Gillette Castle — Attraction in Lyme

Far more beautiful and interesting than it appears in most tourism photos I've seen. The grounds are gorgeous and well managed. This is the jewel of the otherwise bland CT State Parks system. Enter the grounds for free to walk around and hike the trails. The visitors center is also free (artifacts and a film). There is a fee to go inside the house. Check the website for rates. I stood behind a women in $200 sneakers arguing with the ticket clerk about the lack of senior citizen ticket prices (also witnessed her telling her young companion to wait in the other room while she bought their tickets under the senior pricing...). The day I went, adult tickets were $6. Not a bank breaker. You can stay in the house as long as you want, but the walking path only goes one way and only covers 3 floors, the upper being mostly paintings displayed in a gallery. Most of the interesting features are on the main and second floors. The paths and rooms are small and so expect to wait your turn and wait for people who won't make room for others or be considerate. There are park staff on hand to answer questions but be prepared that they all like to talk. The state could reduce their payroll if they created signage for the otherwise overlooked features, like the hand carved door hinges and light switches, and made it more like a museum. The view of the river is spectacular, and you can take it in for free. While there were kids visiting, please note Moms and Dads-this place is about as exciting as dirt if you are a kid. Take them on the Essex train instead, just a few miles away and save this tour for when your own parents are in town. It is not really a castle-it is a house, and it is interesting, but you have to be able to appreciate it, search for the details, and understand the effort and...

Very interesting place, lots of cool history, trivia and beautiful interior and exterior. Only reason for 4 stars was the confusing start of the tour. We were part of a timed group (tours were every 15 minutes) and thought we had to keep up with rest of group. But in fact you didn't, and with all the fascinating artifacts and decor, you can be there for quite a while. After we realized we didn't have to stay with the group, we took out time and the guides, (different ones on each section of castle) didn't make us feel rushed at all. They answered any and all questions happily. If you like to read facts and look at everything, give yourself at least an hour or more. Only suggestion, in the large room, even though he had a portable mic, the tour guide was trying to address our original group, but was only able to be heard if you did stood right next to him. It's definitely...

Went to gillette castle with my family on a Tuesday, got our tickets online, got there 1hr earlier and we walked around this beautiful grounds and property, took pictures and waited until our time to go inside, I was speechless to see such a beauty, the construction, every single detail makes it worth seeing. The history of William gillette, his life, and his castle is just amazing. The staff is so knowledgeable and so eager to tell you everything they know about it. You can not take videos, but pictures are allowed, and I made sure I took as many as I could, we also took a walk around their trail path , even the little children's in my family loved this place and were very excited to see and learn about it. I would say it's definitely worthy to go. It's just beautiful and...