Thomas Lyman House

The Durham Fair, held in Durham, Connecticut, is one of the largest agricultural fairs in New England and was first held in 1916. The four-day event takes place during the last full weekend of September. Activities include livestock and competitive exhibits, pulling contests, craft and commercial tents, various forms of entertainment and a carnival midway. The fairgrounds accommodate both permanent buildings for commercial and agricultural exhibits and space for tents and other non-permanent structures to be brought in each year. Past entertainers on the main stage have included Blake Shelton, Pat Benatar, Justin Moore, George Jones, SHeDAISY, Bill Monroe, Loretta Lynn, 38 Special, Charlie Daniels, Phil Vassar, The Guess Who, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Blues Traveler, and KC and the Sunshine Band. The Durham Fair is staffed entirely by volunteers; in fact, it is the second largest fair in North America without paid management or employees. In addition to the members of the Durham Agricultural Fair Association and other volunteers, local organizations such as schools, churches, clubs, civic groups, and more, participate in the fair to help raise funds for their organizations. There was no fair in 1917–18, 1942–45 & 2020.

Durham is a census-designated place (CDP) comprising the primary village and surrounding development in the town of Durham, Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. It is in the central and northeastern portions of the town, bordered to the north by the town of Middlefield and the city of Middletown. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 3,771, out of 7,152 in the entire town of Durham. The Main Street Historic District occupies 160 acres (0.65 km2) at the center of the community.

The Main Street Historic District encompasses the historic civic, commercial, and residential center of Durham, Connecticut. The district is primarily linear and runs along Main Street (Route 17) from between Higganum Road and Town House Road in the south to Talcott Lane in the north, and along Maple Avenue, which parallels Main Street. The district includes most of its colonial architecture, as well as many of its civic buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Coginchaug is an area within the current United States town of Durham, Connecticut. It is largely a swampy, low-lying region of the town, drained by the Coginchaug River and its tributaries.

Coginchaug Regional High School (abbreviated as C.R.H.S.) is a public high school located in Durham, Connecticut and is named after the Coginchaug River. It is part of Regional School District #13, which encompasses the communities of Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall, Connecticut. Coginchaug is attended by students in grades 9 through 12.

The David Lyman II House, also known as the Lyman Homestead, is a historic house at 5 Lyman Road in Middlefield, Connecticut. Built around 1860, it is among the best Gothic Revival structures in the greater Middletown area. The house is built in part on the foundation of a 1785 house that originally stood on the site. The 2-acre (0.81 ha) property containing the house and its outbuildings was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Durham is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Durham is a former farming village on the Coginchaug River in central Connecticut. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 7,152 at the 2020 census. Every autumn, the town hosts the Durham Fair, the largest volunteer agricultural fair in New England. The Durham town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place. The core of the town center has also been listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

Middlefield is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 4,217 at the 2020 census. The town includes the village of Rockfall in the northeast section.

Wadsworth Falls State Park, or simply Wadsworth Falls, is a public recreation and preserved natural area located on the Coginchaug River in the towns of Middletown and Middlefield, Connecticut. The state park's 285 acres (115 ha) offer trail hiking and fishing. Swimming and picnicking are allowed at the pond near the north entrance near 721 Wadsworth Street (CT Route 157) in Middletown. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Vinal Technical High School, or Vinal Tech, is a technical high school located in Middletown, Connecticut. It is in the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System. It receives students from many nearby towns. Vinal Tech currently has around 600 students from approximately 27 different towns.

The William Ward Jr. House is a historic house at 137 Powder Hill Road in Middlefield, Connecticut. Built in 1742, it is the oldest surviving house in Middlefield. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

The Middletown Nature Gardens is located off Randolph Road in Middletown, Connecticut. In 1995, the city of Middletown, CT purchased the 18 acres (73,000 m2) of land and dedicated it open space. This piece of land serves as a natural habitat to many plants and animals. There are many trails to walk about surrounded by an array of diverse trees and shrubs. Some of the types of trees and shrubs include red cedar, flowering dogwood, highbush blueberries, white pine, and speckled alder. The main trail is a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) loop. Mulched side trails, which branch off the main trail, add another 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to walk. Community volunteers maintain the park. They have erected many bluebird boxes and bat houses to house some of the natural wildlife of the park. There are also vernal pools, which are habitats for salamanders and wood frogs in the southeast corner of the park. There is even a 200-year-old sugar maple, which is called the “bee tree,” in which a large colony of bees has made it their home.