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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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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

A Cappuccino at Peppercorns

February 28, 2013 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

IMG_1119

Cappuccino… I work right across the street, and while I haven’t done it often, I like knowing I can easily drop in and have this ultimate afternoon pick-me-up. More coffee.

_________________________________

Peppercorns Grill, 357 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06106

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

Postcard from Cafemantic in Willimantic, CT

March 16, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin 4 Comments

Cafemantic, 948 Main Street, Willimantic, CT (860) 423-4243

If you ever find yourself in Eastern Connecticut looking for a place to grab a good cup of coffee, I’ve got a great recommendation for you: Cafemantic. I stopped into Cafemantic in Willimantic after a day trip spent hiking in Mansfield Hollow State Park, and the cafe’s calm, serene vibe and decor, comfy seating, and delicious mocha lattes made it the perfect post-hike venue. Because of it’s deceptively large size, you can feel free to linger over your latte and snacks for as long as you like.

Notable neighbors: Eastern Connecticut Railroad Museum & the Willimantic Brewing Co.

 

 

Filed Under: Connecticut, Food + Drinks Tagged With: coffee, Mansfield, Willimantic, Windham County

Best Places for Coffee in Hartford

March 5, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin 6 Comments

Eating out should be special, and special to me means not wasting an opportunity on a chain restaurant. I want it to be a local place, and I want it to be good, whether it’s upscale or a dive bar. This especially applies when I’m daytripping and find myself in a new town or corner of the state.  With that in mind, I am launching a new series called Five Good Places, that will list five places to eat and drink in towns, or near towns and regions, that are not massive chain restaurants. I’m talking about the kinds of places people who check the Chowhound boards eat in; in short, the type of places you should hit up for a native dining experience when you find yourself in a particular corner of the world, whether it be New Canaan, New Hartford or North Grosvenordale.

So here is the inaugural Five Places, and where better to start than with coffee in our capital city with Five Good Places for Coffee in Hartford? I’m always on the lookout for good coffee. If I can’t make own at home, I really rather try a local place than a D+D.

Blue State Coffee

777 Main St
Hartford, CT 06103

Mozzicato DePasquale Bakery & Pastry

329 Franklin Ave
Hartford, CT

Tisane Euro-Asian Cafe

537 Farmington Ave
Hartford, CT

Sarah’s Coffee House

257 Asylum St
Hartford, CT 06103

Story and Soil

387 Capitol Ave
Hartford, CT 06106

Did I miss one? Leave your opinion below.

 

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

Day Trip to Lyman Orchards in Middlefield

November 11, 2011 by Elizabeth Larkin 1 Comment

When it comes to Connecticut apple picking venues, Lyman Orchards is the Little Black Dress: you really cannot go wrong.  It’s not as quaint as Lost Acres or as picturesque at Bushy Hill, but what it lacks in “country kitsch” it more than makes up for in its versatility. Lyman Orchards biggest strength is it’s a one-stop shop appeal. They’ve got apple and pumpkin picking, a corn maze, wagon rides, pony rides, a duck-feeding pond, and a full produce market and bakery.

The Orchard’s food offerings can take you from morning coffee all the way to afternoon snack, and the large outdoor patio can seat big groups of people at once. So when you plan to go, go big, and turn your entire day over to them.

[Read more…] about Day Trip to Lyman Orchards in Middlefield

Filed Under: Connecticut, Food + Drinks, Travel Tagged With: apple cider doughnuts, apple orchards, coffee, day trip, foliage, kid-friendly, Middlefield, Middlesex County, pick your own, pumpkins

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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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