Carousels are marvels of brightly painted animals, mechanical excellence, music and lights. Located in a historic mill building in Bristol, the Carousel Museum houses well over 100 antique wooden carousel animals including white rabbits, pigs, lions and even an alligator. The museum has a full-size carousel inside the building complete with beautifully painted horses and Wurlitzer music - and you can take a merry-go-round ride during any season of the year. Plus, you can take a peek into their restoration workshop. Our guest for this episode is Morgan Fippinger, Executive Director.

Plan your visit to the Carousel Museum at www.thecarouselmuseum.org

The museum can also be rented for birthdays, weddings, and other events-find out more on their website.

Be sure to let us know on our social media pages which enchanting carousel animal is your favorite!

Search for carousels to visit across the country here: www.collectorsweekly.com/hall-of-fame/view/national-carousel-association

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Get ready for #CivicLearningWeek! From March 10th through the 14th, students, educators, policymakers, and private and public sector leaders will come together to energize the movement for civic education as a nationwide priority. Prepare with Grating the Nutmeg and Connecticut Explored by reading and listening to civics-focused stories including How Connecticut Got Zoning; Radical Connecticut Labor Strikes; Disability Rights Activist Phyllis Zlotnick; and Miss Crandall’s School for Black Women! Learn more at ctexplored.org and civiclearningweek.org

Links for the these stories and podcast episodes:

https://www.ctexplored.org/disrupters-in-small-packages/

https://www.ctexplored.org/misscrandallsschool/

https://www.ctexplored.org/radical-connecticut-labor-strikes/

https://www.ctexplored.org/the-labor-movement-in-connecticut/

https://www.ctexplored.org/phyllis-zlotnick-disability-rights-activist/

https://www.ctexplored.org/phyllis-zlotnick/

https://www.ctexplored.org/how-connecticut-got-zoning-cte-game-changer-series/

https://www.ctexplored.org/game-changer-the-rise-of-exclusionary-zoning-in-connecticut/

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This episode is sponsored by Connecticut Explored, the magazine of Connecticut history and the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History.

We have a serious funding gap for 2025. You can help us continue to tell the important stories from Connecticut’s history by donating a fixed dollar amount monthly. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We need and appreciate your support!

Subscribe to get your copy of our beautiful magazine Connecticut Explored delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at simplecirc.com/subscribe/connecticut-explored

If you are looking for fun and interesting things to do around the state, our magazine and bi-monthly enewsletter will fill you in! Subscribe and sign up for our enewsletter at our website at ctexplored.org

This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky.

Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!

204. Artistry, Charm, and Whimsy: Connecticut’s Carousel Museum