Windham Textile Museum

The Quiet Corner [1] might seem like bucolic farm country nowadays, but just over 100 years ago, it was the bustling center of one of the richest textile producing regions in the world. The engaging Windham Textile Museum (411 Main St., Willimantic, 860/456-2178, www.millmuseum.org [2], 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Tue. and Fri.–Sun. summer, $5 adults, $4 seniors and students), located on the former headquarters of the American Thread Company, re-creates the lives of both textile barons and ordinary mill workers through a series of juxtaposed exhibit rooms.

Tour guides also give spirited demonstrations of the old thread-spinning equipment, and even allow visitors to try their soft hands at carding wool and spinning thread (which is not as easy as it seems). Don’t miss the gift shop full of frog- and thread-themed merchandise.