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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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Day Trip | Sunset Meadows Vineyard

August 14, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin 1 Comment

Sunset Meadows Vineyard in Goshen, CT - 5

I was doing some winery research on Yelp and came across a glowing review that ended with, “I love this winery, I just wish it were closer.” I love that these wineries are *not* that close by. I live in Farmington, a town with many beautiful old houses, good places to eat and scenic beauty, but one of my favorite parts of time spent on the Connecticut Wine Trail is driving to the wineries. I get excited when I see ‘Connecticut Scenic Route’ signs, and I feel very lucky that I get to spend an afternoon (or a whole day) driving these back roads of Connecticut on the hunt for a glass of wine and a seat with a pretty view.

The drive through Litchfield County to Sunset Meadows is one of those exceptionally beautiful drives, winding through Litchfield and down Route 63. Once you arrive, the winery has  a comfortable tasting room, lots of snacks to choose from (cheese and chocolate) and copious amounts of both indoor and outdoor seating making it a good place to visit year-round. I visited with Johnna, Sarah and Sean, and we are eagerly awaiting a return trip this fall.

A Day Trip to Sunset Meadows Vineyard

Sunset Meadows Vineyard in Goshen, CT - 3

Sunset Meadows Vineyard in Goshen, CT - 6

Sunset Meadows Vineyard in Goshen, CT - 2

Sunset Meadows Vineyard in Goshen, CT - 4

Sunset Meadows Vineyard in Goshen, CT - 7

A Day Trip to Sunset Meadows Vineyard in Goshen, CT

You can make this a seriously romantic day trip by pairing it with dinner at one of the high-end restaurants in the area, or make it a more casual day with a hike at Mohawk Mountain before or after your stop at the winery.

Sunset Meadows
599 Old Midde Street
Goshen, CT 06756

Make it a winery hopping day with a stop at Miranda Vineyard.

Miranda Vineyard
42 Ives Road
Goshen, CT 06756

Mohawk is a nice, easy-but-beautiful hike to conquer pre-vineyard. I always tend to appreciate the winery visit even more if I’ve done some outdoorsy-type activity beforehand, and this hike is gentle enough that you can bring inexperienced hikers without worry they’ll be exhausted afterwards.

Mohawk State Forest
20 Mohawk Mountain Rd
Goshen, CT 06756

Foodies should hit Nodine’s known for their smoked meats, specialty mustards, and pate’s to take home, or to bring to the winery.

Nodine’s Gourmet Store
39 North Street
Goshen, CT 06756

There are so many great dining options in this area. I love At The Corner for post-winery burgers. Foodies rave over Community Table and De Capo.

At the Corner
3 West Street
Litchfield, CT 06759

Da Capo
625 Torrington Rd
Litchfield, CT 06759

Rooster Tail Inn
11 Cornwall Road
Litchfield, CT 06754

Community Table
223 Litchfield Turnpike
Washington, CT 06777

Places to go in and near Goshen, Connecticut

Goshen is part of Litchfield County. More things to see, eat and visit in the area: Things to do in Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Read more about the Connecticut Wine Trail.1

Filed Under: Connecticut, Food + Drinks, Travel Tagged With: ct wine trail, good for groups, Goshen, Litchfield County, romantic

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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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