How do I get to Haddam?

By car — Route 9 serves Haddam at Exit 10 (Route 82) and Exit 13 (Beaver Meadow Road), or take the scenic Route 154 along the river. There is no rail station in Haddam; the nearest is Old Saybrook, roughly 15–20 miles south on Shore Line East.

Are Gillette Castle and the Goodspeed Opera House in Haddam?

No — despite Route 9's Exit 10 signage listing them as nearby destinations, Gillette Castle, the Goodspeed Opera House and the Chester–Hadlyme Ferry are all across the river in East Haddam or in Chester, not in Haddam itself.

What is the Haddam Shad Museum?

Housed in the former Bill Maynard Shad Shack in Higganum, it is the only museum in the country devoted solely to shad fishing. It runs a spring season (Sundays, roughly April through June) with year-round appointments at (860) 345-2400.

Can I watch eagles in Haddam?

Eagle Landing State Park, a 16-acre riverfront park on Route 82, is a well-known bald-eagle-watching spot, especially in January and February. Connecticut RiverQuest and the Lady Katharine run river cruises from the park, including winter eagle cruises.

Is there a hotel in Haddam?

No hotel, inn or B&B could be verified operating inside Haddam. The nearest verified option is Saybrook Point Resort & Marina, 2 Bridge Street, Old Saybrook, south via Route 9.

Haddam, Connecticut: The Town the River Splits in Two

Haddam, Connecticut

Pictures from Haddam

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The land that became Haddam and East Haddam was bought from its Native inhabitants in 1662 for 30 coats — roughly 150 square miles whose purchase value probably did not exceed $100. The deed was signed by six Wangunk leaders, two women and four men, who reserved the island in the Connecticut River and 40 acres at Pattaquonk along with their hunting and fishing rights. English settlers first called the tract "Thirty Mile Island"; the name changed to Haddam in 1668, and the town was incorporated that October. Haddam is the only town in Connecticut that the Connecticut River runs through the middle of, rather than along its border, and it comprises five villages: Higganum, Shailerville, Tylerville and Hidden Lake on the west bank, and Haddam Neck on the east. Shad fishing has been part of Haddam life since 1662, peaking in 1814 with a 200,000-fish catch from at least 17 locations in town.

Thankful Arnold House Museum

sight

A late-18th-century house museum with a recognized historic garden.
Haddam Shad Museum

sight

The only US museum devoted solely to shad fishing.
Haddam Meadows State Park

sight

A 154-acre riverside flat with a boat launch.
Eagle Landing State Park

sight

A bald-eagle-watching spot with cruises from the park.
Cockaponset State Forest

walk

Connecticut's second-largest state forest, over 100 miles of trails.
Jack's Country Restaurant

food

A Higganum breakfast institution since 2018.

A river town of shad and quarries

Shad fishing peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries: in 1814 there were at least 17 places in town where shad were caught, and that year's catch reached 200,000 fish. Commercial haul seining dominated until the 1950s, when drift netting at night replaced it. Haddam Neck, the town's east-bank village, was an industrial pioneer — Deacon Ezra Brainerd opened the town's first granite quarry there in 1762, and the mid-19th century brought a feldspar quarry the town describes as the first in the nation. Venture Smith, born Broteer Furro in West Africa around 1729, bought his freedom in 1765 and moved to Haddam Neck in 1774–75, where he became a mariner-merchant-farmer owning over 100 acres; his 1798 narrative is one of the few firsthand accounts of slavery in colonial New England. The Haddam Neck Fair has run since 1911.

Getting there

Haddam is a drive-to town with no rail station of its own. Route 9 is the expressway spine, with two exits serving Haddam: Exit 10 (Route 82, also signed for East Haddam's Goodspeed Opera House and Gillette Castle — those attractions are across the river in East Haddam, not in Haddam itself) and Exit 13 (Beaver Meadow Road). Route 154 (Saybrook Road), a 9.16-mile state-designated scenic road along the west bank of the Connecticut River, is the slower, prettier alternative, passing Haddam Meadows State Park. The nearest passenger rail is Old Saybrook, roughly 15–20 miles south on Shore Line East and Amtrak.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Haddam?: By car — Route 9 serves Haddam at Exit 10 (Route 82) and Exit 13 (Beaver Meadow Road), or take the scenic Route 154 along the river. There is no rail station in Haddam; the nearest is Old Saybrook, roughly 15–20 miles south on Shore Line East.
Are Gillette Castle and the Goodspeed Opera House in Haddam?: No — despite Route 9's Exit 10 signage listing them as nearby destinations, Gillette Castle, the Goodspeed Opera House and the Chester–Hadlyme Ferry are all across the river in East Haddam or in Chester, not in Haddam itself.
What is the Haddam Shad Museum?: Housed in the former Bill Maynard Shad Shack in Higganum, it is the only museum in the country devoted solely to shad fishing. It runs a spring season (Sundays, roughly April through June) with year-round appointments at (860) 345-2400.
Can I watch eagles in Haddam?: Eagle Landing State Park, a 16-acre riverfront park on Route 82, is a well-known bald-eagle-watching spot, especially in January and February. Connecticut RiverQuest and the Lady Katharine run river cruises from the park, including winter eagle cruises.
Is there a hotel in Haddam?: No hotel, inn or B&B could be verified operating inside Haddam. The nearest verified option is Saybrook Point Resort & Marina, 2 Bridge Street, Old Saybrook, south via Route 9.

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Connected pages

Nearby

Chester, Connecticut: A Mill Village on the River · Chester, Connecticut
Route 9 runs sequentially from Essex through Deep River, Chester and Haddam to Middletown, with Chester directly south of Haddam.
East Haddam, Connecticut: A Castle, an Opera House, and a Schoolhouse · East Haddam, Connecticut
Haddam and East Haddam sit on opposite banks of the Connecticut River, linked by the Route 82 crossing at Route 9 Exit 10.
Middletown, Connecticut: A River Port Turned College City · Middletown, Connecticut
Route 9 continues north from Haddam directly to Middletown.

Same region

Old Saybrook, Connecticut: The Colony at the River's Mouth · Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Old Saybrook, roughly 15–20 miles south via Route 9, is the nearest passenger rail station to Haddam.
East Hampton, Connecticut: Belltown, USA · East Hampton, Connecticut
East Hampton's Middle Haddam village and Haddam's Haddam Neck village both sit on the Connecticut River's east bank.