9 Things That Only Make Sense to Someone From Connecticut

Mention the Mixmaster to a Connecticut driver, and they may know exactly which interchange you mean.

Connecticuters grow up with local details like that, and out-of-staters can be left scratching their heads.

Here are the things that only make sense to someone from Connecticut.

1. Moodus Noises

The Moodus noises are small earthquakes that occur near Moodus, in East Haddam.

If you were near Moodus on November 20, 2024, you may have felt the 2.3 magnitude earthquake that the U.S. Geological Survey recorded.

The East Haddam Historical Society had put a seismograph in its museum basement about a month earlier.

If you want the oldest record, the New England Historical Society points to 1702, when people first recorded hearing the noises.

Native people called the land around Mt. Tom Machemoodus, meaning place of bad noises.

Scientists at Boston College’s Weston Observatory traced the noises to earthquake swarms.

2. Waterbury’s Mixmaster

Waterbury’s Mixmaster is the interchange where Interstate 84 (I-84) meets Route 8.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) uses that nickname in a 2025 press release.

You’ll hear some drivers say Mixmaster and leave out the route numbers.

CTDOT announced the $223 million rehabilitation would be complete on October 31, 2024.

The work included full deck replacements of 21 spans on Route 8 southbound and 36 spans northbound.

You’ll also see an auxiliary lane on I-84 that the project added.

CTDOT laid out a long-term plan in 2025 to replace the whole interchange. The work will take decades.

3. Steamed Cheeseburgers

If you’re looking for a steamed cheeseburger, the state’s tourism office says the style is found only in Meriden and a few surrounding towns.

Cooks press the beef into small metal trays and cook it in a steam cabinet instead of on a grill.

The cheese is steamed too, which leaves it gooey enough to pour over the patty.

Ted’s Restaurant in Meriden opened in 1959.

The tourism office calls Ted’s the oldest of the state’s steamed cheeseburger joints.

According to Ted’s, its steamer gives you a tender, juicy burger with a distinctive texture.

4. Sperm Whale State Animal

Connecticut’s state animal is the sperm whale, and the General Assembly made it official in 1975.

You can read two reasons for the choice on the state’s page.

The first is the whale’s role in the state’s history.

The second is its plight as an endangered species.

If you picture a whaling port, picture New London and Mystic.

Connecticut ranked second only to Massachusetts in American whaling during the 1800s, according to the page.

5. Mileage-Based Exit Numbers

CTDOT is renumbering the exits on the state’s highways to match mileage, one road at a time.

Your exit may already have a new number.

The Easton Courier reported in 2025 that the old exit numbers were sequential.

The new numbers are based on each road’s mileage.

Many drivers give directions by the old exit numbers, so you might hear them too.

CTDOT’s schedule lists I-395 as completed in 2015 and Route 9 as completed in 2023.

Route 15 is listed for 2025, I-84 for 2026 and I-95 for 2028, though the dates are subject to change.

CTDOT told the Easton Courier the full project will continue through 2030.

6. Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry

The Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry carries cars across the Connecticut River.

CTDOT describes it as the oldest continuously operating ferry in America, with service dating to 1655.

At one time, two horses on treadmills supplied the power.

The ferry switched to steam-driven crafts in 1876.

The ferry uses a three-car barge named the Hollister III, towed by a diesel tugboat called the Cumberland.

If you ride it, you’d cross on that barge.

7. First Selectmen

A first selectman is the chief executive officer in a town run on selectmen and town meetings, CT Mirror reported in 2023.

The report counts more than half of the state’s 169 municipalities in that group.

If your town is in that group, your first selectman is its chief executive officer.

8. UConn’s Dairy Bar

The University of Connecticut (UConn) Dairy Bar in Storrs opened in 1953 to sell dairy products made by the UConn Creamery.

The creamery dates to the early 1900s.

It bottled milk until 1991.

The university says your scoop follows the creamery’s original recipe.

On the dairy bar’s page, you’ll see flavors like Husky Tracks, Banana Chocolate Chip and Mint Chip.

9. Nautilus Submarine

The Nautilus, which the Naval History and Heritage Command calls the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, is Connecticut’s state ship.

In 1983, the General Assembly gave it that title.

It launched in 1954.

If you add up its career, the state’s page puts the Nautilus at more than 500,000 nautical miles over 25 years.

You can see it at Goss Cove in Groton, next to the Submarine Force Library and Museum.

The Secretary of the Interior designated it a National Historic Landmark in 1982.

State Nicknames

The Connecticut State Library’s guide to state nicknames includes the Constitution State, the Nutmeg State, the Provisions State and the Land of Steady Habits.

You can credit the General Assembly for making Constitution State the official nickname in 1959.

You may have heard Connecticut called the Nutmeg State, a name tied to the shrewd reputation of its early inhabitants.