'You get a slice of real life out here.' Windham offers a piece of history to visitors
Windham is also known as the Thread City.
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Marty Podskoch, a local author, says the town of Windham offers something for everyone including the town's frog bridge and one of Connecticut's first breweries.
One of those places is the Aero Diner in North Windham.
"We're very unique. "It's one of the Branson Diners built in 1958. It's got the old school jukeboxes. We make fresh cut French fries and most of our product is fresh," says Vinnie Walkup, owner.
The Willimantic Brewing Company is located in the town's historic post office.
"We have an onsite brewery. It's seven barrels, which means it produces about 14 kegs per batch. We have a 60 foot mahogany bar and we have 40 beer tap lines," says David Wollner, owner and brewer.
Normally, the restaurant has 10 to 12 of their own house brewed beers on their menu.
Stone Row Bar & Kitchen is another popular spot for foodies. Owner Andy Gutt describes the restaurant as new American.
"We follow the rhythm of the seasons. Here at Stone Row, we say we're low key, high vibe. Meaning that this is a come as you are kind of place," says Gutt
Gutt tells News 12 the city is special place.
"People should come to Willimantic because I think there's a story around every corner. You get a slice of real life out here," he says.
Windham is also known as the Thread City.
The American Thread Company was established in 1854 as the first company in the United States to make acceptable cotton thread. Although the city's fabric mills closed in 1984, the legacy of the textile industry lives on at the Windham Textile and History Museum in Willimantic.
"Besides thread, we have a lot of frogs. The Frog Bridge. It's actually the thread city crossing. The frog sitting on the spool of thread has been a logo in town for 100 years," says Bev York, curator of the America Museum.
Windham is also home to several other museums including the Jillson House, The America Museum and the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum is also located nearby in Willimantic.
