On my roadtrip from CT to Salem, MA I wanted to see as much of New England as I could. Thus, I took one route up north then east (I-91 to the Mass Pike), and another south then west (through Rhode Island). The latter route is chronicle in my post about Mystic Seaport, a bit longer but I saw a lot more scenery. My first route went directly north to Sturbridge, MA in central MA. I stopped at the historic village called Sturbridge Village to cut my trip in two equal pieces.

Sturbridge Village, similar to the Mystic Seaport, is compared to Colonial Williamsburg because it is the self-guided village of New England. It has farms, animals, houses, and meeting centers that were restored from the time of the American Revolution up until the Civil War.  I was very lucky to go on a day that was bright and sunny but wasn’t too hot, which made the experience really enjoyable. The town is quite large with a huge green in the center of town, pictured below:

The Village also is set along the coast of a river and spans a sort of forest. If you go, wear comfortable and hiking-suitable shoes. The roads around the houses and buildings are 100% rock, and some of the village is up a hill through dirt and routes with embedded tree roots. Each house has a designated tour guide, and even though everything is self-guided, the tour guides are very knowledgeable. All houses are opened to the public and you can access most corners of each building. The house below that was built in the 17th century, allowed you to go throughout the first AND second floor, with each room decorated in period pieces. It was really lovely.

The village also had live renditions of a soldier shooting his rifle (it was SO loud). There was also a huge museum of clocks, anywhere from large grandfather clocks to small wall clocks. The entire collection was quite impressive, too bad they wouldn’t allow photography. I could have spent a few more hours on the grounds, but because I was in a hurry to continue my road-trip I had to cut my visit short. If I was younger, I would have loved visiting this place. It’s off the beaten path, and not too easy to get to, but neither is Colonial Williamsburg, so if you’re in the neighborhood, I would definitely go.