Whether you’re craving a cinnamon roll the size of your head, scouting boutique hotels with serious style, or hunting for hidden gems from shoreline seafood bars to flower-filled farm stores, you’ll find them all right here in the Nutmeg State. This handpicked guide showcases the best places to visit in Connecticut in 2025, from buzzy New Haven pizza joints and romance-themed bookstores to scenic B&Bs and one-of-a-kind cultural experiences. Curated by Yankee editors and local experts, it’s your ultimate roadmap to exploring the charm, creativity, and culinary magic of Connecticut.

Best Places to Visit in Connecticut | 2025 Editors’ Picks

2025 Best Connecticut Hotels

Best B&B: The Watson Boutique B&B, Thompson

An hour’s drive from Boston or Hartford, even closer to Providence and Worcester, and just a smidge over an hour from Newport, this inn can be thought of as the bull’s-eye of southern New England: a perfect home base from which to see and do so much. Yet amid a French Provincial aesthetic that carries straight through to morning’s breakfast spread, you may feel content to park yourself here—especially with innkeepers so willing to design custom experiences, from champagne picnics to in-room massages.

Best Boutique Hotel: The Watershed, Norwalk

From the moment you enter this freshly reimagined sanctuary with botanical-garden vibes, the bustle of the surrounding coastal community quiets, and relaxation is the law. A window-walled and wood-paneled lounge overlooks the Norwalk River. On-site Siena Ristorante serves up mouthwatering wood-fired pizzas. A retreat-like rooftop bar might distract you from sleep in one of the newly renovated rooms, where organic teas from nearby Grace Farms Foods soothe you while supporting a good cause. Zen out with your furry friend for an additional fee.

Best Gourmet Escape: Lost Fox Inn, Litchfield

Two fox statues perched atop columns of river stones beckon travelers into a recently reimagined historic retreat, where modern comforts and unforgettable meals are overseen by old painted portraits. The spirit of the original 1740s tavern lingers in rough-hewn beams and chestnut floorboards, and guest rooms are harmoniously furnished with a blend of vintage and new. It’s the Lost Fox Tavern & Restaurant, where Philippines-born chef CJ Barroso crafts a seasonal menu of New England–inspired fare, that’s the strongest magnet. Every dish is made from scratch and locally focused, even the fan-favorite seeded whole-grain bread with house-cultured butter, radishes, and rosemary salt.

Best History Lover’s Hotel: The Abner Hotel, Litchfield

A stone courthouse with a distinctive clock tower that since 1888 has been an architectural standout on the Litchfield Town Green legally changed its identity in 2024. Check into The Abner, a 20-room hotel named for Reverend Abner Reeve, and you’re just a short stroll from the independent law school established in 1774 by his son, Tapping Reeve; the first of its kind in the country, it’s now a museum. And so, in some ways, is this cool new place to stay, where the ultimate suite was once the judge’s chambers. There’s nothing stodgy here, though. The Courtroom restaurant is a convivial hub, and Verdict:, the rooftop bar, will have you deliberating over which well-crafted cocktail to swizzle. (Go for one made with Litchfield Distillery spirits.)

2025 Best Connecticut Dining

Best Cheese Shop: Fromage Fine Foods & Coffees, Old Saybrook

Old Saybrook is blessed to have this fromagerie that sports some 250 cheeses from all over the world. Owner and cheese expert Christine Chesanek (her name practically says “cheese”) has been curating this wonderful collection and other gourmet specialty foods since 1992, and people come from all over the state to partake of the bounty. Fromage is also renowned for gift baskets and charcuterie for picnics and holiday celebrations.

Best Cinnamon Rolls: The Flour Girl, Hebron

This country bakery serves up a sensational treat on Sunday mornings: fresh-baked, generously iced, softball-size cinnamon buns well worth the early-morning drive. Customers begin queueing up well before the 9 a.m. opening, and there’s an eight-per-customer limit—far more than a family of four can consume. The icing is a homemade cream cheese recipe. Picnic tables out front and outdoor café tables in back provide seating for instant cinnamon roll gratification.

Best Immersive Dining Experience: Beauty & Essex, Uncasville

Like its sibling locations in New York, Vegas, and L.A., the newly opened Connecticut outpost of Beauty & Essex at Mohegan Sun is more than just a place to get a meal. Wagyu steak tartare, Japanese whiskey, and vintage Fender guitars are all on offer at this glitzy dining spot, where the visitor experience might begin with browsing the upscale pawn shop that doubles as the restaurant’s entrance. From there it’s on to the speakeasy Pearl Lounge and Bar, where a DJ keeps the vibe flowing, and then the bejeweled Peacock Dining Room. Shareable plates and generous entrées (including a three-pound stuffed lobster) will encourage you to linger—and maybe, just maybe, work up the courage to buy that retro Vox amplifier you’ve always wanted.

Best Inland Lobster Roll: The InishShor, Colchester

Owner Alex Levere was contemplating closing the doors to his struggling seasonal eatery until a viewer poll run by a local TV affiliate catapulted the tiny landlocked spot into the upper ranks of the state’s lobster roll purveyors. The InishShor’s Connecticut-style hot buttered lobster roll is rich and meaty, and it comes with fries and coleslaw—a tough combination to beat.

Best Pizza: Zeneli Pizzeria, New Haven

Owned by four Albanian brothers who arrived by way of Naples, Italy, this Wooster Street pizzeria earns rave reviews—no easy feat in a pizza-crazed city. And it’s with good reason: Zeneli’s Neapolitan-style pies are covered with San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh ricotta, mozzarella, burrata, and Parmesan cheeses; crowned with such toppings as garlic, shaved prosciutto, and whole leaves of basil; then baked in wood-fired ovens. The pasta dishes are fire, too.

Best Roadside Lunch Stand: Clamp’s, New Milford

“No Sign, No Address, No Phone, Just Good Food.” So states this throwback eatery that’s been serving up great grub since 1939. Housed in a whitewashed shack with no indoor seating, the bare-bones operation has a cultlike following of both locals and visitors recreating in bucolic Litchfield County. Of particular note is the burger, made from beef ground daily by a local butcher shop. A few picnic tables and benches provide outdoor seating. Located at the intersection of Route 202 and Sawyer Hill Road; no website

Best Seafood Bar: Moby Dick’s Oyster Bar + Grill, West Haven

What was once a cozy neighborhood watering hole has morphed into a lively seafood bar that serves as a gathering place for locals as well as shellfish aficionados from all over. Fresh oysters and clams on the half shell, tuna sashimi, a colossal shrimp cocktail, and lump crabmeat are available à la carte or together in the Moby Dick’s “Skyscraper” seafood tower. And the mussel pot for two is a marvelous meal unto itself.

Best Wings: The Bidwell Tavern, Coventry

Originally a way station and watering hole for weary travelers, The Bidwell Tavern saw its story begin down the street in 1822. Housed now in another character-filled 19th-century building, it has gained more recent fame for its chicken wings. Served in batches of 10, 20, or 30 wingettes and drumettes, all are deep-fried and accompanied by blue cheese dressing. There are 40 different sauces and dry rubs, so bring friends and try a bunch.

2025 Best Connecticut Attractions

Best Bookstore: Montgomery & Taggert, Chester

Wander through the swoon-worthy selection at Connecticut’s first romance-themed bookstore, and find the perfect happily ever after. The cottage, with its own flower-filled reading garden and a lush nature preserve as its backdrop, has a bewitching origin story: Best friends Sarah Borgnis-Tobin and Elizabeth Tucker met working at a library before curating their own dream store. Locally made artisanal goods and bookish gifts are artfully displayed on antique tables, and there are cozy sitting areas and shelves for every subgenre imaginable. Fun fact: The Little Chestnut Airbnb above the store can be rented for your own romantic rendezvous.

Best Charter Fishing: Nightjack Sportfishing, Stonington

Long Island Sound is ideal for sportfishing, and chartering a boat is the best way to go after the big ones. You and up to five friends can set out on a half-day or full-day outing with this locally owned operation. Skipper John Alves provides all the gear you’ll need for fishing fun. Popular catches include striped bass, bluefish, black sea bass, fluke, scup, and tuna.

Best Family Entertainment: Hartford Yard Goats Baseball at Dunkin’ Park, Hartford

Play all! At downtown Hartford’s Dunkin’ Park, there are plenty of things for the whole family to do in addition to watching the city’s Double-A baseball team compete. Fans can enjoy a wide variety of tasty food and beverages (Bear’s Smokehouse always hits it out of the park), visit the live goats penned in the outfield bleachers, participate in fun promotions between innings, let the kids run the bases, and be dazzled by postgame fireworks on Saturday nights.

Best Farm Store: Tonn’s Marketplace, Burlington

Third-generation farmer Jordan Tonn and his wife, Aubri, bring 21st-century biz savvy to their burgeoning operation, which has grown by leaps since his grandfather launched a hobby farm and roadside stand. Their photo-perfect market, with a seasonally decorated antique farm truck and cute alpacas and Nigerian dwarf goats outside, is stocked with fruits and vegetables harvested from their orchards and fields that very day. The balance of the retail lineup is like a whirlwind tour of the best gourmet foods and gifts produced by Connecticut family businesses. Last summer, the Stage @ Tonn’s Marketplace made its debut, and when there’s live music, you can bet there’ll be local food trucks. (Happily, Tonn’s own Farmstead Ice Cream truck takes up weekend residence from April through fall.)

Best Flower Farm: White Flower Farm, Morris

Celebrating its 75th anniversary, this family-owned farm ships plants, bouquets, and gardening accoutrements far and wide. But White Flower Farm is a place, not a catalog: one where you’ll be inspired by sweeping display gardens and impossibly lavish containers … by the sheer variety of combinations of nature’s materials … and even by the simplicity of the all-white Moon Garden, a perennial border that still blooms where it was first planted and that gave this nurturing nursery its name.

Best Summer Theater: Elm Shakespeare Company, New Haven

For 17 days at the end of August, Edgerton Park comes alive with nightly performances of a Shakespeare play presented on a sustainably built playhouse stage inspired by Elizabethan theater tradition. Bring a picnic and blankets or chairs to spread out in front of this impressive construction. The company celebrates its 30th year of performances with the production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Admission is free; donations are happily accepted.

Best Tearoom and Cocktail Lounge: Fable, Southington

There’s a mystical world in the heart of Connecticut where “romantasy” exists outside the book covers. By day, Fable’s allure is its menu of more than 60 teas, served hot or iced, with or without elixirs such as lion’s mane and rose. All around you are enticing gifts, from herbs and beauty potions to antiques and sparkly things. And there are book clubs, workshops, and classes: Make a fairy garden, perhaps, or learn to grow native plants. Then … the weekend approaches, and night descends. Purple light beckons you to enter Underworld through a back door. Tea? No, no, no. It’s time for a beautifully crafted cocktail, even if you’re here for a Sip + Read. Expect some nights to be much more high-key, with live music, movie screenings, and themed parties.

Best Tour: Railroad Museum of New England, Thomaston

It’s quite the pairing: The Railroad Museum of New England and Fascia’s Chocolates will celebrate their 100th Chocolate Decadence train tour when the 2025 season kicks off on May 10. Book a departure from Thomaston featuring a rotating choice of beverages—wine, beer, spirits—and you’ll sip as you learn to taste a variety of chocolates. All trains stop at Fascia’s for a make-your-own experience: The treats you design can be devoured when you get back home—if you can wait that long.

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For many New Yorkers, an ideal weekend getaway should be a place to avoid the throngs, a place to indulge in some serenity, with perhaps a hint of the unexpected. Well, just such a weekend of discovery awaits in any of these six Connecticut towns and villages that are at most a two-and-half-hour drive from Midtown East. These picturesque venues will transport you to Colonial New England or the Cape Cod coast without sitting all day in traffic. Each offers an abundance of green spaces as well as a level of sophistication that’s sure to please discriminating New Yorkers. And, the icing on the cake: each has a downtown that is meant for strolling.

6 Perfect Connecticut Weekend Getaways From NYC

1. Essex Village

Stay: The Griswold Inn is a landmark that’s been an accommodation since 1776

A sense of bygone days pervades this historic village once noted for shipbuilding, where the first colonial warship of the American Revolution was launched in 1776. Amble along tree-lined streets, gazing at white picket-fenced, pristine properties. You’ll find myriad emporia to duck into along charming Main Street such as the sunny Essex Coffee and Tea Company with walls adorned with the works of local artists. (They serve a delectable cinnamon blueberry coffee cake.) Art buffs should stop in the artist-owned Verdigris Gallery where exhibitions include the creations of printmakers. For a well-crafted sandwich, try Olive Oyl’s, a former gas station that’s now a vintage-style take-out deli. Waterfront Main Street Park is bedecked with sweet gum, scarlet oak, and other trees, making for a relaxing picnic spot. For an intimate dinner, indulge in curried beef empanadas and a fine glass of red wine at The Griswold Inn’s Wine Bar.

See More: Essex, Connecticut | Could You Live Here?

2. Niantic

Stay: The Inn at Harbor Hill Marina wraps guests in enchanting waterfront views

A trio of small public beaches greets visitors to Niantic, all fronting Niantic Bay on Long Island Sound. They each offer a perfect venue for sunset viewing. Also popular is the mile-some-long boardwalk that’s much loved by joggers and parents pushing strollers alike. Paralleling the boardwalk, Main Street is chock-a-block with tempting treats, whether it’s the homemade ice cream at Gumdrops and Lollipops or the pecan sticky buns at the Sift Bake Shop. With its outdoor patio that’s peppered with shrubbery and colorful blooms, Cafe Sol is an atmospheric breakfast/lunch spot. (They’re focused on wholesome ingredients.) Walk off all those calories at wooded Rocky Neck State Park that’s threaded with hiking trails. Just three miles from the village center, this park is noted for its sandy beach.

3. Guilford

Stay: At The Homestead Bed & Breakfast, the vintage blends with the whimsical

Guildford’s attractive Town Green dating to the 1600s is a standout. Meander the network of paved paths, past dozens of trees, taking the time to admire the surrounding centuries-old houses. Across the street, chocoholics can tame their cravings at The Village Chocolatier. Nearby, Paperscape Artworks offers everything from one-of-a-kind notecards to papermaking classes. Just over a mile from the town center, soak up the nature-scape along Chittenden Park’s short boardwalk that navigates through a lovely salt marsh that attracts numerous birds. Then continue walking to Jacobs Beach, where birders will be thrilled. It’s hard to find a more scenic spot for a casual meal than the patio seating at Pa’s Place, a wee stone house overlooking the harbor. (The smoked shrimp and crab salad wrap is scrumptious.)

See More: 5 Best Town Greens in New England

4. Madison

Stay: The Homestead Bed & Breakfast

Visit the side-by-side towns of Guilford and Madison as separate, relaxed getaways or as a combined, active weekend jaunt. If you’re a bibliophile, then the two-story, sun-filled RJ Julia Booksellers will be a delight. (They regularly host author readings.) Art aficionados can explore the more than two dozen mostly contemporary public sculptures peppering downtown, including a giant damselfly created by Leo Jensen. For sophisticated picnic fixings, order a cheese plate at Madison Cheese Shop and Cafe, then head over to any of three public beaches, easily accessible from downtown. Or dine at The Wharf Restaurant, just steps from the sands of West Wharf Beach. For the most spectacular waterfront vistas, visit Hammonasset Beach State Park, about three miles away. On this windswept peninsula are boulders from the last glaciation, myriad hiking trails, and abundant shelling opportunities.

See More: Spring Weekend in Madison, Connecticut

5. Southport Historic District

Stay: The Delamar Southport adorns its guest rooms with art from the owner’s (Charles Mallory) personal collection

Beyond bustling Westport and Fairfield, Southport’s Historic District evokes the chill vibe of another era. In the late 18th/early 19th centuries, Southport was a prosperous port town favored by merchants and sea captains who built manses in styles ranging from Greek Revival to Federal. Gaze at these stately dwellings as you wander about, also taking in those along the coast. The elegant Pequot Library presents more evidence of times gone by, such as original Tiffany stained-glass windows. Steps from the historic district, Southport Park is a small, bucolic woodland where their new short-loop trail offers interpretive signage. When you’re feeling peckish, check out the locally sourced dishes at Artisan (at The Delamar) just outside the district, or dine at Paci, an upscale Italian eatery set within a renovated former depot station once used to store produce. (Rosie’s meatballs are delicious.)

6. Ridgefield

Stay: The 17-room West Lane Inn is set in the town’s historic district

Dating to the early 1700s, Ridgefield is a charmer. Bordered by stately trees and splendid mansions, historic Main Street is sprinkled with plaques describing the town’s role in the Revolutionary War. On land once owned by Colonel Burr Bradley, a Revolutionary War leader, Ballard Park is perfect year-round, whether you come for the cherry blossoms or the glistening, snow-draped gazebo. Just three miles away, other lush properties offer sensory delights, including Seth Low Pierrepont State Park and Weir Farm National Historic Park. Art lovers will enjoy the exhibits at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, while those who adore opera or modern dance can attend performances at the Ridgefield Playhouse. Notable restaurants span the gamut of tastes such as 850 Degrees for thin, wood-fired pizzas; Luc’s Cafe for its mussels; and Ross Artisanal Bakery and Cafe for yummy flourless mudslide cookies.

See More:

Best Connecticut Coastal Towns

Connecticut Lobster Roll Roundup

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Tucked into the village of Old Mystic, Connecticut, B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill looks like a vintage model railroad station inflated to life-size proportions. You half expect to see a locomotive pull up and unload a crowd in top hats and hoopskirts. A white Victorian with wine-colored trim, scalloped shingles, and a cupola, the mill even has a whistle that looks and sounds exactly like that of a steam train. Its high-decibel shriek signals to staff and visitors that the old-fashioned work of pressing apples into cider is about to begin—and everyone comes running.

Inside, the air is almost sticky with the aroma of apples, but underneath it there’s wood, leather, and oil, a blend unique to this place. “We are the last steam-powered cider mill in the United States,” says Josh Miner, a fifth-generation member of the family that has owned Clyde’s since it was founded by Benjamin Franklin Clyde in 1881. Josh is shouting to be heard over the rhythmic clanking of the mill’s press, whose technology hails from the Garfield administration: pulleys and ropes, leather belts, wooden frames, cast iron gears. There’s no plastic in sight, save for the polypropylene pressing cloths and the bins they’re stored in.

On pressing days during the mill’s operating season, which runs from September through November, you can follow the whole process from the moment the truck pulls up filled with apples from the Hudson Valley. It tips its bed to send fruit on a conveyer belt to the basement, where the apple washer scrubs the fruit clean (a well-placed window offers a view). After washing, the apples climb two stories to the grinder, which sits right above the press. With the pull of a wood lever, the grinder roars to life, churning the fruit into juicy pulp, which is then pressed between fabric-lined wooden racks until the juice flows thick and sweet into the wooden gutters and down to a well.

The press is a thing of beauty, a mid-1890s Boomer & Boschert from Syracuse, New York. Josh’s great-great-great-grandfather bought the press and built the Victorian surround from a kit. “Some would have put the machinery in a barn,” Josh says, “but this is special.” Over the years, as more and more cider mills went out of business, his grandfather would travel around and buy any parts on offer. This library of spares allows B.F. Clyde’s to make repairs without needing to order custom parts.

The mill is still a family operation, with the current staff including the fourth, fifth, and sixth generations of B.F. Clyde’s descendants. “We still speak most of the time,” jokes John Miner, Josh’s brother. And the mill’s long history is visible in details like the old stoneware cider jugs hanging from the ceiling, and a post marked with the heights of grandchildren and great-grandchildren dating back to 1978. But the family has also embraced change, adding flash pasteurization, a tasting room, and an underground pipe that transports the freshly pressed juice to the mill’s store, where two doughnut robots and a cider slushie machine are continually in operation. (As you walk around the property, beware of influencers who may stop short in front of you to snap a photo of a doughnut perched on their slushie cup—a pairing so delicious-looking even Yankee’s photographer couldn’t resist.)

The mill is also a magnet for the school-age set. “Every so often, I go around and see families, and it just grabs you by the heart,” says Amy Harrison, John and Josh’s sister. “We give them that place to make memories—the ones who come on opening day every year, and the ones who have been coming for 60 years.” She got her nursing license years ago and has worked in the field on and off, “but even when I was a nurse, I always wanted to be here,” she says. “This is where my heart is.” clydescidermill.com  

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Summertime in southeastern Connecticut officially begins on the first Friday in May, when Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough opens for the season. Eager customers queue up beneath the red-and-white awning, ready to place their orders when the window opens at 11 am, a longstanding tradition of loyalty and fun at Abbott’s.

Why are people so eager to ring in early summer at this largest and best-known of Connecticut seafood shacks? Some are shaking off the winter doldrums and getting an early start on the warm, sunny days to come. Others can’t wait to take in the beautiful views out back of the shack. But most are here for something else altogether: lobster!

Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough first opened in 1947, when Ernie Abbott bought a disused bisque and chowder cannery and transformed it into a waterside, dine-in-the-rough restaurant. Jerry and Ruth Mears, Abbott’s regulars in the 1970s, purchased the shack in the early 1980s, kept the name, and upped the game, turning Abbott’s into a multifaceted destination restaurant that is currently under the second and third generations of Mears family ownership.

Finding Abbott’s can be challenging, but GPS is your best guide to navigating the narrow streets of nautical Noank to Abbott’s parking lot and shack. Study the menus at the order window, then place your order with the friendly staff. You pay for your goodies and then receive a numbered ticket redeemable at the bright, red pickup window in the adjacent room, Abbott’s only indoor dining area.

While you wait, feel free to stake out a picnic table on Abbott’s broad, grassy grounds or pier out back. There’s also a roomy red-and-white tent covering a dozen or so tables, providing shade from the sun and shelter from rain. All tables have commanding views of the scenic Mystic River and Fishers Island Sound. Order numbers are announced via loudspeaker, so grab a table and listen for your number.

The most popular item on the menu at Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough is the lobster roll. Or should we say rolls? There’s the basic lobster roll of four ounces of lobster meat on a toasted hamburger-style bun. Then there’s the OMG lobster roll with twice the amount of meat, and the LOL lobster roll with a stupefying full pound of the good stuff. All these rolls are served in classic Connecticut style: warm lobster meat with melted butter. There’s also a cold New England-style lobster roll with chilled lobster meat, house dressing, and celery.

For those who prefer whole lobster, Abbott’s has a great selection from which to choose. Procured from the chilly waters of Canada and northern Maine, Abbott’s meaty lobsters are slow-steamed in vintage cast-iron vaults. They range in size from 1 1/4 pounds to 2 1/2 pounds and larger upon request. Each dinner comes with potato chips, coleslaw, and drawn butter. For those not inclined to dine on shellfish, there’s oven-roasted chicken, ribs, various sandwiches, and several tempting pasta dishes.

But wait, there’s more! Starters and sides include a fruit, veg, and cheese platter, steamed mussels and clams, crab cakes, shrimp in the rough, stuffed clams, lobster bisque, clam chowder, and a very nice steamed artichoke. An adorable raw bar serves up fresh clams and oysters on the half shell, and an adjacent dessert stand has fresh-baked goods and Gifford’s ice cream from Maine. Abbott’s is BYO, by the way, so be sure to bring along your favorite alcoholic beverages.  

 If it’s deep-fried seafood you crave, Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough has a companion shack a couple hundred yards down the road called (what else?) Costello’s Clam Shack. You may enjoy deep-fried goodies from there and even order them at Abbott’s, pick them up, and bring them back.

Sitting outdoors at a table, digging into a lobster feast, and watching the pleasure craft glide by on the Mystic River is a rite of passage in this corner of Connecticut—one that people in the know practice year after year from the first Friday in May through mid-October.

Have you ever visited Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough?

See More:
The Best Lobster Rolls in New England in 2024
New England’s Best Lobster Rolls with a View
Connecticut Lobster Roll Roundup | 7 Favorites

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At an imposing 38 feet tall and 4,500 pounds, the fiberglass Uncle Sam statue that stands sentinel outside Connecticut’s Danbury Railway Museum may be the world’s largest. Or maybe not: There’s another one in the Midwest that’s a tad taller—but only if the base is included in the calculations.

Both statues are said to have been created in the 1960s as advertising icons for Uncle Sam’s, a now-defunct restaurant chain in Ohio. By 1971, one of the Sams had relocated to Connecticut for a new gig as a greeter at the Danbury Fair. After 10 years, it moved on, taking up residence at the Magic Forest theme park in Lake George, New York. 

When the park was sold in 2018, the statue next seemed destined for Troy, New York, where Massachusetts native Sam Wilson had operated a meat-packing business that supplied troops during the War of 1812. The term “Uncle Sam” is said to have derived from the “U.S.” stamp on Wilson’s barrels, which marked them as government property but also, some fancied, as coming from “Uncle” Sam Wilson. Soon, Uncle Sam was being used as a stand-in for the government in political cartoons.

In the 1870s, Harper’s Weekly cartoonist Thomas Nast popularized what became Uncle Sam’s signature look: thin, white-haired, goateed, and wearing a tall hat with striped pants, vest, and a swallow-tail coat. Then came James Montgomery Flagg’s 1917 “I Want You” recruitment poster, which elevated Uncle Sam to pop culture celebrity and created perhaps America’s first meme a century before anyone knew what that was.

Patriotism sells, and in the years that followed, Uncle Sam’s likeness promoted everything from apples to car insurance. And restaurants, of course.

The Lake George statue never went to Troy, as Danbury swooped in as top bidder. In May 2019, after a few months of restoration, a rejuvenated Uncle Sam made his grand return to Connecticut as Danbury’s biggest photo op.

The post The Larger Than Life Uncle Sam Statue in Danbury, Connecticut appeared first on New England.

CONNECTICUT CLASSIC DINING

BURGER STAND
Ted’s Steamed Cheeseburgers, Meriden

Connecticut is about the only place in the world where steamed cheeseburgers are found, and Ted’s is the ultimate place to try one. This modest eatery has a few booths and several stools inside, with a couple of picnic tables out front. Check out the stainless-steel steam boxes behind the counter: one for burgers, the other for gooey cheese. After several minutes in the heat, beef and cheese are united on a hard roll. So simple. So good. tedsrestaurant.com

LOBSTER SHACK
Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough, Noank

The Connecticut Shore’s most famous lobster shack wows patrons with its slow-steamed lobsters, four types of lobster rolls (including the LOL, with a full pound of meat), and ringside seats to watch pleasure boats glide by on the Mystic River. In addition to all the lobster goodies, there are freshly steamed clams and mussels, chowders and bisques, stuffed clams, crab cakes, and steamed artichokes. Oven-roasted chicken and ribs are available for the seafood-phobic. BYOB is still the way to go. abbottslobster.com 

RETRO DINING
Shady Glen, Manchester

Step back into the 1950s at this roadside ice cream parlor and restaurant best known for its Winged Cheeseburger. Waitresses don crisply ironed white aprons, and griddle cooks look dapper in white paper hats: a dress code that hasn’t changed in more than 70 years. Try some deep-fried seafood or the egg salad sandwich if you’re not in the mood for a meat patty with curled, crisp cheese splayed around the bun. Shady Glen’s homemade ice cream shines best with its seasonal sundaes.

CONNECTICUT CLASSIC LODGING

AFFORDABLE ELEGANCE
Old Lyme Inn, Old Lyme

You’ll have the Florence Griswold Museum, Lyme Art Association, and Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center for neighbors when you check into this 1865 farmhouse turned inn. You’ll also have some extra money in your pocket, because it’s possible to score a $200 room here even at the height of summer. Good thing, since you’ll want to splurge on splendid offerings like Saturday afternoon tea, bubbly in the art-graced bar, a prix fixe dinner on the tree-shaded patio, and groovy, big city–caliber performances at the Side Door Jazz Club. oldlymeinn.com

HISTORIC INN
1754 House, Woodbury

Rescued from the brink by chef Michael Bates-Walsh, who’s cooked at some of New England’s top properties, Connecticut’s oldest inn is looking spry of late. Sure, this 18th-century structure, which houses nine of 10 rooms (there’s a king suite in the Carriage House), has early-American architectural details, and the tavern speakeasy and restaurant’s convivial colonial surroundings intrigue guests as they dig into cast-iron skillets of mac and cheese with house-cured bacon. But today’s wanderers find comforts unimaginable 270 years ago—plus caramel corn on arrival. 1754house.com

CONNECTICUT CLASSIC ACTIVITIES

ART MUSEUM
New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain

Set in a scenic park, this family-friendly gem is the oldest museum in the country dedicated solely to American art. In its 120 years, it has amassed a collection that includes works by colonial portrait painters; Hudson River School artists; 20th-century luminaries like Thomas Hart Benton, Norman Rockwell, and Georgia O’Keeffe; and today’s groundbreakers. This summer’s blockbuster exhibition, curated by the National Gallery of Art, brings together works by more than 50 contemporary Native American creators. nbmaa.org 

HISTORY MUSEUM
Connecticut Museum of Culture & History, Hartford

Known as the Connecticut Historical Society Museum until last fall, this institution hasn’t just rebranded as it preps to mark its 200th anniversary in 2025. It has made bold moves to be more relevant, inclusive, and interactive. From true crime–themed events to major exhibitions like “Connecticut’s Bookshelf,” which runs through September 8 and celebrates the state’s role in birthing Webster’s dictionary, the first fugitive-slave narrative in print, American cookbooks, and comics, it’s a place to think and do—not just view. connecticutmuseum.org

STATE PARK
Gillette Castle, East Haddam

Looking like something out of a Tim Burton movie, this eerie landmark on the Connecticut River continues to impress visitors, especially in the summer months when the 1914 fortress is open for tours. The brainchild of William Gillette, an actor best known for portraying Sherlock Holmes, the 24-room castle is filled with unusual furnishings such as built-in couches, a movable table on tracks, and 47 uniquely carved wooden doors. River-view picnic grounds and walking trails abound. ctparks.com/parks/gillette-castle-state-park 

THEME PARK
Lake Compounce, Bristol

Your day or season pass at America’s oldest amusement park is a bit more valuable when there’s a concert booked on the floating stage, which made its debut last summer. It’s an addition that harks back to the park’s origins: A bandstand gazebo was the first attraction. And it’s especially appealing for visitors who shy away from big-thrill wooden coasters like Wildcat, expected to be back in action this summer and smoother than ever following a multiyear restoration. lakecompounce.com

2024 Best of Connecticut: New & Buzzy

CONNECTICUT NEW & BUZZY DINING

BARBECUE
Hoodoo Brown, Ridgefield

Follow your nose to this most excellent barbecue stand on the outskirts of tony Ridgefield. Hoodoo Brown specializes in authentic Texas-style barbecue, slow roasting its meats in large barrel smokers scattered around the low-slung building. Beef brisket pairs nicely with a side of pit beans and a slab of homemade cornbread. Pulled pork, spareribs, and crackling pork belly are other pit standouts. hoodoobrownbbq.com

FARM-TO-TABLE
Ore Hill, Kent

If you’ve followed Tyler Anderson’s meteoric career and perhaps, like Sir Paul McCartney, traveled hours to dine at one of his restaurants, then heads up: The celebrity chef is hanging out on the Connecticut–New York line these days, serving as culinary director for the only Connecticut restaurant to make The New York Times’s current list of America’s 50 best restaurants. The building, a revamped 18th-century farmhouse, is as stunning as the tasting menu plates crafted with meticulously selected, just-harvested produce from farms on both sides of the border. Whether or not you opt for paired wines, it’s a tipsy treat to dine this well so far from city lights. orehillandswyft.com

ITALIAN
Gioia Café and Bar, New Haven

It takes courage to open a restaurant on Wooster Street, home of Pepe’s, Sally’s, and other classic Italian eateries. Yet two savvy restaurateurs did so in 2023. Gioia (pronounced JOY-ah) is a marvelous eating and drinking establishment with top-flight Italian fare, including comfort stalwarts like garlicky white bean soup and gnocchi cacio e pepe. An open kitchen is the scene-stealer in the bright, cheery dining room. On summer nights, head up to the rooftop café. gioianewhaven.com

NEW AMERICAN
29 Markle Ct., Bridgeport

Bridgeport has been on the foodie map since chef and co-owner Damon “Daye” Sawyer, a Fairfield County native, launched his first restaurant at the tail end of 2022. A new fine-dining restaurant is a rarity these days, but Sawyer has been earning high praise for his eclectic American menu with lots of smoky flavor. Most ingredients are gathered from local sources, and the colorful dining space is lined with historic photos of Bridgeport and bold portraits of jazz greats. 29marklect.com

PIZZA
Trigo Wood Fired Pizza, Willimantic

In a state where pizza is a religion, this 2023 newcomer is having a moment with its twin wood-burning ovens churning out artisanal California-style pies. Owner Patrick Griffin adorns each one with fresh ingredients from brother Phil’s farm in nearby Lebanon. Try Trigo’s famed Nightshade pizza with smoked scamorza cheese, fresh shallots, arugula pesto, and a thin, blistered crust. Or go for the more conventional mushroom pie with scamorza, caramelized onion, and bacon. trigokitchen.com

CONNECTICUT NEW & BUZZY LODGING

BOUTIQUE HOTEL
The Surfside Hotel, Stratford

When Doug and Daneen Grabe rebooted this longtime motel and restaurant into the Surfside, they raised the prominence of Long Island Sound even more at their 27-room boutique gem on Connecticut’s Gold Coast. Water views overfloweth, and there’s easy access to the sands directly in front of the hotel. Stretch out for some beach yoga, then reward yourself back at your sunny base camp with stellar in-room services, from massages to four-course customized dinners. Paddleboards and complimentary bicycles are available, and because the Surfside is pet-friendly, Fido won’t miss a beat of your adventure. thesurfside.com

CABIN RENTALS
Getaway Machimoodus, Moodus

Provision up for a stay in the woods that’s regal compared with tent camping, cozy compared with your first apartment, and therapeutic compared with whatever life’s been handing you lately. In this complex of 45 tiny house–style cabins on the quiet side of the Connecticut River, the one you receive a code to unlock just two hours before arrival will feel like a window-walled realm all your own. Sequester your phone in the provided box (really)—at least until the flames in your firepit falter, your belly’s full of s’mores, and you want to play your song on the Tivoli Audio Bluetooth radio. getaway.house

CONNECTICUT NEW & BUZZY ACTIVITIES

CULTURAL ATTRACTION
The Bruce Museum, Greenwich

Who says bigger isn’t better? Having wowed visitors with its world-class exhibitions of art, science, and natural history for more than a century, the Bruce upped the ante last year, thanks to a $67 million renovation that more than doubled its size, adding state-of-the-art gallery, education, and community spaces, as well as a new sculpture garden, museum store, and restaurant. Works by Picasso, Matisse, and Renoir are just a few of the more than 15,000 astonishing treasures found here. Which is to say, you’re gonna need another visit. brucemuseum.org 

EDUCATIONAL OUTING
Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven

Dinosaurs once again roam Whitney Avenue as Yale’s natural history museum gradually reopens after four years of major renovations. The main galleries were revealed this spring, allowing visitors to take in the dramatic changes and enhancements that have been made to the museum’s core. Exhibit space has increased by 50 percent, and the building’s layout is completely new. peabody.yale.edu 

MULTI-ARTS DESTINATION
American Mural Project, Winsted

AMP is, above all else, a visual phenomenon. The 120-foot-long, five-story mural celebrating American workers is the world’s largest indoor collaborative work. More than 15,000 students and adults helped artist Ellen Griesedieck create it. And even as you ascend to higher viewing levels via elevator or stairs, you can never quite take it all in. In its second full year, AMP is counting on you to guide its next phases. How? By voting with your presence at concerts, talks, writing workshops, teen theater productions, and other events, you’ll inspire more of the same. americanmuralproject.org

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Hot buttered lobster rolls, seaside strolls, and natural beauty await on a two-day meander through this storied region where the Connecticut River meets Long Island Sound.

WATERFRONT HOTEL
Madison Beach Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, Madison

Check into this stately resort with its own private beach, and you’ll find plenty to please even the most well-traveled guest. The storied hotel was reimagined and rebuilt a dozen years ago with three floors of deluxe rooms, many with balconies and water views. Take a dip in Long Island Sound or unwind in the spa, then dine beachside at The Wharf. hilton.com/en/hotels/mpecuqq-madison-beach-hotel 

BREAKFAST SPOT
Cristy’s Madison, Madison

Set in an 1800s building that once served as a girls’ school, this eatery comprises two cozy, wood-paneled dining rooms with a bar between. In addition to eggs, hash, and sausage plates, there are more than 40 types of pancakes, festooned with fruits, grains, and candies of your choosing. Each stack is topped with generous dollops of butter and snowy sprinklings of powdered sugar. cristysmadison.com

BEACH
Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison

You can spend hours exploring two miles of pristine, sandy beach and miles of strolling and biking paths—or unfurl a towel and do precious little. But you don’t want to miss the Meigs Point Nature Center, which offers engaging displays of local flora and fauna, along with explanations of the park’s fragile ecosystem. ctparks.com/parks/hammonasset-beach-state-park

Hunger pangs? The best beach-day eats are just outside the park on U.S. Route 1.

CLAM SHACK
The Clam Castle, Madison
This old-school stand, a Connecticut shoreline gem since the mid-1960s, serves up copious baskets of fried seafood, as well as tacos and burritos. Two types of chowder and the lobster bisque make for great openers. Then go for the deep-fried whole-belly clams or the meaty lobster roll. You know you want the jumbo version. clamcastlect.com 

You may regret overindulging, though, when you see what’s for dinner.

CHINESE RESTAURANT
Taste of China, Clinton
She’s a Chinese national, and he’s from nearby Madison, Connecticut. Together, Hu Ping and Jonathan Dolph created a Chinese restaurant that draws food lovers from across the shoreline and beyond. Taste of China specializes in Szechuan cuisine with an inventive menu that includes crispy sesame beef, sizzling shrimp and scallops, and Chengdu duck. Choose from nearly a dozen varieties of Belgian beer, the owners’ favored beverage. clintontasteofchinaus.com

Start your second day by motoring up U.S. Route 1 to the classic shoreline town Katharine Hepburn called home.

BAKERY
The Pursuit of Pastry, Old Saybrook

From croissants and scones to locally famous baked doughnuts, you’ll start the morning sweetly here. There’s a full line of coffees and teas to jolt you awake, too. Enjoy your repast inside the brightly colored café, or head over to nearby Founders Memorial Park, which has photogenic views of the mouth of the Connecticut River. pursuitofpastry.com

STROLL
Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford
No visit to the shoreline is complete without a walk through this park’s Jazz Age mansion, Eolia, and its formal gardens and waterfront grounds. The 42-room mansion may be toured on weekends in the summer; the surrounding gardens, created by landscape architect Beatrix Farrand in the 1920s and early ’30s, may be enjoyed anytime. And there are 242 acres of lawn, pathways, and beachfront for strolling, biking, or just enjoying the panoramic view of Long Island Sound. ctparks.com/parks/harkness-memorial-state-park

OUTDOOR DINING
Captain Scott’s Lobster Dock, New London

Situated on a thin strip of land between railroad tracks and a pleasure-boat harbor, Captain Scott’s is hard to find but tough to beat when it comes to fresh seafood. Lobster rolls come in both hot and cold varieties, and the deep-fried seafood is plentiful and top-notch, especially the fish-and-chips. Picnic tables radiate out from this funky shack, and there’s often live music on weekends. BYOB—and a tablecloth and flowers if you want to feel fancy. captscottsnl.com

Continue east to Connecticut’s top tourist town, where you may want to bed down for several nights if you’ve never visited headliners like Mystic Seaport Museum and Mystic Aquarium before. Only have one night? It can still be unforgettable.

COUNTRY INN
The Taber Inne and Suites, Mystic

Just a half mile from downtown Mystic, this sprawling, 12-building property offers a wide variety of accommodations, as well as the area’s largest indoor swimming pool. Each white clapboard building has its own characteristics. Choose from spacious two-story units, a one-story carriage house, or standard hotel-type rooms. Some units have gas-jet fireplaces, Jacuzzis, and private balconies. taberinne.com

FINE DINING
Shipwright’s Daughter, Mystic

Chef David Standridge has created a restaurant that stands head and shoulders above most others in food-crazy Mystic. In his bistro at the Whaler’s Inn, the James Beard Award nominee for the Northeast’s best chef may be seen orchestrating the open kitchen and putting the finishing touches on every dish. The seafood comes almost exclusively from nearby docks. Unusual native species like dogfish, scup, sea robin, and monkfish are transformed into plates of seafood wonderment. shipwrightsdaughter.com

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I’ve never been to Paris in the springtime, but I’ve been to West Hartford. Don’t laugh-cry for me. Connecticut’s own little slice of Europe is one of those “if you know, you know” places that many travelers overlook. It’s equidistant from Boston and New York City, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a few-block area in either metropolis with the variety of cuisine that awaits in this sophisticated suburb with 63,000 residents and two Whole Foods Markets. When temperatures nudge up in April, out come the sidewalk tables, the street musicians, the couples of all persuasions strolling hand in hand through West Hartford Center and adjacent Blue Back Square. Up spring the tulips, in parks with architectural features and flowering trees worthy of Impressionist paintings.

I’ve known West Hartford for half my life, but I sometimes forget how rich it is in Connecticut-centric shopping. In places to walk. In neighborhoods like Elmwood and Bishops Corner, with their own character and restaurant finds. How steeped it is in history.

The newest commercial district is named for local son Noah Webster’s Blue Back Speller. His birthplace is one of 41 notable locations mapped on a weathered sign on South Main Street, not far from his 13-foot marble likeness, sculpted for the town by Korczak Ziolkowski of Crazy Horse Memorial fame. I feel like a slacker as I circle the statue of my dictionary idol, reading his credits: Activist, Author, Educator, Farmer, Journalist, Patriot, Publisher, Scholar.

There is value in slacking, though. So I’ve been weekending in WeHa often with the aim of setting to rest a question I hear perennially from Connecticut friends: Why doesn’t anybody write about West Hartford as a destination?

Truthfully, it’s with some reluctance. Can I live with longer lines for my food-truck favorites at the year-round GastroPark (oh, Hindsight Barbecue, you slay me with your pulled-pork mac and cheese)? Could it become more challenging to secure a table at Coracora, a foodie magnet since chef Macarena Ludena’s Peruvian dishes earned this unassuming Elmwood eatery (it’s in a former McDonald’s) a 2023 James Beard Award nomination for most outstanding restaurant in the country?

And what about divulging secrets like the labyrinth concealed in the forest behind Copper Beech Institute, a nonreligious mindfulness-education nonprofit at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center? It’s open free to anyone. Whenever I’ve lost myself in its twists—aimlessly aiming for the moon gate at its center—it’s been mine alone, save for the songbirds, the whistle of budding branches. 

I’m reminded of the benefits of sharing when I meet my West Hartford–based friend Jeannette at DORO Marketplace on a sunny April morning, and we select eight handcrafted French-butter pastries including a filled, glazed, nut-sprinkled pistachio croissant puffy enough to fill me all day. On the patio, dressed with lush plants from Moscarillo’s, we chat with DORO Restaurant Group owners Dorjan and Mira Puka: Albanian immigrants who’ve helped internationalize West Hartford Center with their Treva (Italian), Àvert (French), and Zohara (Mediterranean) restaurants. As our conversation meanders from the extraordinary food scene to the uniqueness of this community—where art, education, and history are revered, businesses collaborate, and being outdoors is central to life—it’s clear I can’t keep WeHa under wraps.

Just where to send you, though, when in West Hartford Center alone you’ll also find top-notch Afghan, American, Caribbean, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, steak, and seafood restaurants? Jeannette and I contemplate this at celebrity-chef-owned Sparrow Pizza Bar, where toppings like ramps and pesto are splashed to the outer edges of crispy pies. Our debate continues at the West Hartford Reservoirs, where 30 miles of trails are open to walkers, runners, and cyclists. “You’ve made me fall in love with my town all over again,” she says, as we realize for every recommendation in this guide, we have a handful more. So, visit while West Hartford’s still relatively undiscovered. And please let me know if there’s an extra seat at your table.  

Guide to West Hartford, Connecticut | Eat, Stay, Play

Where to Eat in West Hartford, CT

Bricco: Chef Billy Grant’s enduring trattoria is always packed with lovers of creative Italian comfort food, wine, and conversation. billygrant.com

Coracora: Accolades pour in for this family-owned Peruvian standout. Head chef Macarena Ludena worked her way up from bussing tables in her parents’ restaurant, and recently her empanadas, ceviches, and fried whole sea bass earned 2023 Connecticut Restaurant of the Year honors. coracoraeats.com 

DORO Marketplace: The pastries are scrumptious, but don’t miss the homemade bagels, fried-chicken sandwiches, sourdough pizza slices, and Connecticut-roasted Shearwater coffee drinks. doromkpl.com

DORO Restaurant Group: Any one of DORO’s three West Hartford Center restaurants would warrant a road trip. How about nibbles at all three? Mussels aux frites and fondue at Àvert Brasserie, ricotta-stuffed zucchini blossoms and the ravioli del giorno at Treva, and seasonally inspired hummus and colossal roasted cauliflower at Zohara. dororg.com

Harry’s Bishops Corner Pizza: If you do want to try a New Haven–style apizza, the finest approximation you’ll find outside Elm City is right here. Breaded eggplant and onion is my go-to. Gluten-free crust is an option. harryswh.com

Hartford Baking Co.: Power your explorations with a pressed E-BAT (local egg, bacon, avocado, and tomato on a just-baked brioche bun), and take home a San Fran–style sourdough loaf to savor all week. OK, it might not last a day. hartfordbaking.com

Sparrow Pizza Bar: In a state known for pizza, leave it to Chopped grand champ Adam Greenberg to prove “New Haven style” is not the only way to go. The bar here stays lively until midnight on weekends. sparrowpizzabar.com

Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan: Jaw-dropping happy-hour prices and shareable portions make this a wallet-friendly date night spot. afghancuisine.net

Where to Stay in West Hartford, CT

Delamar West Hartford: With its own farm-to-table-focused Artisan restaurant and a spa that spoils guests and locals, you could spend all weekend luxuriating here, even though chauffeured tours are available and all of Blue Back Square and West Hartford Center is on your doorstep. delamar.com

Things to Do in West Hartford, CT

Elizabeth Park: Known for its roses, this late-19th-century landscape on West Hartford’s eastern edge fires up its cavalcade of color earlier than you might expect. A fragrant and photogenic greenhouse show in March is followed by unimaginable deals on unique and heirloom bulbs. By late April, more than 10,000 tulips shimmer and shine. elizabethparkct.org

Noah Webster House: Tablet tours allow you to dive as deeply as you’d like into the history and stories that reverberate through the house where “America’s Schoolmaster” grew up. Purchase West Hartford–themed gifts, and support programming for all ages including poetry readings and Life on the Farm demonstrations. noahwebsterhouse.org

Westmoor Park: Spring’s an idyllic time to visit the barnyard animals and see 66 specimen trees on a self-guided arboretum walk at this 162-acre environmental education center, about a 7-minute drive north of West Hartford Center. It’s a popular birding spot, too. westmoorpark.com

Where to Shop in West Hartford, CT

Good Cause Gifts: It’s a superbly styled boutique. It’s also a nonprofit founded by local parents, where every well-priced item you purchase supports employment opportunities for adults with disabilities. goodcausegifts.org

Kimberly Boutique: If you’re anything but a wallflower, waltz into this high-end women’s clothing, accessories, and gift store and relish the personal attention you’ll receive. Celebrating 20 years, it’s a destination for discovering looks as exclusive as you are. kimberlyboutique.com

Moscarillo’s Garden Shoppe: Whatever weather spring may bring, you’ll feel sunny and light on a walk through the immense greenhouse at this fifth-generation-owned plant emporium near Bishops Corner. moscarillos.com

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The night we dressed goats in pajammies is crystal clear in my memory, even though my cellphone photos are blurred. It’s tough to capture sharp shots when goats in fleece hoodies, frilly nighties, sparkly headbands, and tutus are super interested in the bag of feed in your pocket.

It was my daughter Lara’s 16th birthday, a late-October night five years ago, and she had no clue what was in store when we turned through the stone-pillared entryway to Bradley Mountain Farm in Southington, Connecticut. Her best friend, Hannah, met us there—another surprise. And the two of them rolled on the floor and laughed themselves silly as they came nose-to-nose with these rambunctious playmates. With a dozen-ish other families, we finally corralled the four-leggers for a bedtime story, but our circle collapsed into squeals and giggles when one of the littlest goats took a bite out of Goodnight Moon.

Moments of immersive joy and mildly controlled chaos like this have been part of farm life here ever since owner Anneliese Dadras realized customers didn’t covet just her glittery goat-milk soaps (sold at farm events and online at bradleymountainfarm.com). They also craved time with these affectionate creatures. Since the first Goat Walk, Dadras has added year-round programs like Goats N’ Pajamas and Goat Cuddle Therapy. During Covid shutdown, she learned how much her growing herd—now 50 strong—was enriched by the interactions, too. “They would line up at the fence,” she says, “and watch the road” as if wondering, When are they coming?

You can bet Dadras’s flock is anticipating this holiday season with the giddiness of, well … kids. On the farm’s Holiday Nights, visitors sing seasonal songs to the goats in the barn, sip cocoa with Santa in the Bradley House, and select colors and fragrances for their own goat-milk soaps. Reindeer Goat Photo sessions are popular, too, luring families from beyond Connecticut’s borders. Each goat has a personality that determines its “job.” Kalimba, for example, is treat-motivated to stare right at the camera for winning holiday-card photos. She wants nothing to do with Goat Yoga. But she recently filmed an auto commercial.

Dadras had been farm shopping for 10 years when this 200-year-old-plus lakeside former dairy on the National Register of Historic Places became available in 2015. Three doors down from where she lived, it was a place she’d biked past as a child, always wishing she could get a closer look, never imagining she’d one day call the Robert Adam–style farmhouse home. More than anything, she wanted to preserve the property from development and open it to the community. “I just intuitively knew that if I hoarded this place, it wouldn’t work,” she says. “The house, the icehouse, the goats—they all needed to be shared. That was the magic of it.”

She’s one of a group of farmers throughout this small state who are cultivating delight as a contemporary means of sustaining agricultural lands. Instead of hibernating during the final months of the year, their efforts ramp up. Cruise from farm to farm, and you’ll find Connecticut-grown and -made gifts, fresh Christmas trees, spirited beverages, and foods and flowers you’ll be proud to set on your holiday table. At a time of year that can feel frantic, you’ll also find the sort of peace and contentment that can’t be bought: You have to harvest it yourself.

Maple Row Farm | Easton

Bundle up your family (your leashed dog, too). Load up the cooler and grill. Download the app. In the town that brands itself the Christmas Tree Capital of Connecticut, Maple Row Farm makes the annual choose-and-cut outing feel as momentous as game day. If you’re a football fan, you know what to expect when you pull into one of two designated tailgating areas. Revelers go all out with festive spreads, music, matching attire, decorations. But don’t lose sight of why you’re really here: the quest for the perfect tree and for family memories your children will one day pass on to theirs.

Brothers Scott and David Edwards run the family’s 1769 farm. Their grandfather planted the first trees as a 4-H project. Their dad made the call to go all in on this eight-years-to-reap-profits crop, which now carpets nearly half of the farm’s 260 acres. Douglas fir, Canaan fir, blue spruce, and orange-y smelling concolor. Visit during the week to quietly stroll this pine-scented wonderland. Weekends, starting right before Thanksgiving, are a different story, though. David Edwards laughs when asked about the tailgating tradition that’s been part of the scene for the past three decades. “It is what it is.” mrfarm.com

Glendale Farms | Milford

Poinsettias are almost as synonymous with the holiday as Christmas trees. Here you find a greenhouse filled with 12,000 of these potted red and pink beauties. Even popular white varieties seem to glow with color.

Tim Astriab’s family has owned Glendale Farms since 1917. That makes poinsettias, cultivated here for more than 40 years, a relatively recent addition to the flower nursery’s offerings. Purchasing them—with cash or check—directly from the farm is still a best-kept secret unless you’re a church decorator or interior designer. Get there on a weekday or Saturday morning in late November or early December for the most eye-popping photos and the best selection of plants in five sizes, all with a vitality that comes from loving care. “When they’re gone, they’re gone,” says Astriab, then adds, “I’m glad.” glendalefarms.com

Woodstock Creamery at Valleyside Farm | Woodstock

Picture this: You plop down on a bale of hay with a container of maple skyr, made with real syrup and whole milk from the cows in the barn over yonder. Then, Santa and Mrs. Claus saunter by, shooting the breeze, because it’s not quite time for the surge of kiddos to arrive. It could happen to you when you visit Woodstock Creamery on the second Saturday in December during the town’s annual Winter Festival.

Angela Young’s family has been tending this land for 11 generations, but the on-farm creamery dates back only five years. There are echoes of the past in its warm-spirited community focus, however: There was a co-op creamery here that served locals from the late 1800s until a century ago.

Bring a cooler. Claus encounters may be rare, but seven days a week you can load up on skyr—an Icelandic-style yogurt that is über-creamy and dense—in seasonal flavors including pumpkin. Holiday guests will love a dollop on pie, paired with farm-fresh eggnog or coffee milk. Bring home spreadable labneh cheese and skyr dips in sweet and savory flavors, too, and you’ll be company-ready with conversation-starting appetizers. woodstockcreamery.com

Watercure Farm Distillery | Pomfret Center

You don’t have to be a spirits drinker to appreciate the coziness and convivial vibe inside the tasting room at Connecticut’s first farm distillery. Daniel and Aubrie Nagy brought this post-and-beam vision to life on the grounds of the former Gwyn Careg estate, where the heiress to the Murray bicycle fortune once kept an elephant and giraffes. You can hike, snowshoe, or bike from here across town-owned farmland to the Airline Trail.

When the Nagys began selling their handcrafted spirits in 2019, they grew about 70 percent of what went into the distilling operation visitors observe through large glass windows. But demand for their whiskeys, gin, flavored vodkas, and brandies has soared, so while they still grow ingredients for infusing signature products like shiitake mushroom vodka, they source from other Connecticut farms now, too. Pristine water, an essential component of fine spirits, comes right from the property’s deep well.

Tastings are an educational experience. “Sometimes we’re making a mash. Sometimes we’re distilling. Sometimes we’re just up front talking about what’s in your glass,” says Daniel Nagy. But it’s cool if you’d rather sit at the bar sipping cocktails and playing cards. Or if you’re just stopping to purchase gifts such as apple spice rum, a holiday favorite available in 200 ml bottles perfect for stocking stuffing. watercurefarm.com

Indian River Shellfish | Madison

“Long Island Sound is a historically rich natural habitat for oysters,” says Mike Gilman, who co-owns Indian River Shellfish with lifelong friend George Harris. For native peoples, the bivalves were a food staple. By the early 1700s, commercial shellfishing was under way, and by the late 1800s Connecticut had been crowned oyster capital of the world. Still, it took the duo—a biologist and a lobsterman—years of trial and error to perfect their Hammonasset Point Oysters.

“We grow in the Hammonasset River, which is more fresh than salt,” Gilman says. That gives these oysters—suspended in cages, never touching the bottom—a sweet taste: far less briny than those harvested off Cape Cod, for example. Connecticut has oyster outfits with outputs in the millions. Gilman and Harris raise only about 150,000 of these babied beauties each year, and you can buy them right from the farmers at their dock, a stone’s throw from Hammonasset Beach State Park. Gilman likes them best during the last few months of the year, when they’re bulking up for winter, and colder waters keep them naturally refrigerated. Your window for observing the landing and sorting, and for scoring some of the freshest oysters you’ve ever slurped, is Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Reserve online, especially if you have a big order, but know that a dozen or two can usually be purchased on a whim. indianrivershellfish.com

Fox Farm Brewery | Salem

Zack Adams and his wife, Laura, saw potential in an abandoned, overgrown 30-acre farm down the road from her family’s small vineyard. With their confidence bolstered after Zack’s 2012 victory in the national Samuel Adams Longshot American Homebrew Competition, they scooped up the property in 2013. “It needed a new lease on life,” he says. “From the moment we moved here, a brewery was the highest possible use and our greatest hope” for the siloed barn, which had sat vacant for 30 years.

Their dream came true in 2017. With seating on two floors and an open view into the brewing operation, the tasting room in the red barn is a clubby place for beer enthusiasts to sample European traditional styles and spontaneous “wild” ales that reflect this locale. The stone-facade Barrel Barn is the sort of iconic holiday backdrop that would draw New England shutterbugs even if there weren’t, in those oak casks, beers like Avalonia Red, made with farm-grown cherries and raspberries. Or the blendings of wine-like Consonance and Dissonance: Spontaneously fermented with super-ripe, Connecticut-grown Aromella grapes, it boasts notes of peach, citrus, and clove that make it an ideal companion for turkey. Bring home bottles to gift wrap, too. foxfarmbeer.com

Cato Corner Farm | Colchester

If cheese is your favorite holiday snack, or if you want to wow someone with a Cheese of the Month Club membership, it’s comforting to know Cato Corner Farm’s online shop never closes. You’ll appreciate every morsel more, though, when you drive past stone wall–lined fields and pull up a brief hill to the unassuming farm shop, stocked with cheeses and all their tasty accompaniments. Open Friday through Sunday, it’s a destination where you can taste, converse, learn, and truly appreciate the origins of these handcrafted farmstead cheeses. From young, bloomy-rind Celeste to sharp and complex Aged Bloomsday, each reflects the specific terroir of these lovingly tended 75 acres, where cows’ health and happiness is paramount.

Visit on a Saturday and, if weather permits, you can walk uphill and peer through an observation window as owner and head cheesemaker Mark Gillman and his team transform raw milk into young cheese … still at least 60 days and as much as a year away from being ready to eat. Gillman returned to the family farm a few years after his mom, Liz MacAlister, started making cheese seriously in 1997. These days, she milks less and manages more. She’s proudest, Gillman says, of the care that her 45 Jersey cows receive, and the sweet milk that results. “Good cheese starts with good milk,” he says.

To chat with Gillman is to understand what makes his cheeses so irresistible. There’s a playful drive to create, whether it’s a variation on a staple like the nationally lauded Hooligan, which he sometimes washes in beer from Fox Farm Brewery, or his first native culture cheese, Cornerstone. This year’s batch is aging in the cave. Come back as winter yields to spring for a taste. catocornerfarm.com

Thorncrest Farm & Milk House Chocolates | Goshen

Yes, chocolates grow on farms. At least the finest ones in Connecticut do. They’re delicately dispensed from a shop that seems so small beside the grand barn. The contrast makes sense once you understand what drives this farming family. It’s not Kimberly Thorn’s chocolate making nor her husband Clint’s wood furniture making. Working with sons Garret and Lyndon, and daughters-in-law Keri and Hope, their energy is concentrated foremost on providing a home for cows from birth until the end of an extraordinarily long life.

Thursday through Sunday, you can drift inside the stable, where there are always adorable calves to coo over this time of year. Clint Thorn designed the barn with airflow and natural light in mind: It’s oriented polar north-south. You sense the love here in the scent of top-grade hay. Each “lady” has a large mattress for comfort. If you want to knock Santa’s boots off this Christmas, bring a cooler so you can bring back the tastiest milk he’ll swig all night.

But you’ve made the back-roads drive here for chocolates (order them online if you can’t visit). Perhaps a centerpiece-size solid pumpkin, turkey, or Santa. More likely the truffles and caramels that are as distinct as the cows you met in the barn. “We’re the only people I know of in the world who make single-cow-origin chocolates,” Kimberly Thorn explains. Handcrafted in small batches with fresh-that-morning milk from a specific cow, these all-natural creations have a flavor that can be traced to one cow’s individual feed, her inherent genetics, and the atmosphere in which she thrives.

For example, caramels all begin with a Jersey cow named Daydream. “Her milk is just so luscious,” Kimberly Thorn says. “It literally is buttery soft. It has nutty, complex flavor. It rolls off your tongue in a way you just want to lift your shoulders and say, ‘Ooh, that’s so good.’ And that’s why she makes the best caramels.” milkhousechocolates.net

Sunny Meadow Farm | Bridgewater

Pull up to this glorious farm just before sunset, and you are in for a show of color-streaked skies and backlit rolling hills. Opening the view, which had been blocked by hedges for some 20 years, was priority one for owner Steve Shabet. After some prodding from town officials, he purchased this neglected neighboring farm a decade ago to save it from development, becoming only about the fifth owner since the late 1700s.

If you miss the sunset, no worries. One of the coolest things about this producer of honey, maple syrup, pasture-raised chicken and eggs, orchard fruits, and 220 different vegetables grown using organic, sustainable methods is its honor-system farm market, open 24/7. If you have cash, a credit card, Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay, or Zelle, some of the delicious makings of holiday meals and treats can be acquired here at any hour of the day or night. And wow, is it peaceful in the lead-up to Christmas compared with supermarkets or even Shabet’s enchanting Smithy Market in New Preston, where his own products commingle with others grown and made in Connecticut in a mid-19th-century blacksmith shop. sunnymeadow.farm

Aquila’s Nest Vineyards | Newtown

Walk through a winery wonderland where the moment darkness falls each night, rows of vines become the scene of a holiday light show set to music. Sip a glass of sparkling rosé or warm mulled wine made with the vineyard’s merlot, raw cacao for a hint of chocolate, and cinnamon and other spices.

Neviana Zhgaba and her husband and winemaker, Ardian Llomi, have poured creative energy into the property they fell for in 2016 and opened to the public in the fall of 2020. From a single firepit, they’ve “expanded more and more,” Zhgaba says. Reserve a tasting room table, a heated igloo or pergola, or the ultimate spot: the Forbidden Fireplace, where you can feel the warmth of the stone hearth. Or check the calendar for a nonstop lineup of events, live music, and create-your-own-holiday-gift workshops.

There’s an underlying theme in the vineyard’s art and attitude: women’s empowerment. For Zhgaba, success beyond their wildest expectations isn’t measured just in the statewide accolades that Aquila’s Nest has received. It’s in the dozens of other women-owned enterprises she’s been able to support. In the vineyard’s achievement of climate-neutral certification. And in the joy she sees on the faces of wintertime visitors. aquilasnestvineyards.com 

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Sitting beside two neighbors, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, that advertise their seaside locations right in their nicknames (the Bay State and the Ocean State), Connecticut is a little quieter about its beachy appeal. But make no mistake, the Nutmeg State has its fair share of worthy beaches along the sheltered length of Long Island Sound. In fact, Connecticut recently nabbed a spot on Travel + Leisure’s list of the top 25 U.S. beaches, with New London’s Ocean Beach Park standing tall as one of just three New England beaches chosen. The following roundup of best Connecticut beaches is drawn from Yankee’s travel writings, places that our editors have returned to again and again over the years.

Best Connecticut Beaches

duBois Beach | Stonington, Connecticut

Poking into Fishers Island Sound at the tip of Stonington Point, duBois has been called a “secret beach,” though it’s received plenty of attention from the beach-ranking media. Owned by a local improvement association, it’s a tidy little beach with placid surf, lifeguards, a wee gazebo, lovely views, a modest day fee, and — rare for town beaches — free parking.

Hammonasset Beach State Park Beach | Madison, Connecticut

Extending along a peninsula for two miles into Long Island Sound, Hammonasset is Connecticut’s biggest beach and its most popular. A boardwalk runs for three-quarters of a mile along the sands, and along with lifeguards, bathhouses, and concessions including bicycle rentals, the park offers more than 500 campsites and eight rustic cabins for rent. It’s also popular with surf casters.

Harkness Memorial State Park Beach | Waterford, Connecticut

Not all beaches are made for swimmers, but they’re still heaven for those who love to stroll, wade, picnic, or fly a kite by the water. At this hidden gem of a state park, the expansive lawn of a preserved 1906 Italianate mansion slopes down to the shore, perfect for a walk amid sand and shells. Plus, if you’ve registered for a day license and brought your gear, you can head to the rocks to lure stripers and blues.

Jacobs Beach | Guilford, Connecticut

Historic Guilford is so well known for its classic New England town green, it’s easy to forget the seashore is a mile and a half from town center. Understandably, this Connecticut community doesn’t advertise its petite jewel of a town beach, which is tucked out of sight on a narrow dead-end street. Yet a day pass offers visitors access to a wide patch of sand and a calm, clear, sun-warmed saline pool, protected by a jetty. When gleeful shrieks from the playground punctuate the quiet, look up from the novel in which you’re immersed and across Long Island Sound to spy Connecticut’s second-oldest lighthouse, on Faulkner’s Island.

Jennings Beach | Fairfield, Connecticut

Picked by Yankee as the Best Town Beach on Connecticut’s Gold Coast, Jennings has plentiful parking; a “sandcastle” playground; a patriotic pier lined with American flags snapping in the breeze; a skate park; a concession stand with affordable fare, including fried clams and shrimp… Oh, and the town’s largest public beach, where lifeguards watch over swimmers and the warm sand lulls sunbathers to sleep.

Lighthouse Point Park Beach | New Haven, Connecticut

A popular cooling-off spot for residents of Connecticut’s second-largest city and the students who attend Yale University there, Lighthouse Point Park is one of the few places in the state where you can get up close to a historic lighthouse — in this case, the 80-foot-tall Five Mile Point Lighthouse, built in 1847. Kids will love it, but they’ll go nuts for the restored 1916 carousel filled with prancing horses, a camel, and two dragon chariots. The small beach is complemented by a playground, a kid-friendly splashpad, and a concession stand.

Ocean Beach Park Beach | New London, Connecticut

At this play-all-day park, it’s a snap to grant every family member’s wish. There’s an Olympic-sized pool as well as a spray park for tots; just steps from the beach’s half mile of soft sand are amusement rides, water slides, and an ice cream shop. Older kids gravitate toward the nautical-themed mini golf course and Connecticut’s only beachside arcade, while grown-ups can drink in views of Ledge Light from a restaurant deck with a local beer in hand. Summer nights here are sprinkled with beach blanket movies, concerts, classic car cruises, and fireworks.

Rocky Neck State Park Beach | East Lyme, Connecticut

A soft, sandy beach is only one of the lures at this public recreation area on Long Island Sound, whose 708 acres also offer scenic trails, salt marsh viewing platforms, and inviting picnic spots (not to mention 160 campsites for those looking to stay in the heart of it all). Fish and wildlife are abundant, with water-loving birds such as ospreys, cranes, and herons being among the flashiest residents.

Sherwood Island State Park Beach | Westport, Connecticut

Encompassing New England’s westernmost Long Island Sound beaches, Sherwood is Connecticut’s oldest state park. Twin swimming areas, whose sands get their color from garnet (red) and magnetite (black), flank a point designated for surf casting; inland, there are hiking trails, a nature center, and even a model airplane field. Picnic tables, a food concession, and showers round out the facilities.

Silver Sands State Park Beach | Milford, Connecticut

Nestled along Long Island Sound between Bridgeport and New Haven, Silver Sands offers calm, warm water; a boardwalk running nearly the length of the beach; and footpaths that wind through a restored salt marsh. Charles Island, where Captain Kidd allegedly buried treasure (where didn’t he?), lies a half mile offshore; access via low-tide sandbar is permitted only off-season, when birds aren’t nesting.

Do you have a beach you’d like to add to our list of the best Connecticut beaches? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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What is New Haven pizza? For starters, it’s “Apizza” (pronounced ah-BEETS). New Haven’s unique name and approach to pizza date back to the city’s Italian-American neighborhoods and bakeries in the early 1900s. Factory workers and working-class families needed simple fare that could be shared easily and that could feed an entire family on a tight budget. Apizza, served up by the numerous neighborhood bakeries, fits the bill.

Enter Frank Pepe, the godfather of New Haven apizza, who started churning out his distinctive Neapolitan-style “tomato pies” from the Wooster Square bakery where he worked after World War I. He initially sold them from a pushcart he wheeled around the neighborhood. The tomato pies proved so popular that Pepe eventually took ownership of the bakery and launched Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana on Wooster Street in 1925. His first eatery was in a small building named The Spot, which still exists as an annex adjacent to today’s Pepe’s.

Classic New Haven pizza is simple and straightforward. Referred to in the vernacular as a “plain pie,” it consists of dough, San Marzano tomato sauce, a sprinkling of romano cheese, and a few dashes of olive oil. (Mozzarella cheese, or “mootz,” is considered to be a topping, like sausage or mushroom.) The pies are baked in large coal-fired ovens made of sturdy bricks that can withstand the intense heat given off by the burning fuel. The plain pie is the standard by which all New Haven apizza is measured.

Frank Pepe’s nephew, Salvatore “Sally” Consiglio, worked for his uncle for several years before opening his own pizzeria, Sally’s Apizza, just down Wooster Street from Pepe’s. He did so with his uncle’s blessing, and the two institutions have been friendly competitors ever since. A third titan of New Haven pizza, Modern Apizza, came into its own on nearby State Street in 1942.

Each of these three establishments has its own unique specialties within the world of New Haven apizza. Pepe’s is best known for its plain tomato pie and for its white clam pie, which Frank Pepe invented in the 1960s. Sally’s is acclaimed for its white clam pie and its unique white potato pie, festooned with paper-thin slices of white potato and smothered in garlic. And Modern zigs while the other two zag, with its Italian Bomb pizza, piled high with bacon, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, pepper, and garlic. (Modern’s owner, Bill Pustari, jokingly nicknamed it the “Diet Special,” claiming the three veggies cancel out the three meats.)  

Other characteristics of New Haven apizza include “charred” (not burnt) crust, which leaves a charcoal-like residue on your fingertips, often calling for a post-meal hand washing. The pies are somewhat oblong in shape and are typically served on rectangular metal baking sheets. They’re also cut in haphazard, sometimes lengthy trapezoidal shapes, another hallmark of this idiosyncratic delicacy.

Other great purveyors of classic New Haven apizza include Roseland Apizza in nearby Derby, where their white clam pie reigns supreme. And just over the New Haven border in West Haven is Zuppardi’s, whose pride and joy is their sausage and mushroom pie. BAR, a relative newcomer on Crown Street in downtown New Haven, has built a huge following around their unconventional mashed potato, bacon, and garlic apizza, which pairs very nicely with the many beers they brew on the premises.

Numerous celebrities have chimed in on which of the big three New Haven pizzerias is the best. In Pepe’s corner are Henry Winkler, Lyle Lovett, and Paul Giamatti. Sally’s is tops for the likes of Frank Sinatra, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Michael Bolton. Steven Spielberg tops the list of Modern devotees, along with U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, internet food personality Daym Drops, and Red Sox announcer Joe Castiglione, a Connecticut native.

Pepe’s, Sally’s, and Modern are almost always crowded, and standing outside while waiting for a table is a part of the experience. But it’s well worth the time invested in order to enjoy the pizza and the historic vibes that make New Haven the pizza capital of America.

Which New Haven pizza place is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

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A drive through Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills takes you from one picturesque town to another on roads that wrap around hills, trace river valleys, and slice through woodlands. You will see shimmering waters, expansive views, tidy village centers, and green hillsides. As with any trip, there are side roads to explore, making this a jaunt that can often be repeated without becoming repetitious.

Start on Route 7 just south of the Massachusetts border, in North Canaan. Right off the bat, there’s something worth stopping for: the New England Accordion Connection & Museum Company, a one-of-a-kind attraction situated within the painstakingly restored Victorian-era Canaan Union Station.

Head south of town on Route 7, which eventually begins running along the Housatonic River and through a state forest that skirts the border of Sharon (where the Sharon Audubon Center is a worthy diversion) and Cornwall, billed as “the greenest town in Connecticut.” If you see an opportunity to outflank the fly fishermen and score a parking space in one of the roadside jug handles, seize it. Photo opportunities abound here, but space to pull over and admire them does not. Either way, don’t miss the pinnacle of all photo ops, the c. 1864 West Cornwall Covered Bridge.

Plan to linger for a while in Kent, home to Kent Falls State Park, the Kent Collection Inns, and, for indie bookstore lovers, the House of Books; covered-bridge aficionados may opt for a side excursion to nearby Bull’s Bridge. From Kent, you’ll leave Route 7 and head east on 341, toward Warren and beautiful Lake Waramaug, eventually connecting with Route 202 near Washington, the town that inspired the TV show Gilmore Girls.

Sitting right off 202, Mount Tom State Park presents an opportunity to stretch your legs, and a moderately challenging climb pays off with an extraordinary 360-degree view from the 34-foot stone tower at the summit. On the road east to Litchfield, a trio of Arethusa Farm eateries in Bantam create a tourist trap you will be happy to be ensnared in.

Litchfield’s Village Green serves up a bevy of restaurants and boutique shops to explore before you continue on 202 into the (relatively) big city of Torrington, where you’ll look for Route 272 north. That will carry you up to Norfolk, home of the Yale Summer School of Music, and beyond that the return to Canaan, where you’ll already be planning your next go-round.

Yankee‘s Favorite Places to Stop Along the Way

New England Accordion Connection & Museum Company, North Canaan: More than 500 accordions, each with a story, line the walls in a restored train station that is also home to the Connecticut Railroad Historical Association and Great Falls Brewing Company. newengland accordionconnectionand museumcompany.com

Music Mountain, Falls Village: Located on 120 acres and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Music Mountain has been presenting concerts that span classical to jazz in Gordon Hall since 1930. The 2023 season opens June 4. musicmountain.org

Clarke Outdoors, Cornwall: If you prefer getting out on the water to admiring it from the riverbank, you can find kayak rentals here, as well as guided tours and drop-off services. clarkeoutdoors.com

RSVP French Kitchen, West Cornwall: Make sure you’ve obtained reservations well in advance to land one of the 20 seats at this acclaimed French eatery. The five-course prix fixe dinner is magnifique. Instagram

Eric Sloane Museum, Kent: Celebrate the world of author Eric Sloane through his paintings, books, illustrations, and antique hand tool collection. The museum grounds feature riverside walking trails, as well as the stone ruins of the Kent Iron Furnace. ericsloane.com

House of Books, Kent: There is absolutely no wasted space at this expertly curated little bookshop. Where else might you find a little book-length essay on the history of socks? houseofbooksct.com

Mount Tom State Park, Litchfield: This 231-acre outdoor playground offers one-stop recreation at its finest: Work up a sweat climbing to the peak, then hit the beach for a quick lake dip to cool off. portal.ct.gov/DEEP

Arethusa a Mano, Bantam: This bakery-café is among three worthy Arethusa offerings here, along with the restaurant Arethusa al Tavolo and the scoop shop Arethusa Farm Dairy. arethusafarm.com

Winvian Farm, Morris: Just a few miles south of Litchfield lies this 113-acre luxury hotel comprising the 1775 Seth Bird house, 18 themed cottages (including a treehouse and a beaver lodge), a AAA Five Diamond restaurant, and a spa. winvian.com

White Memorial Conservation Center, Litchfield: Surrounded by a 4,000-acre wildlife sanctuary and more than 35 miles of walking trails, this museum and education center offers a deep dive into the region’s natural history. whitememorialcc.org

Haystack Mountain State Park, Norfolk: The views of Norfolk and Canaan from the 1929 observation tower atop this 1,716-foot peak make the hike worthwhile (though you can opt to take the auto road halfway up). portal.ct.gov/DEEP

Infinity Music Hall, Norfolk: Built in 1883 as a combination opera house, barbershop, and saloon, this 300-seat village landmark still features its original wooden stage, and the on-site GoodWorks Smokehouse takes the dinner-and-a-show concept to glorious new levels. infinityhall.com

Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Norfolk: One of the country’s oldest summer music festivals, NCMF brings together emerging musicians and experienced pros, with memorable results. music.yale.edu/Norfolk

Have you driven this route (or do you have another drive to recommend)? Let us know your favorite stops along the way in the comments below!

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