Planes, Trains & Trolleys

Let your imagination and memory soar at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, where you’ll witness nothing less than the 20th-century history of American aviation. More than 80 aircraft are on display in three hangars, including helicopters, amphibians, the P-47 Thunderbolt, Corsair, Hellcat and a beautifully restored B-29 Superfortress. On Saturdays and Sundays, the museum offers Flights of Family Fun, family-friendly drop-in programs.

Nearby, in East Windsor, the Connecticut Trolley Museum has more than 70 pieces of rail equipment dating back to 1869. There are streetcars on display, and railroad cars, buses, inter-urbans and service cars. One of the highlights of a visit is unlimited rides on a trolley, a three-mile round trip that will evoke the pace and pleasures of an earlier day. As an added bonus, the site is also home to the Connecticut Fire Museum, where an extensive array of antique fire apparatus and associated equipment is on display.

Haven’t gotten your fill of rolling stock yet? No problem. Make your way south to the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven. Here, you can enjoy another three-mile ride, this time through the salt marshes of Long Island Sound. Afterward, you can view the many, many trolley and other rail cars on display, including some classic antiques that are being restored.