Patch Picks: Staycations

Patch is running a weekly feature called Patch Picks, highlighting five choice local businesses, destinations, services, organizations, and more, hand-harvested by either us or you, the reader! You’ll find useful lists to help you, your family, friends, and significant others find the best places for everything from Sunday brunch to New Year’s Eve celebrations, pumpkin patches, date night destinations, florists, girlfriend nights out, kids’ party places, parks and more.

This week the theme is Staycations, Patch has found a number of places you can check out if you are staying close to home for April school vacation, whether your interest is dinosaurs, nature trails, penguins or basketball:

Dinosaur State Park
At the Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, explore 500 authentic sandstone dinosaur tracks, learn more about plants in an arboretum and touch fossils in the Discovery Room. There are two miles of nature trials to hike as well. During April 16, 17 and 19-24 the park will host spring vacation days, offering animal demonstrations, track talks and guided nature walks, weather permitting. Please note, the park is closed Monday, April 18. For an additional fee, visitors can mine for gems and fossils in the mining sluice. For Earth Day on April 22, there will be a special lizard show from Riverside Reptiles, “Modern Dragons,” featuring a variety of lizards. Park grounds are open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The exhibit center is closed Mondays, open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults and teens 13 and older, $2 for ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and younger.
400 West St., Rocky Hill, 860-529-8423, www.dinosaurstatepark.org

Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration
Check out the beluga whales, sea lions, penguins and more at the Mystic Aquarium. A new exhibit opened in February, the National Geographic “Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes,” which is a traveling exhibition featuring footage from wild animals in their habitat. The Crittercam has offered researchers insights into animal behavior through cameras attached to the animals. Part of the exhibit includes information about the technology and how it works. Starting April 1st, the aquarium is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $26 for adults, $23 for seniors, $19 for children ages 3-17 and free for children 2 and younger. If you do stay in the area, you can have your ticket validated and use it for the next two consecutive days.
55 Coogan Boulevard, Mystic, 860-572-5955, mysticaquarium.org

Basketball Hall of Fame
Head north to Springfield, Mass., home of the birthplace of basketball, to see the Basketball Hall of Fame. Explore more than 40,000 square feet of basketball history, with hundreds of interactive exhibits to occupy all ages and enough basketball lore to impress the most avid fans. Starting April 18, hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Earlier in April the hall is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission is $16.99 for adults, $13.99 for seniors, $11.99 for ages 5 to 15 and free for children 4 and younger. Show your AAA card or Big Y Express Savings Club Card to save on admission.
1000 West Columbus Ave., Springfield, Mass., 413-781-6500, www.hoophall.com


Mark Twain House
Tour the home of one of America’s most renowned writers and visit the museum dedicated to his life and work at the Mark Twain House in Hartford. The unique historical home was built in 1873 and Samuel Clemens and his family lived there from 1874 to 1891. He wrote some of his most important works during this time, including the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The 25-room house is an example of Picturesque Gothic architecture, featuring a glass conservatory, a grand library and a billiard room. The house is open Monday through Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5:30 p.m. Ticket prices include a guided tour of the house and admission to the museum center, which opened in 2003 and features a permanent exhibit with letters, notes, photographs and other artifacts from the Clemons family. A new exhibit opened in March, “American Storytellers: Norman Rockwell & Mark Twain,” linking art and writing by the two men. Admission is $16 for adults, $14 for seniors and $10 for children ages 6-16.
351 Farmington Ave., Hartford, 860-247-0998, www.marktwainhouse.org

Northwest Park
If you are interested in hitting the outdoors, check out the trails at Northwest Park in Windsor, a 473-acre multi-recreational facility with an interpretive nature center, 12 miles of trails, maple sugaring and more. There are picnic facilities and a playground. Northwest Park is open daily, dawn to dusk and there is no admission charge. The Nature Center and Gift Shop are open Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call for Sunday hours.
145 Lang Road, Windsor, 860-285-1886, www.northwestpark.org