Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden - Bethlehem, Connecticut

Bee H.

The Bellamy-Ferriday home is a modest look at the past, meaning these owners were not looking to impress others by over spending and having lavish gatherings.

We paid for a guided tour here. It's not a big property but the tour was quite interesting. The guide told us that the tour was designed by one of the original home owners. We sat in a room and listened to the guide tell some important history but the presentation was a bit long for my taste. I always enjoy the walking portion of these tours. Cameras and picture taking was prohibited inside and you had to keep your hands to yourself. There was a lot of original furniture and fixtures, which were old and fragile, so I can understand that. We took some nice pictures of the garden and the surrounding property.

Dave G.

Out tour guide Gary was excellent and very knowledge. I learned a lot a out the history of the family and some of the amazing things they accomplished with people in dire straights.

Stacey S.

I went in the spring to see the lilacs, and I loved them. There are a few lilac bushes scattered here and there throughout the grounds. The tour of the house and the work of Eliza and her family is what impressed me most though. This is well worth the visit.

Kyle H.

Lovely home and gardens and I can't wait to meet and greet with the author of The Lilac Girls this summer! If you get a chance to go to a Book signing here with fabulous author of The Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly... you will have the best time! Martha is so open and friendly and shares so much about Caroline Ferriday's life... the home tour is wonderful! One of my most favorite places to visit in CT!

Lynn G.

After looking on line and seeing the propaganda for the gardens at Bellamy-Ferriday House we decided to take the trip to view the gardens. To our surprise the gardens were not kept up and we're a mess. Everywhere you looked there was total disarray. I added a picture of the Plant Propagation area that the told us not to miss. It was overrun with weeds and had t been used for many years. Rose bushes were not cared for. The "formal garden" was such a a mess that you could not walk through. Rose bushes with thorns overran the paths and the boxwoods were so overgrown you could only walk the path sideways. What a shame! How can you charge to see this? Perhaps it's time to get some volunteers together to clean it up so you can be proud to show it. I should have asked for a refund but hoped they would use it to hire someone to fix things up.

Nicole M.

I first learned about this historic house from the book The Lost Rose's by Martha Hall Kelly. It has such a rich history from its early days as a theological seminary and farm to a grand Victorian estate. I loved watching the book and it's characters come to life as I walked through the house Eliza and Caroline Ferriday lived in. The gardens are gorgeous and the smell of spring in the air was wonderful.

Chris S.

A great historical place to visit with great tour guides

Anthony J.

Beautiful home with rich history, also short trails on property with a few geocaches if you enjoy that.