Description: Straddling the cities of East Haddam and Lyme, the Gillette Castle State Park is a perpetually popular tourist attraction, the grand -- and odd -- former home of actor William Gillette, famed for playing detective Sherlock Holmes on stage. Perched on a hill known as the “Seventh Sister”, the rough stone castle is an architectural melange, a blend of medieval, bungalow and craftsmen styles, filled with architectural oddities of Gillette’s design, including unusual doorknobs and locks, and a system of hidden mirrors for surveillance of public rooms from the master bedroom. Over 300,000 people visit the park each year to tour the castle and enjoy the hiking trails and occasional theatrical celebrations that take place here throughout the calendar.
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