The New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, Connecticut: Review

Every year, thousands of carnival and amusement park guests take a ride upon the classic carousel. Whether they choose a horse, carriage, or even just standing there and holding onto a pole, it is a nostalgic feeling when you go around this classic ride. Instead of just trashing the amusement rides when they are no longer operable, the New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, Connecticut takes them in, restores them and shows off their classic glory.

You know what you are going to see when you simply read the name of the museum and as you enter you will be amazed at the collection that they have. You can explore the different carousels on your own and witness all of the work that has gone into creating one, or you can take a guided tour that will explain the history of the creation of several carousels. As you explore the museum, you will learn that each animal was actually hand crafted and painted and you can examine each of the horses to see all of their detail.

If you want to actually ride one of the carousels then you can make the short trip to the Bushnell Park to see one of the oldest carousels in the nation. You can ride upon over 40 different horses, all unique in design and the best part about the Bushnell park carousel is that it is only a dollar per ride.

If there is a younger child in your life who loves horses or carousels than you can host their next birthday at the carousel museum. The birthday party consists of a Carousel tour, crafts, and even two games, Pin the Tail on the Carousel horse and musical chairs. This is nice cozy atmosphere for smaller birthday party and the highlight will be the craft session, where children can actually decorate their own miniature carousel horse and take it home with them.

Other than the crafts, there is a full gift shop full of carousel gifts that you can purchase and take home. Some of these gifts include carousel books, calendars, ornaments, and actual reproduced pieces from carousels like Horses and mirrors.