All Things with Wings

Through the aviary, bird lovers should flock to Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, where owls, eagles, vultures and wild turkeys make themselves at home. You’ll even be able to walk through a South American rainforest with a free-flight aviary.

Then head to The Connecticut Air & Space Center in Stratford. Explore this non-profit air museum that displays vintage aircraft, memorabilia, and artifacts that pertain to Connecticut, both inside and out — all while striving to honor, preserve, and educate on the state's air history.

A little way up the coast, the Coastal Center at Milford Point, part of the Connecticut Audubon Society, is a great place for kids to get out in the fresh air, run around a little, and find native birds in their autimn habitats. There’s a nature center onsite with an exhibit room and nature store.

Next day, it’s on to Hartford, where the Connecticut Science Center features, among many other things, a pterosaur, a flying reptile from millions of years ago that ranged in size from sparrow to airplane. The one in Hartford is somewhere in between, but certainly awesome enough. The Science Center’s other exhibits will keep the kids busy for hours.

Last stop is the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, where the aircraft display collection is well worth the trip. Kids will find simulators, demonstrations, special exhibits and lots of aircraft, ranging from Bell helicopters to a Grumman “Hellcat” to a stunning Boeing B-29 “Superfortress.” Kids can even earn their own wings – or at least purchase them – at the gift shop.