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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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A Saturday Afternoon in Hartford with Mapplethorpe and Warhol

November 18, 2015 by Elizabeth Larkin 2 Comments

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is always a good reason to go into Hartford on a Saturday afternoon. Actually, a Saturday afternoon is the best time to go into Hartford. There are zero commuters blocking the box or creeping into intersections (I’m looking at you employees of The Hartford who block the box at the intersection of Cogswell and Asylum and Farmington every single afternoon).

I live in Hartford so I’m there every Saturday but on this particular Saturday I headed into Downtown with my friends Joe and Alyssa to check out the exhibit: Warhol and Mapplethorpe: Guide and Dolls at the Wadsworth Atheneum. I love the juxtaposition of one of the country’s oldest museums displaying a semi-racy exhibit. But that’s nothing surprising for the Wadsworth; aside from their famous Festival of Trees, the host a multitude of events aimed at capturing a new generation of art lovers and culture seekers. And they never shy away from controversial art. They also have a movie theater—something I didn’t even know until very recently.

Basically, if you’re looking to do a Saturday afternoon in Hartford, the Wadsworth is a must-see and a great jumping off point. From there you can add in a restaurant, the library or a bar to your agenda.

On this Saturday we took in the Warhol-Mapplethorpe exhibit, did a tour of the museum and then headed over to the new Blue State Coffee in the new 777 Main building. Things I love about Blue State Coffee: it’s open until 10 p.m. and they serve almond milk-based drinks. Many coffee shops only offer soy as an alternative to cow’s milk. Soy, in my opinion, is whack and tastes terrible. My almond milk latte was delicious, if a little small for a medium. Blue State also serves hot sandwiches, salads, soup and assorted snacks like fresh cut veggies and hummus, potato chips, and all the requisite baked goods. They even have gluten free cookies and bread.

But this isn’t an ad for Blue State. I’ve just happy Hartford finally has a decent Starbucks/Panera alternative.

The other great thing about Hartford on a Saturday afternoon was the atmosphere. A UConn game had just ended at the Civic Center XL Center, there was a good-sized crowd at the Atheneum and Front Street was hopping. I’ve organized an itinerary for you below.

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ITINERARY: Afternoon in Hartford

Where to Park in Hartford

Street parking is free on Saturdays and Sundays. We parked along Bushnell Park and walked to the Wadsworth from there.

Things to Do in Hartford

Wadsworth Atheneum
600 Main St
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 278-2670

Hartford Public Library
500 Main St
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 695-6300

Front Street Stadium Spotlight Theaters
39 Front St
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 422-7711

Places to Eat/Drink in Hartford

Blue State Coffee
77 Main Street
Hartford, CT

Salute
100 Trumbull St
Hartford, CT 06103

Salute is one of those restaurants that feels like home.

Dish Bar and Grill
100 Trumbull St
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 899-135

I normally love Dish but I’m mad them right now because they charged me $7 to swap a side of french fries for a baked potato. That’s just cheap, but their food is good so I have to recommend them. Just make sure you don’t have to swap anything and if you do, make sure your server doesn’t charge for ridiculous swaps like that.0

Filed Under: Connecticut, Travel Tagged With: art galleries, good for gorups, 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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