.

Que rico, we can't wait to come back to try more.

Hungry for more?

What's your favorite food spot in Connecticu and where should we visit next?

Let us know and thanks for joining us on Connecticut's Hidden Gems.

Next up, we're a little state with a lot of history, from the dinosaurs who walked before us to the Mashantucket Pequot tribes that call this land home to more recent arrivals like my family, we're lucky to live in a place with hidden history in plain sight.

We are starting our journey to the past with the oldest Connecticut residents we can think of.

Here we are at the Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Connecticut.

We're going to get the insid scoop from Mike Ross right now.

Let's go.

Dinosaur State Park was discovered well, was established in 1966 after they discovered over 1800 dinosaur tracks In our exhibit center here, we have abou 753 of those tracks on display.

We also have some other geology exhibits.

Other fossil exhibits.

We have some live animals as well.

We also have an arboretum that displays over 230 different specie of Jurassic era plants, as well.

So we're really kind of focused on the ancient history of Connecticut.

I was curious about the interactive portions.

Sure.

This is an interactive sandbox.

Oh, look.

And yep.

And if you dig down, the it senses you're digging down, and you can expose wate as you dig down into the sand.

And then when you expose enough water, then you start to get the aquatic animals.

As you're exposing the water, digging down, you'r creating a mountain over here.

And if you're big enough then you can create a volcano.

*Francesca giggling* Next, we're traveling through time.

a cool 65 million years to check out the Mashantucket Pequot Museum.

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum is the largest Native American museum in the world.

We're own sovereign nation her at Mashantucket, so that means we're a government within the United States government.

So we have our own laws.

We have our own police force, fire department, postal service and zip code.

You're in a whole different place at Mashantucket, So we're going about 18,000 years back in time right now.

So you get the feel of the glaciers melting when you walk through here.

And one of the things that the glaciers left behind was our great cedar swamp, which is important, ceremonially and for archeological knowledge that was used for the foundation of the museum.

Wow.

So this is, 16th century Pequot villag in the summer prior to contact.

So you'll hear people talking.

They get very chatty when you're trying to give a tour.

This is incredible.

You can learn so muc just going to a different corner of every, like... If you rotate around, you learn something new.

Our tour through time has one more stop.

Okay, well welcome to the, lighthouse here at Historic Stonington.

Thank you.

My name is, David Naumec I am the museum manager her at the 1840 Lighthouse Museum.

Here at the lighthouse, which was, an operating lighthouse from 1840 at the time it was built in 1889.

It was replacing an earlier structure at the end of the point, possibly where you parked today, right down there.

And, after 1889, it was, basically a dwelling hous only for the lighthouse keepers, where the light was moved out to the breakwater behind you, out to the west there.

When the lighthouse was decommissioned in the 1920s, Historic, the Stonington Historical Society purchased the lighthouse in 1925 I first, I believe it was first opened for, tours and tea and sandwiches around 192 and operated pretty continually, except for about one year around right after World War two, and, just became one of th centerpieces for the collection to tell the story of the whole town.

Avoid the rope, which i original to the place, probably, who knows, 18-whatever, 29 steps to the top.

But you wouldn't know it.

It's very nic little walk, not claustrophobic.

And you have the the window through there where you can again view the second floor we were just at.

WOW!

Okay.

Oh my gosh!

Okay.

Wait this way.

To the right.

Yeah.

Oh.

Oh my gosh!

Yes.

Right here.

Boom!

Perfect.

The rest of that?

Connecticut shoreline heading towards mystic.

Not everyone makes it to the top, but most do.

But again, everybody from town will see us up here, too, and we can see everything.

Wow.

It's one of the few lighthouses really open to the public in the region.

And this is also why we get so many, visitors here just for this experience.

And the rest is history.

What are your favorite history rich spots in Connecticut?

Let us know.

And thanks for watching Connecticut's Hidden Gems.