Mohegan Sun Casino

  This casino is very welcoming to RVers. They’ve even set aside a  lot separate from the truckers’ lot just for RVs but they do want you to check in. The phone number is posted on signs in the parking lot. The lot is big but not very level. The coveted spots are by the guard rails with a view of the river. It’s kind of noisy because of the highway and generators.

  It’s not possible to walk or roll to the casino due to busy roads and no sidewalk. The wheelchair accessible shuttles run in a continuous loop through the lots. We’ve played in this casino in the past but didn’t on this trip so I can’t report about accessibility inside. Casino
41.4854, -72.08269

Heritage Museums & Gardens

   In addition to over 100 acres of gardens and walking trails, there are three very good small museums – one with changing exhibits, another with antique cars in a round gallery designed after Shaker barns, and a folk art gallery which also houses a working, 1908, hand-carved carousel.

 The buildings are all accessible but the main garden paths, which lead to the buildings, have some very steep sections that are hard to do even with help. A shuttle will drop passengers at the buildings but it isn’t wheelchair accessible. Other garden paths are surfaced with wood chips, are hilly, and not accessible.

The parking lots are large enough for RVs but the street to the gardens is narrow.  Garden
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Nickerson State Park

  Reservations are necessary in the summertime.( We lucked into a cancellation. ) There’s plenty of space between the sites but little underbrush so not much privacy. The actual vehicle parking areas are all fairly small although there are sites that will accommodate 35’ RVs. No electric or water hookups but showers in the restrooms and a dump station.

  Some of the sites in this campground are supposed to be accessible and near accessible restrooms but I have my doubts. There are only seven. Five are yurt sites and the other two are tent or popup sites so there aren’t any that we could have used. The restroom near our site was not accessible. Many of the standard sites are usable as long as they’re fairly level. The ground is hard packed sand and dirt. The tables have a short overhang.

  A paved bike trail runs alongside the campground’s main road and connects to the Cape Cod Rail Trail. The campground trail has some very steep sections but the rail trail is fairly flat and handcycles can be rented from concessionaires.  Campground
41.75325, -70.01659

Cape Cod National Seashore

  Cape Cod National Seashore encompasses 43,500 acres and has almost 49 miles of seashore. Most of the land is wild and undisturbed but there are six developed beaches, three bicycle trails, eleven hiking trails and a few historic sites.

  Very little is wheelchair accessible which is frustrating because it’s a federal site and should be held to the same standards as private properties that are open to the public. We didn’t visit all of the park but this is what we found at the places that we did visit:

  Fort Hill – no access to the informative sign or any way to get close to the sea captain’s house. Handicapped parking space at the overlook. Trails were too steep to be made accessible.
       
  Salt Pond Visitor Center – all accessible. The museum is a little cramped in some sections with no room for a wheelchair to pass by if someone is looking at the exhibits. Trails are not accessible.

  Marconi Station Site – ramp to higher overlook is too steep. Lower overlook and signs are accessible.

  Pilgrim Heights -  overlook is accessible, trails are not.

  Province Land Visitor Center – ramp to the center is too steep and does not have landings. Railing at overlook is at a height that blocks the view.
                
  Old Harbor Life Saving Station Museum – almost all accessible. Long ramp with landings, wide doors in the museum with a lot of room to maneuver. Stairs only to upper floor.
       
  Park bike trails have very steep sections.

  The visitor centers have long RV/bus spaces. Fort Hill has a 20’ limit. Marconi Station and Pilgrim Heights lots are large enough for RVs. Old Harbor Life Saving Station Museum and some of the beaches do not allow any vehicles or the lots fill early and you must walk, ride a bike, or take a shuttle.  Park
41.83809, -69.97256

Museum of Connecticut History

   For a state that was colonized in the early 1600’s, this museum is surprisingly small. The walls of the beautiful large hall pictured above are lined with portraits of all of the Connecticut governors. It also has displays of important state documents and, in a special shallow vault with a heavy locking door, the original Royal Charter of 1662 granted by Charles II. An addition gallery has display cases containing  examples of many products that have been manufactured in Connecticut plus a brief overall history of the state.

The museum is accessible but entry is complicated. The wheelchair accessible entrance is at the back of the building. Push the button and hold to talk to the guard who will come and open the door. You’ll be led through a series of doors to the elevator, up a floor and through a storage area and up a ramp to the main hall. To get to the other section, go down the ramp, through the storage area, and up another ramp. Some of the display cases are too high to easily view the contents.

  We visited on a Saturday and parked across the street in the state capitol building lot. Small RVs can back into the spaces and hang over the grass, larger ones can park across the spaces. The museum closes at 2:00 on Saturday and unfortunately the state capitol is not opened on the weekends. It’s a very elaborate building on the outside and we would have liked to get a peek at the interior. Museum
 Capitol building-
41.76208, -72.68338
       
      

Eric Sloane Museum & Kent Iron Furnace

  Located on this site are three seemingly disconnected things, the reconstructed studio of artist, Eric Sloane; a large collection of hand tools; and the ruins of an iron furnace. The furnace just happens to be on the property but the tool collection was part of Sloane’s lifelong fascination with early American history. Besides producing thousands of paintings he also wrote and illustrated numerous books. Most people are familiar with his painting “Earth Flight Environment”, the mural in the lobby of the Air and Space Museum. We thought that the museum admission fee was a little high considering the short amount of time that it takes to see everything.

  Call ahead of time and the staff will place a movable ramp at the entrance door. The museum is all accessible. The furnace ruins are at the bottom of a slope. It’s possible to drive down and view them from your vehicle.

  The parking lot is large enough for all RVs.  Museum
41.73819, -73.46926

Mills Norrie State Park

   Hyde Park and the national historic sites are just a few miles south of this park which makes it an ideal camping location when sightseeing in the area, however it’s much better suited for tents than RVs. The sites are very small and uneven. The roads are narrow with sharp turns and big dips. We didn’t have any problems but larger RVs would probably have difficulties. None of the sites have electric hookups but there are flush toilets, showers, and a dump station.

  Most of the sites have very uneven ground so accessibility is limited.  Campground
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Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

  Fredrick Vanderbilt was the grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt and the son of William Henry Vanderbilt, the two richest men in the world. Their enormous wealth, made through ownership of steam and rail lines, provided the means for the family to build mansions in all the fashionable neighborhoods and vacation spots. This house is one of the smaller ones, having only 54 rooms. : ) The décor and furnishing are all original to the 1890s.

 The house is semi-accessible. A wheelchair lift provides access to the basement where the kitchen and servants quarters are located. A small elevator, original to the house, accesses the first and second floors. Most wheelchairs will not fit in the elevator. My wheelchair is narrow with a 70 degree angle to the footrest. To fit in the elevator I had to wiggle around until I was sideways to the door. There was just enough room for the door to close with no room in front of me or behind me. Visitors are also free to wander the grounds and gardens. The gardens are completely inaccessible as they are built in levels with numerous steps.

  The parking lot has spaces for buses and RVs. Mansion
  41.798, -73.94062

Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site

   Roosevelt is the only president ever elected to a third and then a forth term, which unfortunately he didn’t serve, dying of a cerebral hemorrhage in March 1945. Being in office for such a long time allowed him to guide along many social programs and civic projects that are still in use today – social security, bank insurance, child labor laws, minimum wage, collective bargaining, dams for flood control and electricity, new schools, hospitals, airfields, museums, and one of our favorites- roads, lodges, picnic shelters, tree planting, and much more in national and state parks.

  The site includes a visitor center where a movie is shown ; Roosevelt’s home, Springwood; the presidential library and museum; the Roosevelts’ gravesite and gardens; and Roosevelt’s retreat, Top Cottage. The museum is being renovated and is scheduled to open in June 2013. In the meantime a very good temporary exhibit is open with displays about both Franklin and Eleanor plus four large video screens with photographs and film clips.
        
  The visitor center is accessible. The theater has movable chairs in the last row. The museum is accessible. The paths to the grave site and gardens are surfaced with small gravel or pavement.The house has a ramp to access the first floor and a wheelchair lift to access the second floor. The second floor has narrow hallways so wheelchair users may have to wait until everyone has finished looking in the rooms before looking themselves. We didn’t visit Top Cottage but it should be very accessible as it was designed to accommodate FDR’s wheelchair.

  The parking lots are large with long bus/RV spaces. FDR Site
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Colton Point State Park - Pennsylvania Grand Canyon

  The valley doesn’t come anywhere near matching the real Grand Canyon but it’s still pretty impressive – 47 miles long and 800 feet deep at this point. The park has a small, primitive campground, picnic shelters, overlooks, and trails.

   None of the campsites are handicapped accessible and most are built on uneven ground making them hard to use. The tables have a long overhang on one end. Campers who are at least 62 years old or are disabled get a small discount. None of the overlooks are accessible. Of the three that are along the park road and easily reached, one has steps, one has many exposed roots, and one has fencing with a narrow opening plus a rough trail. The Barbour Rock Trail, located outside the park in the state forest, is suppose to be accessible. It’s relatively flat and only about 1 mile round trip but it’s surfaced with large, loose stone making a very bumpy ride which is impossible to do without help.

   Most of the sites are small with one or two that might accommodate a RV between 25’- 30’.  Park
  41.70662, -77.46681