Goshen, Connecticut -
Action Wildlife - Taxidermy Exhibit

I've visited this place a couple of times. The grounds are very large with a (you-drive-around-it) fenced in live exotic animal enclosure -- deer, emu, duck pond, etc. You can park the car on the side of the dirt "road" to get a closer look at the wildlife or take pictures. Some of the animals are "friendly," like the emu, and come right up to the fence to greet you.

There is a petting zoo with picnic tables near the front.

Then there is a large "museum" building with animals from Africa, etc. that are stuffed. Apparently they were all collected by one of the owners over a period of 30 years. The quality of the taxidermy is very high, if you like that sort of thing. Upstairs are more displays of living animals that can be admired and sometimes the caretakers take them out and show them to you. Anyway, it's worth the 10 bucks admission for a day's worth of wandering and looking.

Bring snacks and lunch because there are no restaurants nearby (except one really crappy ice cream-hot dog shack about 1 mile away). The place has a snack bar and a couple of beverage machines, but it may not be open by the time you're finished looking and walking/driving around. [patri, 03/13/2010]