Gillette Castle State Park, Connecticut

Straddling the towns of East Haddam and Lyme, Gillette Castle State Park receives a whopping 300,000 visitors each year. But then again, that’s just kinda what happens when you have a flippin’ medieval castle here. The landmark castle was once a private residence commissioned and designed by actor, director and playwright William Gillette, known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.

Besides touring the castle and its museum, the park entertains many traditional recreational opportunities, but also some far less common ones too. It’s one of the few places in the state where you can river camp, and in honor of its history, still hosts many theatrical celebrations. It’s elementary dear reader, why you won’t want to skip over this one.