Gillette Castle State Park

Gillette Castle State Park

Gillette Castle State Park straddles the towns of East Haddam and Lyme. The castle was originally a private residence commissioned and designed by William Gillette, an American actor who is most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on stage.

The park is located at 67 River Road in East Haddam and consists of the castle and its grounds. It receives 300,000 annual visitors.

It reopened in 2002 after four years of restoration costing 11 million dollars.

It now includes a museum, hiking trails, and a picnic area. William Gillette's "castle", called Seventh Sister, was built in 1919 on a 184-acre (74 ha) tract at the top of the southernmost of a chain of hills known as the Seven Sisters.

Gillette died having no children, and his will precluded the possession of his home by any "blithering sap-head who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded".

The State of Connecticut took over the property in 1943, renaming it Gillette Castle State Park. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Location

67 River Road
East Haddam, Connecticut
USA

Getting There

Gillette Castle State Park is located at East Haddam. Here are some possible ways to get there:

By car: The most convenient way to get to Gillette Castle State Park is by car. From Hartford, take I-91 south to Exit 22 for CT-9 south. Follow CT-9 south for about 10 miles, then take Exit 7 for CT-82 toward Chester. Turn left onto CT-82 east and follow it for about 5 miles, then turn right onto CT-148 east. Follow CT-148 east for about 4 miles, then turn right onto CT-82 east/River Rd. Follow River Rd for about 1.5 miles to the park entrance.

By bus: You can take a bus from Hartford to East Haddam and then walk to the park entrance. Take the 9 Town Transit Blue Route bus from Hartford to the intersection of CT-82 and CT-149 in East Haddam. From there, it's about a 2-mile walk to the park entrance.

By train: You can take a train from Hartford to Old Saybrook and then take a taxi or ride-sharing service to the park. Take the Shore Line East train from Hartford to Old Saybrook, then take a taxi or ride-sharing service for about 20 miles to the park entrance.

Nearby Airports

This is a list of primary airports in Connecticut that have scheduled passenger service on commercial airlines.