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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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Ski Trip Packing Tips

March 1, 2013 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

Untitled

Last year I laid out a ski trip packing list. Today, I give my best tips on how to pack for a weekend away that includes a day or two of skiing. [Read more…] about Ski Trip Packing Tips

Filed Under: Life, Travel Tagged With: how to, packing lists, skiing

Ski Trip Packing List

December 27, 2011 by Elizabeth Larkin 8 Comments

Untitled

As I have mentioned previously, each year I rent a house with a group of friends in Killington, VT, which we share for the entirety of the ski season. Like with any vacation home, a lot of people want to come up and visit. After a few years of friends arriving either without key pieces of clothing, a toothbrush, and bedding, or completely unprepared for Vermont weather, I decided to create a ski vacation packing list. I save this in my Google documents and send to people 2-3 days before they come up to the house. This gives them enough time to procure anything they may not have, and me the peace of mind that they won’t show up with nothing but a six pack of beer (it’s happened).

The ski trip packing list:

CLOTHES

Think: layers. It’s cold outside and toasty warm by the fire. You will move between both several times a day.

  • PJs
  • Undies
  • Winter boots with thick, warm socks
  • Winter coat, hat, gloves
  • “Inside shoes” to leave by the door – we all try to take our shoes/boots off as soon as we open the door, but sometimes there’s snow or ice tracked in and nothing is worse than stepping on wet rug with socks on creating a “wet sock foot” situation.

OUTFITS

I find the three outfits described below can be easily combined into one by most men, but for women (myself included), these are three distinct outfits.

  • Sitting-in-front-of-the-fireplace-drinking-wine-and-playing-Trivial Pursuit outfit.
  • Jeans-and-a-sweater apres ski outfit for the lodge.
  • Outfit to wear out to dinner or out to see a band – preferably something with layers as it’s cold outside but the bars and restaurants are toasty.

SKI CLOTHES

More is more when planning to hit the slopes; even if you don’t end up wearing the neck warmer, it’s better to pack it and have the option.

  • Thermal underwear bottom and top
  • Ski jacket
  • Ski pants
  • Ski shirt, sweater or sweatshirt
  • Neck warmer
  • Ski socks
  • Ski gloves or mittens (I prefer mittens)
  • Ski hat
  • Goggles

LINENS & TOILETRIES

Many people have found this list helpful to “check off” as packing.

  • Sheets for double bed
  • Pillow case
  • Towels (body, face)
  • Blanket or comforter
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Hair products (brush, shampoo, conditioner, blow dryer, etc)
  • Makeup
  • Skin care products

CAR

East-coast ski resorts tend to get the kind of weather that’s tough on cars. Be prepared with extra snow-and-ice removal apparatus.

  • Full jug of windshield wiper fluid
  • Ice scraper
  • Heavy gloves to wear while scraping ice
  • Blanket
  • Cell phone charger -make sure you’ve always got a phone charged, or nearly charged

What’s on your ski trip packing list?

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: packing lists, 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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