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Traveling the globe from my home base in beatuful Connecticut

Saturday Farmers Market in Washington Depot CT

Washington, Connecticut: The Town That Inspired Gilmore Girls [Itinerary]

December 31, 2019 By Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

Some days, you just gotta get in your car and drive to a new town and see the sights. Washington, Connecticut is a really good town to drive to. It’s got a rustic-chic vibe with its mix of locals and weekenders from New York City. There are rolling hills, sprawling farms, and very nice restaurants to eat and drink in.

Washington Connecticut Day Trip

Bryan Memorial Town Hall in Washington CT

You can park your car at the Hickory Stick bookshop and spend an hour or two wandering it’s little “downtown” area. There’s the bookshop, Marty’s Cafe for coffee, some clothing stores and on Saturdays in the spring, summer and fall, a small farmers market.

Washington is famously the setting for the TV show show “Gilmore Girls” and while it doesn’t exactly resemble Stars Hollow, it does have all the trappings of small town life: lots of community activities, a folksy vibe, and tons to do (see my list below). As I say in my Gilmore Girls Guide to Connecticut (coming soon!), Washington is way more rural and outdoorsy than Stars Hollow.

Saturday Farmers Market in Washington Depot CT

The point of traveling to a town like Washington is to just be there, to soak up the small-town atmosphere.

Park at the Byran Memorial Town Hall. There’s a farmers market on Saturday mornings in the spring, summer and fall where you can stock up on local produce. Then hit Marty’s Cafe for a coffee before browsing the Hickory Stick Bookshop. There are other small retailers to dip into as well.

The day I visited I spent about an hour checking out the scene in town before wandering down route 47 towards the intersections of Kirby Road, Whykeham Road, and Parsanoge Lane.

There’ll you’ll find another little town center but this one looks like time forgot it. The buildings are still well kept and blindingly white, but there’s one lonely store and what looks to be an old town square.

I parked my car on a side street ear the intersection, grabbed my camera and roamed the area. There you’ll find the The First Congregational Church, the Gunn Memorial Library and the Gunn Historical Museum.  I didn’t see many people, but there was a fairly regular flow of vintage cars out for a weekend drive.

From there I continued North on Route 47 (enter Hopkins Vineyard into your GPS or Google Maps app) and enjoyed some of the most beautiful scenery Connecticut has to offer: rolling hills, gentleman’s farms and finally, a view of Lake Waramaug on the approach to Warren and the winery.

This would be a beautiful day trip year-round.

PLACES TO VISIT IN WASHINGTON, CONNECTICUT:

Averill Hill Farm
250 Calhoun St.
Washington, CT 06794

For apple picking, pumpkin picking, pizza, apple cider and apple cider doughnuts.

Hollister House Garden
300 Nettleton Hollow Rd
Washington, CT 06793

The Institute For American Indian Studies
Curtis Rd
Washington, CT 06793

Mayflower Spa
118 Woodbury Rd (Route 47)
Washington, CT 06793

I am DYING to try this place. I plan to organize a day trip there with my girlfriends this winter

Gunn Historical Museum
5 Wykeham Rd
Washington, CT 06793

Hidden Valley Preserve
198 Bee Brook Rd
Washington Depot, CT 06794

PLACES TO EAT IN WASHINGTON, CONNECTICUT

The White Horse Country Pub
258 New Milford Turnpike
New Preston, CT 06777

British Pub Food in the Litchfield Hills.

GW Tavern
20 Bee Brook Rd
Washington Depot, CT 06794

The Pantry
5 Titus Rd
Washington Depot, CT 06794

Norimaki
4 Green Hill Rd
Washington, CT 06793

A local Favorite.

Marty’s Cafe
4 Green Hill Rd #1
Washington Depot, CT 06793

The Washington Pizza House
13 River Rd
Washington Depot, CT 06794

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My Total Slug Life Weekend at Kripalu in the Berkshires

October 18, 2017 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

Kripalu

At the beginning of each year, I skip setting resolutions and make a list of things I’d like to experience. One of the biggies for 2017 was to spend a relaxing weekend of yoga at the Kirpalu Center in Stockbirdge, Ma. [Read more…] about My Total Slug Life Weekend at Kripalu in the Berkshires

Filed Under: Massachusetts

A Fall Visit to Cape Cod

November 7, 2015 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

Fall weekend on Cape Cod

We spent a fall visit to Cape Cod in Chatham, MA for a weekend getaway. Face full of sand, chilling in the warm autumn sun, we took Dottie to the beach at Cockle Cove with our friends Nancy, Dan and their two little moppets Aly and Lena. Dottie wasn’t about to go into the water, but she loved sticking her face in the sand and staring down the seagulls. We’ll be back next summer, seagulls! You’ve been warned. [Read more…] about A Fall Visit to Cape Cod

Filed Under: Chatham, Massachusetts, Travel Tagged With: good for groups, romantic, weekend getaway

A Day Trip to Hyannisport

August 4, 2013 by Elizabeth Larkin 1 Comment

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I am not a Cape Cod person by birth or genetics.  My family believes the best beaches in the world are located on the east end of Long Island and anyone who disagrees just doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I subscribe to this myself; however, I have really fond memories of my friend Nancy’s family beach house on the Cape in Chatham, and her wedding in Chatham, and Mike and I just had a really great weekend in Hyannisport. I feel like I’m cheating on Montauk when I admit I like Cape Cod.  I liked the lobster, I liked the boat shoes, and I loved the company. [Read more…] about A Day Trip to Hyannisport

Filed Under: Massachusetts, Travel Tagged With: beaches, good for groups, lunch, Preppy Connecticut, romantic

An Afternoon in Boston’s North End

August 11, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

Weekend in Boston - 9

I have a lot of friends in Boston so I head up pretty regularly and most times end up in the North End. This is a neighborhood that reminds me of my college days at Fordham, making me both nostalgic and homesick at the same time. Fordham’s campus is adjacent to The Bronx’s Little Italy, so these two neighborhoods have a lot in common. On this afternoon I met my friend Kelley at her apartment in Back Bay, and we walked to Cafe Pompeii to watch a World Cup soccer game with Michelle, Tim and their adorable baby. This is the way to watch a soccer game, with good friends, Peroni beers, lots of food, and plenty of locals rooting on the “home team.” [Read more…] about An Afternoon in Boston’s North End

Filed Under: Boston, Massachusetts, Travel Tagged With: a good walk

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Connecticut Day Trips is a blog about travel and life in Connecticut, written and photographed by a native who moved away, moved back, and learned to love it: About/Contact

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Saturday Farmers Market in Washington Depot CT

Washington, Connecticut: The Town That Inspired Gilmore Girls [Itinerary]

Some days, you just gotta get in your car and drive to a new town and see the sights. Washington, Connecticut is a really good town to drive to. It’s got a rustic-chic vibe with its mix of locals and weekenders from New York City. There are rolling hills, sprawling farms, and very nice restaurants […]

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