Hidden Gems Of Connecticut

DERBY, CT — This week's Hidden Gem is a lesson in history. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced Friday that the Osborne Homestead Museum in Derby has reopened for its 38th season.

Docent-led and self-guided tours introduce guests to the remarkable life of Frances Osborne Kellogg and to her collection of antiques and fine art in a charming Colonial Revival house. She was an accomplished conservationist and businesswoman who was dedicated to preserving land for future generations.

Osborne Kellogg deeded her 350-acre property to Connecticut before her death in order to form a state park.

For self-guided tours, guests can follow interpretative signs throughout the museum or download the free museum audio tour found on the website under Museum Tours. As the spring season unfolds, guests are also encouraged to enjoy the outdoor flowering trees, aromatic shrubs, and splendid flowers of the Kellogg Estate.

For more information on upcoming events, visit the Osborne Homestead Museum & Kellogg Environmental Center's calendar of events page at: https://www.ct.gov/deep/calendar. During "high heat days," the museum may be closed. Contact the museum at 203-734-2513 during extreme weather events to confirm its opening and closing schedule.

The museum, a facility of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s State Parks & Public Outreach Division, is open for free docent-led and self-guided tours on Thursdays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4:00 p.m.

It is located at 500 Hawthorne Ave. off Rte. 34 in Derby.

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The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Connecticut.

Columns in this series in 2022 include:

• Lacrosse Unlimited
• The Holy Land Cross
• Jefferson Fry Co.
• Hartford History Center Suffragist Sculpture
• Windsor Locks Canal Irish Workers Monument
• Utsav Indian Cuisine
• The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
• The Rein's Reuben
• Frontier Airlines at Bradley
• Munson's Chocolates
• Connecticut River Valley Wildlife Museum
• LobsterCraft
• Center Springs Park
• MLK Monuments
• The Connecticut Historical Society

Columns in this series from 2021 include:

• The First Decorated Christmas Tree
• Bolton Notch Trail Bridge
• Civil War Drum
• Civil War Powder Keg
• Mile 4, Manchester Road Race
• The West Hartford Armory
• The Capitol's Nooks and Crannies
• Wickham Park Aviary
• 55 West Main, New Britain
• Fox Hopyard Golf Course
• The Dodd Center For Human Rights at UConn
• Manchester Ropes Challenge Course
• 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm
• Fuego Picante Food Truck
• The Amistad
• 9/11 memorials
• Club Champion Golf Fitters
• New England Civil War Museum and Research Center
• Avery's Soda
• Salt 2.0 Restaurant
• The Grave of Jonathan, The Original Husky
• Golden Gavel Auction House
• Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut
• The Cogswell Temperance Fountain
• The Old State House
• BouNom Bakery
• Union Pond Park/Jay Howroyd Fitness Trail
• The Submarine Force Museum/USS Nautilus
• The UConn Dairy Bar
• Grove Hill Cemetery, Vernon
• Backwoods Smokin' BBQ
• The Ranch House
• Connecticut State Police Museum
• Berlin Historic District
• Connecticut Parachutists Skydiving Club
• Tail Winds Ice Cream Shop
• The MLK Mural
• The Hilltop Restaurant and Bar
• Fork & Fire
• Lena's Italian Kitchen
• The Benedict Arnold Trail
• Swank Pearce
• Vernon Depot Historic Park
• Farr's Sporting Goods
• Robs Drivin Diner