Orbs

Thanks to this year's generous donation from the New Milford Commission on the Arts, the Merwinsville Hotel has kicked off the 2026 Glass Orb Scavenger Hunt that we started in '21 (in celebration of the Hotel's 50th anniversary of the restoration project).
There are a total of 104 orbs hidden among 26 area historic sites and non-profit organizations in the Litchfield and Fairfield County areas. Each organization is getting four orbs (three clear and one red, white, and blue!) They are numbered 1 through 104 and are dated for 2026. The orbs are created by Glassblowers Leslie French and Andy Pyle from Nunwell Glass in Lakeville, CT .

NEW THIS YEAR!

We have an additional bit of fun to offer to orb searchers! The Merwinsville Hotel has paid for printed passports and self-inking stamps for the 26 organizations, 10 passports per place - first come/first served, one passport per person/family. Even if you don't find an orb, searchers can get their passport stamped, and if they visit 15 (or more) sites, they can then mail in their passport to be in the running for a one-of-a-kind 250th Anniversary Orb.
Deadline is our fall potluck dinner on Friday, September 11, 2026.
Be sure to note when passport stamping is available at the venue (shown in red), and time your hunting accordingly! Should you have any difficulty getting your passport stamped, please contact jeremy@merwinsvillehotel.org.
Passports can be mailed to: Merwinsville Hotel P.O. Box 304 Gaylordsville, CT 06755
Or they can be dropped off at the Merwinsville Hotel during summer tours (Sundays from 2:00 to 4:00 pm in July and August).
1 Browns Forge Gaylordsville, CT 06755

The rules are simple. If you find one, you get to keep it (one orb per family per year please). If you find another one, please leave it for someone else to find. Be sure to register it here.
We want to thank all 26 organizations for participating - at no cost to them (again, a big thank you to the New Milford Commission on the Arts for their generous donation to help offset the cost of this event!) By inviting other non-profits to take part in our scavenger hunt, we can all benefit. It's so important for all our local non-profits to continue to thrive and grow, and we hope this event is a way to help achieve that.