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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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Where to Eat + Drink by the CT Convention Center

September 17, 2015 by Elizabeth Larkin 2 Comments

Infinity Hall on Front Street in Hartford

Visiting the CT Convention Center, Connecticut Science Center or the Riverfront in Hartford? Here are the best restaurants near the Convention Center right across the street on Front Street.

[Read more…] about Where to Eat + Drink by the CT Convention Center

Filed Under: Food + Drinks Tagged With: brunch, front street, going solo, good for gorups, Greater Hartford, happy hours, Hartford, Hartford County

Eggs Benny with Collard Greens at Firebox

March 16, 2013 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

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Eggs Benny with Collards…  Does the sight of two supremely fresh, but also supremely running eggs make you a little queasy? File this one under “looks gross, tastes amazing.” You can order your eggs benedict with salmon, pastrami or collard greens with sriracha, and I think I ordered best when opting for the collards. More breakfasts and brunches.

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Firebox, 539 Broad St Hartford, CT 06106 (860) 246-1222

Filed Under: Connecticut, Food + Drinks Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, Greater Hartford, Hartford

5 Good Places for Comfort Food in New Haven

March 7, 2013 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

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This is a continuation of a day trip I took to New Haven. You can read earlier installments about walking around Yale, and some of the architecture at Yale.

And now, ladies and gentleman, for my most daring act yet, I’m going to talk about eating in New Haven while mentioning ONLY ONE pizza place. I’ve already given you five good places for New Haven pizza and I have no doubt that over the lifetime of this blog, I’ll write about it again, but New Haven has a lot more going for it, culinary-wise, than simply pizza.  In fact, this trip started out solely to check out Louis’ Lunch. [Read more…] about 5 Good Places for Comfort Food in New Haven

Filed Under: Connecticut, Food + Drinks, Travel, Yale Area Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, coffee, dinner, good for groups, good places, lunch, New Haven, New Haven County, pizza

The El Camino at Tisane

February 17, 2013 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

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The El Camino… A tortilla smeared with refried beans and topped with three poached eggs, salsa, cheese and avocado, recently known as my go-to brunch dish.  More on brunches.

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Tisane Euro Asian Cafe 537 Farmington Ave Hartford, CT 06105

Filed Under: Food + Drinks Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, Hartford

How to Spend a Saturday Morning in Soho

November 30, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin 2 Comments

A Saturday morning in Soho

I spent the weekend in New York City a few weeks back and I’ve decided to break it up into several posts. Today’s part one is all about how to kick off Saturday with one of the best brunches around, followed by a good walk and some window shopping.

My favorite way to experience New York is not to go in full-tilt planned. Instead, I like to choose a neighborhood and then go from there. This is especially helpful if you’re traveling with a group because you only have to take the subway, bus or a cab once, and I truly believe New York was meant to be experienced on foot.  On this trip, we did very grown up things: brunch at Balthazar, shopping in Soho and dinner at The Modern. This is not a kid-friendly trip, this is a trip for people who like to eat really good food and do a great deal of walking. You could do this as a group, as a couple, or by yourself.

The nice thing about NYC is that you can be alone together. While it’s a very romantic city, you can also spend a day by yourself out and about without getting any side-eyed glances. [Read more…] about How to Spend a Saturday Morning in Soho

Filed Under: Food + Drinks, New York, New York City Tagged With: a good walk, brunch, day trip, good for groups, lunch, romantic, shopping

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

May 1, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

Paris in Color by Nichole Robertson

Mother's Day in ConnecticutEnjoying Jones Beach, Long Island, N.Y. with my mom. 

Mother’s Day is like the number one holiday you don’t want to mess up. Whether you’re celebrating a mom, grandma, aunt, godmother, or a female mentor, at the very least: send a card! It’s on Sunday, May 13, 2012. Here are some other ideas for those more creatively inclined. [Read more…] about Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: brunch, holidays

Breakfast at Sugar & Spice

January 23, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin 3 Comments

Vermont maple syrup at Sugar & Spice

Sugar & Spice in Mendon, VT is a restaurant and store with many charms: real Vermont maple syrup made on-site, lots of flannel, and some delicious breakfast items (they serve lunch, too, but I’ve never ventured past the eggs-and-pancakes portion of the menu).

Sugar and Spice

Sugar and spice

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Sugar & Spice

Sugar & Spice

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Sugar & Spice in Mendon, VT (map)

Filed Under: Food + Drinks, Mendon, Vermont Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, quainty quaintness

5 Good Restaurants for Brunch in Hartford

January 4, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin 7 Comments

{Brunch in Hartford @ Tisane of poached eggs, home fries, and well-done toast}

I was so overjoyed to hear that Firebox in Hartford would be serving brunch on New Years Day that I almost cancelled my trip to Vermont for the weekend. I consider myself a brunch connoisseur and Firebox has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants in Connecticut. Luckily they’ve decided to expand their tavern brunch menu to an every-Sunday event featuring sweet and savory dishes like buttermilk waffles, duck confit salad, and thankfully, three different kinds of eggs benedict. Firebox joins four other restaurants serving Sunday brunch in Hartford:  First and Last Bakery, Half Door, Mo’s Midtown, and Tisane.

Firebox
539 Broad Street
Hartford, CT
(860) 246-1222

First and Last Bakery
920 Maple Ave
Hartford, CT 06114

First and Last Bakery has the best croissants in Hartford. This is where you go if you want to simply have some good coffee and a pastry (although they do have full meals).

Half Door
270 Sisson Ave
Hartford, CT 06105
(860) 232-7827

Half Door is best for hearty fare. This gastro pub has all the favorites: corned beef hash, mile-high french toast and great drinks.

Mo’s Midtown
25 Whitney St
Hartford, CT 06105
(860) 236-7741

Famous for their pancakes but remember to bring your own maple syrup.

Tisane
537 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, CT
(860) 523-5417

I love their Mexican breakfast pizza and bloody marys.

 

Filed Under: Connecticut, Food + Drinks Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, Greater Hartford, Hartford, Hartford County

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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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