On day 58 of “The Ultimate USA Road Trip” we drive from Hartford in Connecticut to Newport in Rhode Island. Several long and short stops are planned along the route and a number of optional stops are possible.

We leave Hartford heading south and after crossing the Connecticut River we enter the Meshomasic State Forest area, where there is the opportunity to visit the Nike Missile HA-36 launch and Control Sites after a short walk through the woods. Connecticut was home to no fewer than 12 Nike Missile sites during the Cold War. Designed to protect the United States from Russia, the installations were built in two parts: a control/radar site and a launch site. The HA-26 launch site is located at Glastonbury, with its control/radar site Portland.
The HA-26 launch site was in use from 1956 to 1963 and housed Ajax missiles and consisted of a waiting station, barracks, space for missile batteries and a medical office. The HA-26 control site also housed guard posts, barracks and a large metal tank suspected of holding water. All that can be seen today at both locations are the foundations, concrete stairs, floor tiles, shutters leading underground, and bits of metal equipment.
Meshomasic State Forest is open to the public until sunset. The locations are accessible from Del Reeves Road and are marked with yellow fences. Google Maps is useful for finding them. Watch out, because rattlesnakes live in this forest.

Along the route we pass a number of historical buildings such as;
• dr. Elizur Hale House, a historic home at 3181 Hebron Avenue in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Built around 1780, it is a prominent local example of well-preserved late Georgian domestic architecture. It is also notable for its association with the locally prominent Hale family, who inhabited it for 100 years. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

• Hebron's Old City Hall, built in 1838 as a Methodist meeting house. It was used for town meetings until 1950 and was then used by various civic organizations for meetings. Since 1971, the Old City Hall has been owned and maintained as a museum by the Hebron Historical Society, which has recently restored the building.

• The Jillson House Museum at Willimantic. This house was built by William Jillson in 1825 from a durable and readily available gneiss stone. In the early 1970s, the house was completely restored as part of the urban renewal project by the Willimantic Redevelopment Agency. It was transferred to the City of Willimantic in 1975, which in turn sold it to the Windham Historical Society for a symbolic sum. Since then, the Housed has served the Society well as a home for its activities and collections. Enthusiasts can schedule a short visit to this museum, which has different exhibits on a continuous basis.

• Windham Textile and History Museum in Willimantic, highlighted by the Willimantic mill of the Willimantic Linen Company, later purchased by the American Thread Company and closed in 1985. The museum in the former company store building features the Brooke Shannon Antique Sewing Machine Room, with factory replicas of sewing machines from the late 19th century. Other exhibits include a reconstruction of the manager's office, a replica of the guest houses in the 1880s. You can join a guided tour of the mill grounds, but entrance to the mill is not included, as most of the mill on private property. There are many other displays that show what life was like at the turn of the century in Willimantic.

• The Huntington Homestead, also known as Samuel Huntington's Birthplace, is a historic home museum and a National Historic Landmark. Built in the early 18th century, it was the birthplace and childhood home of Samuel Huntington (1731–1796), an American statesman and founding father. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence.


A long visit and lunch is planned in picturesque Wickford, a quaint, historic seaside village established in 1709, with the largest collection of owner-occupied Colonial and Federal homes in the country. Truly a place of superlatives, it's also home to the oldest all-wood lighthouse in America, the oldest Anglican meeting house in the Northeast, and a mysterious 3-ton rock with inscriptions that could be as old as 800 years. Wickford's storyline spans three centuries and includes sailors, pirates, shipbuilders, entrepreneurs and ordinary people as well. Come and discover the tree-lined streets, enjoy the view over the water and the beautifully preserved houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, churches and shops.

Village shopping offers a variety of arts and crafts, gourmet foods, toys, specialty clothing, jewelry, garden stores, handcrafted furniture, and home decor. There are also a number of fine dining options for lunch here. Wickford is home to one of New England's largest and most respected popular arts festivals held each July and an award-winning Festival of Lights in early December. Come to Wickford and experience the best the New England coastline has to offer!


Via the two toll bridges “Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge” and “Claiborne Pell (Newport) Bridge” that are connected via Connecticut Island, we drive to Rhode Island. Both bridges are operated by The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority and rates are listed on their site (ritba.com).


Rhode Island has a lot to offer and it is definitely recommended to plan an extra day. A number of highlights included in the route are;

• The Breakers, from the famous and very wealthy Vanderbilt Family. The estate has beautiful gardens. The Breakers is a Gilded Age mansion. It was built between 1893 and 1895 as a summer residence for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, a member of the wealthy Vanderbilt family. The 70-room mansion, with a gross area of 11644.4 m2 and 5804.8 m2 of living space over five floors, was designed by Richard Morris Hunt in the Renaissance Revival style. The interior was by Jules Allard and Sons and Ogden Codman Jr. The entrance on Ocher Point Avenue is marked by carved iron gates, the 9.1 m walkway gates are part of a 3.7 m high limestone-and-iron fence that encloses the estate on all sides except the ocean side. The home occupies approximately 4,000 sq. ft. of the 12-acre property on the bluffs of Rhode Island overlooking Easton Bay of the Atlantic Ocean. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994. It is also a contributing property to the Bellevue Avenue Historic District. The property is owned and operated by the Newport Preservation Society as a museum and is open for visits year-round, marvel at all the luxury, splendor and splendor this family lived in, the entrance fee is $29.

• Rough Point Museum, the Newport home of heiress, collector and philanthropist Doris Duke (1912-1993). Experience the life and legacy of Doris Duke through the home, fine and decorative art and fashion collections, and historic landscape with panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. Open Tuesday - Sunday from 10am - 4pm, admission is $20.

• Fort Adams, a former US Army post in Newport, Rhode Island, established on July 4, 1799 as a coastal fortification of the First System, named for President John Adams who was in office at the time. Its first commander was Captain John Henry, who was later instrumental in starting the War of 1812. The present Fort Adams was built between 1824 and 1857 under the third system of coastal forts; it is today part of Fort Adams State Park. There are costs for parking and for the various facilities and tours, more information can be found in this review at the links.


The end point of the journey is Newport stay overnight in one of the many hotels and enjoy this city, which was once known as the seaside resort for the wealthy.