Gillette Castle State Park

Tour actor William Gillette's fieldstone castle above the Connecticut River and hike the path of his miniature railroad.

67 River Rd · East Haddam, CT

About Gillette Castle State Park

Actor William Gillette designed this 24-room stone castle on a bluff above the Connecticut River, and it took twenty men from 1914 to 1919 to build. On a tour you see hand-hewn southern white oak woodwork, carved wooden light switches and 47 distinctly designed doors. The grounds are free to walk, with trails that follow the route of Gillette's three-mile narrow-gauge railroad past stone-arch bridges and wooded trestles. His old train station is now a picnic pavilion.

#castle
#state park
#historic home
#hiking trails
#connecticut river views

Printable maps

What's around here?

The closest stops to Gillette Castle State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Theater & Events
History Buff
Goodspeed Opera House
$50+
See a musical in an 1876 Victorian-style opera house on the bank of the Connecticut River in East Haddam.
2.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Theater & Events
Museums
Museum of Fife & Drum
Check prices
Connecticut museum run by the Company of Fifers & Drummers, showing fife and drum artifacts, some from the 1700s and 1800s.
4.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sightseeing
Valley Railroad
Check prices
Vintage steam and diesel train rides and riverboat cruises along the lower Connecticut River Valley.
5.0 mi awayMore like this
Tours
Family Favorite
Essex Steam Train & Riverboat
$25–$50
Ride a vintage steam train through the lower Connecticut River Valley, then board a riverboat for a cruise.
Transit: reachable by public transit
5.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours
Sightseeing
Harkness Memorial State Park
Under $25
Coastal state park on Long Island Sound centered on Eolia, a former summer mansion with formal gardens.
18 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
Ebenezer Avery House
Check prices
Historic house in Groton run by the Avery family's descendants association.
19 mi awayMore like this