Plan Your Visit

Gillette Castle State Park is free to enter and open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset; only the castle tour costs money, and the castle opens on a seasonal schedule. There is no restaurant in the park, so bring a picnic: Gillette's old railroad station, Grand Central, is now a picnic shelter facing the Connecticut River. The visitor center by the main lot has restrooms, a gift shop, a short film and one of Gillette's restored locomotives.

Choose Your Season

• Summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day): castle tours every day, river camping open, ferry running.
• Fall (to Columbus Day): castle open weekends and holidays; the ferry runs to November 30.
• Late fall: castle closed from Columbus Day to Thanksgiving; grounds and trails stay open.
• Holidays: castle tours Friday to Sunday from Thanksgiving to Christmas (holiday tours).
• Winter: grounds open; roads plowed, trails not cleared.

Full calendar on hours; tickets on castle tours.

Picnicking

DEEP turned Grand Central Station, Gillette's stone and wood railroad station, into the park's picnic pavilion, with picnic tables and views down the river. DEEP's map also marks other picnic areas, and the Friends of Gillette Castle State Park describe an upper picnic area with its own parking, reached through the main lot and out the exit road onto a gravel road.

Food

The Friends say there is currently no food service at Gillette Castle; their accessibility guide does mention a concessions building beside the visitor center that opens when the castle is open. They suggest packing a lunch or stopping at a nearby sandwich shop such as Hadlyme Market, Two Wrasslin' Cats or Higher Grounds.

Visitor Center and Gift Shop

The visitor center sits next to the main parking lot. Inside are restrooms, a film, one of Gillette's restored locomotives and the Friends' gift shop, which sells books, clothing, art, postcards and Gillette souvenirs. Proceeds support the Friends of Gillette Castle State Park, and members get 15 percent off.

Accessibility

• Castle: the first floor and the terrace are wheelchair accessible; the second and third floors are not. The Friends describe the accessible route: a curving paved and packed-gravel path from the main lot around the left side of the castle to the back terrace, then along the covered part of the terrace to the first French door.
• Visitor center and concessions: fully accessible, with a covered deck and benches facing the castle.
• Grounds: the paved park roads give views of the castle and the Goldfish Pond. The Goldfish Pond and ferry landing lots are flat, hard-packed dirt.
• Trails: unpaved and mostly not workable for wheelchairs. The White Trail near the Goldfish Pond is the best bet for a wide-tyred motorised chair.
• All-terrain wheelchairs: DEEP lends them with advance reservations.

Visit From Home

DEEP hosts a 3D virtual tour of the castle on its park page: move room to room, zoom in on the woodwork and look for Gillette's cats.

What to Bring

• A picnic and water.
• Shoes with grip for the trails, and a light for the train tunnel.
• Cash or a check if you plan to take the ferry.
• Tour tickets booked in advance in summer.
• A leash if your dog comes; dogs are not allowed inside the castle (rules).