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Connecticut Day Trips

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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How to Make Pasta Salad that Travels Well

July 19, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

How to Make Pasta Salad that Travels Well - 09

I thought about how to make a pasta salad that travels well while I was already in the kitchen baking the best chocolate chip cookies ever. It was the day before travelling 13 hours in the car from Farmington, Connecticut to Charlotte, North Carolina and I wanted to be prepared for the car ride with something that was full of vegtables so my entire menu for the day would not consist of fast food. For the record, I really look forward to eating from a fast food drive-through once in a while, but this trip to North Carolina was going to include a stop at the Waffle House and lots of barbecue so I figured I’d try to keep it as healthy as possible on the road. This salad was delicious, regardless, so I didn’t feel deprived of a large fry.

Pictures + Recipe of How to Make Pasta Salad that Travels

Here’s why this salad travels well: There’s no mayonaise involved. It’s really easy to make, and very customizable to both your taste buds and what’s currently available in your fridge and pantry. You can use up any vegetables and cheeses about to go bad, and as long as you have the base of pasta, a vinegar, olive oil, and veggies, you can improvise, which means you don’t have to do a big shopping trip.

How to Make Pasta Salad that Travels Well - 1

In the days before heading out of town, I try to minimize grocery shopping as much as possible, which makes this pasta salad a great dinner the night before you travel, too.

How to Make Pasta Salad that Travels Well - 5

I originally planned to make this recipe, but once I got the water boiling and started looking through the fridge for ingredients, I decided to improvise. I used champagne vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, and a combo of feta and grated parmesan cheeses.

How to Make Pasta Salad that Travels Well - 2

As soon as the pasta was done boiling, I drained most of the water out and added spinach, cherry tomatoes, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, and cheese. Once I had the base done, I separated the salad into two portions. In mine I added black olives and lots of capers; into the portion for my boyfriend I added a little more cheese which I offset with some extra squeezes of lemon.

How to Make Pasta Salad that Travels Well - 8

Packed in a plastic container and put on ice in the cooler, this travelled well and lasted all the way from Farmington to Virginia.

How to Make Pasta Salad that Travels Well - 10

I label everything because a) I write about organization for a living and b) no one wants someone else’s lunch.3

Filed Under: Food + Drinks, Travel Tagged With: homestyle, how to, travel tips

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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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