Lost and Forgotten: Sunrise Resort

Remembering Sunrise. Once a booming resort housing up to 500 vacationers at a time, now lies desolate and forgotten. It sits alone midst the trees, succumbing to the elements and vandals.

Sunrise Resort was established in the 1930’s by Ted Hilton, a Hartford Taxi Driver. Over its 92 years the resort became Frank Davis Resort then what we know it as now, Sunrise Resort. In its heyday, the resort was known for theme weeks, meals, parties, music, and its excellent family atmosphere. It provided services such as maid service, childcare for those parents who wanted a break, boating/sailing, horseback riding, and children’s programs. They even allowed you to bring along the family pet! The resort provided many forms of housing may it be rustic cottages, motel rooms, apartments, or resort lodging. Sunrise had it all. Over the years Sunrise’s old fashion look and feel began to lose customer’s interest and it slowly began to wither. Near its end customers were found to complain of it being “out-of-date,” musty, and unclean. Sadly, in 2008 Sunrise was closed and sold to the CT Government. At first the government had plans of making it into a newer, updated Campgroup or into a camp for the disabled. This never happened. The Connecticut Government put things off and forgot about Sunrise until it became too late; nothing was left to save.

Since then it has fallen into ruins. It has been vandalized (windows smashed, copper piping ripped out of the walls, items stolen, memories shattered) and nature has moved in to reclaim it. This once beautiful resort that I had the privilege of visit on a school trip in eight grade is now a ghost town resembling Chernobyl. Everything is left the same as it was as if its happy, smiling patrons simply vanished. Children's artwork still hangs in the childcare building, food trays and ketchup packets still sit in the dining hall. The only thing that has disrupted this atmosphere of “frozen in time” is the many vandals that have swept through like a tornado. The office still contains the paperwork, brochures, and bill stubs that where there when the resort had been open (albeit they are now strewn all over the place). Why was it left this way? Why are there still bed sheets neatly folded on top of beds waiting for vacationers that will never come? I cannot say. It is an ominous place to visit but is still a gorgeous area. Luscious woods, fluttering butterflies, bird calls, and the sun shining down through the trees. While there, one can still feel the “spirit’” of Sunrise that was once present when it was full of tourists and vacationers walking its paths, swimming in the pools, and eating in the dining halls