Saturday, October 31, is the last day of the season for the outdoor mining sluice at Dinosaur State Park. Gem and fossil mining runs May 1 through October 31, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. except in rainy weather. Track casting on the park's Eubrontes prints ends the same day, with a 3:30 p.m. cutoff. After Halloween, one seasonal outdoor attraction in town keeps running. Down on Meadow Road, the Rocky Hill–Glastonbury Ferry crosses the Connecticut River through November 30.
That leaves the town's oldest attraction open a full month after its most famous one starts its off-season. Here's how the rest of the season plays out, from Halloween weekend to November 30.
Saturday Is the Last Chance at the Sluice and the Casting Rings
If Halloween weekend is your last shot at either activity, plan around the times. According to Connecticut State Parks, mining bags cost $7 to $25, and a full bucket is $75. You buy them at the Friends of Dinosaur Park & Arboretum museum shop inside the Exhibit Center. The park suggests one bag for three or four people, and each bag takes about 10 minutes to work through, with staff and volunteers on hand to identify what turns up.
Track casting is free, but you bring the materials. Each cast needs 10 pounds of Plaster-of-Paris, a quarter cup of cooking oil, a five-gallon plastic bucket, and cloth rags and paper towels. The park supplies the tracks, metal rings and water. A cast takes 30 to 45 minutes, and the limit is one per family or group. With a 3:30 p.m. cutoff, anyone casting on Saturday should start by early afternoon.
The rest of the park stays open into winter. Its grounds, trails and arboretum are free and open daily year-round, from 9 a.m. until 30 minutes before sundown. The Exhibit Center keeps its Tuesday through Sunday hours, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and closes on Thanksgiving Day. In November, Dinosaur State Park becomes a trail-and-museum stop instead of a hands-on one.
Sunday the Calendar Moves Indoors to Old Main Street
The day after the sluice closes, the town holds Market on the Hill, its indoor holiday market. It runs Sunday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rocky Hill Community Center, 761 Old Main Street. This is at least its second year on the town calendar. The 2025 edition ran on November 2. Vendors need pre-approval through the town's Parks & Recreation registration page, and the vendor fee went from $30 last year to $35 this year.
Ten days later, the Senior Center hosts its Veterans Luncheon on Wednesday, November 11, from noon to 2 p.m. Rocky Hill veterans and eligible Senior Center veteran members get a complimentary pot-roast meal, and the Connecticut Belles perform. Non-veterans can register starting November 4.
Both events are indoors. The only seasonal outing that still runs outside is on the river.
The Ferry Is Still Running
The Rocky Hill–Glastonbury Ferry is the oldest continuously operating ferry in the United States. Service across the river here dates to 1655. According to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the vessel is a three-car barge called the Hollister III. A diesel tugboat named the Cumberland tows it back and forth. Two horses on treadmills once powered the crossing, and steam took over in 1876.
There's no timetable. The ferry runs on demand during operating hours and leaves as vehicles and passengers arrive. Here are the details from the CTDOT ferry page:
- Weekday hours: 7:00 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.
- Weekend hours: 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Vehicles: $5 on weekdays, $6 on weekends
- Pedestrians and bicyclists: $2, any day
- Commuter book: $60 for 20 crossings, which works out to $3 each, sold onboard
- Payment: cash or check onboard, exact change preferred, or the Token Transit app
If you use Token Transit, wait until you're about to board to activate the ticket. It's only valid for verification for 10 minutes. A $2 walk-on fare costs less than the cheapest mining bag at Dinosaur State Park.
A Season That Started Late Ends on Schedule
On paper, the ferry season runs April 1 through November 30. In 2026 it was a month shorter. High water near the Rocky Hill and Glastonbury landings kept the barge out of service in April, and CTDOT opened the 2026 season on Friday, May 1. The Chester-Hadlyme Ferry downriver started on schedule on April 1. The closing date didn't move, so November is the last stretch of a seven-month season instead of an eight-month one.
When it announced the reopening, CTDOT quoted Jeffrey Gonneville, its Bureau Chief of Public Transportation:
"If you've never taken a ride on the ferry, there's no better time than now to give it a try."
Plenty of people already ride. In the 2025 season, the two state ferries together carried about 91,000 passengers and 42,000 vehicles, according to CTDOT. Fares are low, so those trips don't bring in much money. CT Mirror reported in September 2026 that combined fare revenue for both ferries, not counting Token Transit purchases, was $227,995 in 2024 and $193,427 in 2025. Nearly 1,000 more tickets were sold through the app in 2025. In earlier CT Mirror reporting from July 2025, the DOT put the cost of running both ferries at roughly $1.4 million a year, with about $900,000 of that from federal funds.
Rocky Hill's Late-Fall Calendar at a Glance
| Date | What | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Last day of gem and fossil mining and track casting | Dinosaur State Park | Mining 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m., casting 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Market on the Hill indoor holiday market | Rocky Hill Community Center, 761 Old Main St. | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Veterans Luncheon | Rocky Hill Senior Center | Noon–2 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving: ferry and Exhibit Center closed | Meadow Road landing and Dinosaur State Park | Closed |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Last day of the ferry season | Rocky Hill–Glastonbury Ferry | 7 a.m.–6:45 p.m. |
November 30 falls on a Monday this year, so the ferry's last weekend is November 28 and 29, the weekend after Thanksgiving.
What's Waiting at the Rocky Hill Landing
The Rocky Hill side of the crossing is Ferry Park, with a boat launch and the Ferry Grill at 277 Meadow Road. Ferry Grill serves seafood, burgers and ice cream, and boats can dock there. It opened for 2026 on May 7. Its posted hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, weather dependent, and it hasn't announced a closing date for the season, so check before planning a meal around it this late in the year.
The landings themselves have been part of a CTDOT improvement project. CT News Junkie reported in November 2025 that the plans include fencing, gates, lighting, sidewalks, pedestrian connections and benches at both landings. Colossale Sitework won the $533,335 contract, and the work was scheduled to finish by April 21, 2026.
The ferry's own conditions matter more in November. CTDOT says weather, water levels or mechanical issues can stop service, and it posts closures on CTroads, where you can also sign up for alerts. High water already cost this season its April, so it's worth a quick check before driving down to the landing.
Where to Eat on the Way Home
A crossing takes a few minutes. Dinner is on Silas Deane Highway. Konaseema takes orders at 1860 Silas Deane Highway. Cugino's offers online ordering from its Rocky Hill restaurant, in the former Rocky Hill Pizza space at 2132 Silas Deane Highway.
More is on the way along the same road. The Connecticut Scoop reported renovations underway for Central Diner in the former On The Border at 1519 Silas Deane Highway. It also reported work continuing on Taqueria La Grande at 1783 Silas Deane Highway, the former Rita's, which CT Insider first reported in February. Central Diner and Eurovita Market both appeared in Patch's roundup of new Rocky Hill business registrations for September 2026, one of 37 registered that month. A registration doesn't mean a business is open, so for a meal after the ferry this November, go with the places already serving.
At The Corrado Group, we follow Rocky Hill season by season, from the river landing to Silas Deane Highway. If you're wondering what all of that means for your own home's value, request a complimentary home valuation and we'll walk you through it.
