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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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Bloomfield

Fall Hike Through Penwood State Park — with Dogs!

September 20, 2016 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

When I thought about adopting a dog, I always put “going on hikes together” in the pro column of my pro-con list. I hike most weekend mornings and bringing Dottie with me has elevated the experience. Dogs just love being out in nature and it’s fun to watch her sniff and wag her tail along the trail.

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Penwood State Park in Bloomfield has to be one of the best places to take your dog hiking because practically everyone on the trails the day Dottie and I went (with our friend Moriah and her dog Fritz) had a furry friend with them. Below is an itinerary.

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Itinerary: Fall Hike at Penwood State Park with Dogs

This is a beautiful hour-plus long stroll around Penwood State Park and you could extend it by bringing a picnic (breakfast, brunch, lunch) there’s a  picnic area about halfway through the hike.

Penwood State Park
560 Simsbury Rd
Bloomfield, CT 06002

There’s plenty of parking and the hike is a loop do you can head off in either direction from the parking lot. I always start to the left.

Heublein Tower Trail
Talcot Mountain State Park
Summit Ridge Dr.
Simsbury, CT 06070

If you want to extend your time outdoors (and who doesn’t in beautiful fall weather?) the Heublein Tower Trail is right across the street.

Wade’s Vegetables
498 Simsbury Rd
Bloomfield, CT 06002

A good place to stop for local grassfed beef, veggies, pumpkins, mums and cider.

Filed Under: Connecticut, Travel Tagged With: a good walk, Bloomfield, Farmington Valley, going solo, good for groups, Hartford County, hiking, kid-friendly, outdoorsy, pet-friendly

Hiking and Pancakes | Penwood State Park and Mo’s Midtown

April 18, 2013 by Elizabeth Larkin 1 Comment

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Penwood State Park in Bloomfield is where you end up if you’re looking for the Heublein Tower Trail but accidentally pull into the parking lot across the street.  I imagine this happens to a lot of people — you’re driving, you’re not quite sure where the entrance to the trail is, you spot a parking lot with people in assorted hiking clothes milling around, so you just naturally assume you’re in the right place.  This is what my friend Ellen and I did.  [Read more…] about Hiking and Pancakes | Penwood State Park and Mo’s Midtown

Filed Under: Connecticut, Travel Tagged With: a good walk, Bloomfield, breakfast, going solo, Greater Hartford, Hartford County, hiking, hiking and pancakes, kid-friendly, outdoorsy, pet-friendly

A Lunch at Republic in Bloomfield

April 1, 2013 by Elizabeth Larkin 5 Comments

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Last Friday was a rare day off for me, and I was planning to organize my closets.   I tend to treat days off as an opportunity to catch up on all the things I need to do around my apartment rather than a “day off,” which I badly needed. [Read more…] about A Lunch at Republic in Bloomfield

Filed Under: Connecticut, Food + Drinks Tagged With: Bloomfield, Farmington Valley, lunch

A Peek Inside the Heublein Tower

October 18, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin 1 Comment

Afternoon Hike to the Hueblein Tower in Simsbury, Connecticut

I limit the amount of events I list on this site because trying to keep up with the multitude of happenings in Connecticut on any given weekend is a full time job. I already have both a full time job and a part time job, so I’m all stocked up here. However, when I begin researching a place and see they have an upcoming event named the “Tower Toot” (Sunday October 20 & 21, 2012), how can I not mention that?  [Read more…] about A Peek Inside the Heublein Tower

Filed Under: Connecticut, Travel Tagged With: a good walk, Bloomfield, Farmington Valley, going solo, Hartford County, kid-friendly, outdoorsy, pet-friendly

Afternoon Hike to the Heublein Tower in Bloomfield

September 25, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin 3 Comments

Afternoon Hike to the Hueblein Tower in Simsbury, Connecticut

Mike and I decided to head to the tower in mid-September. We were both in the mood for a day trip but had to many errands to run, cleaning to do, and Saabs to fix to go much further than 20 minutes away.  A hike to the Hueblien Tower seemed like the perfect compromise. [Read more…] about Afternoon Hike to the Heublein Tower in Bloomfield

Filed Under: Connecticut, Travel Tagged With: a good walk, Bloomfield, Farmington Valley, foliage, good for groups, Hartford County, pet-friendly

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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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