KidsPlay Children’s Museum

If you live anywhere near Torrington, this place is worth the trip on a rainy Tuesday when you’ve run out of ideas. The water wall and play train are genuine crowd-pleasers for the little ones, and the musical equipment area gets surprisingly competitive with the older kids. Themed rooms like the grocery store and dentist’s office are the kind of thing that actually holds a toddler’s attention for more than five minutes — which, if you have a toddler, you know is saying something. Parents can keep easy eyes on the kids throughout, the bathrooms are clean, and the staff are legitimately friendly, not just going-through-the-motions friendly. Parking is easy, which for a spot in downtown Torrington is a small bonus worth mentioning.