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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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Blue Oar in Haddam: A Little Something Special on the River

August 13, 2015 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

The drive to the Blue Oar in Haddam is a quick one from Hartford down Route 9, and once you’re off the highway it’s all twisty roads with old Victorian homes and overgrown gardens.

The Blue Oar in Haddam Connecticut

I love Litchfield County, the Quiet Corner is a favorite and I will begrudgingly admit that Fairfield County is beautiful. There are some parts of Hartford that are stunning (NO I AM NOT KIDDING). But there’s something enchanting about the CT River Valley; Chester, Hadlyme, Essex—this is a special part of the state.* If you ever get a case of the Connecticuts (“Why am I here? The taxes are so high! The winters are so cold!”) a visit to the Connecticut River Valley will cure you quickly.

What is the Blue Oar? Well, it’s part-restaurant and part-hang out space situated right on the river. There’s a dock and boats to gawk at, but you’re really there to dine on the river. I went with my friends Suzi and Jon (Mike was in Pomfret working on a car–his loss).

Tips for Visiting the Blue Oar

  1. It’s BYOB, and that includes glassware and bottle openers. The line is long during the summer so you may also want to bring a cooler. The people in line ahead of us were regulars and they had pitchers of mixed drinks, highball glasses and ice with them and they started drinking while waiting to get into the restaurant. It’s a very festive atmosphere.
  2. It’s cash-only.
  3. It’s dependent on weather as there is no inside seating.
  4. When you arrive, you wait in line, they send you to a table. You drop your stuff down and then go wait in line inside the main building to order your food. They give you a numbered sign to put on your table and 1.5 to 2 hours later, your food arrives.

Yes, yes. You’re here for the atmosphere. This is Haddam, not Manhattan and you will wait for your food. That’s why you bring drinks and good friends (or a date) to entertain yourself. The food was meh. We all agreed that next time we’d order simpler dishes (the menu ranges from rib eyes ad scallop entrees to burgers) and we we’d get there earlier. We arrive at 7:15pm and by the time our food arrived it was pitch-black and almost 9pm.

Go, get something simple and enjoy the view.

The Blue Oar in Haddam Connecticut
The Blue Oar in Haddam Connecticut
The Blue Oar in Haddam Connecticut
The Blue Oar in Haddam Connecticut

The Blue Oar
16 Snyder Rd
Haddam, CT 06438
(860) 345-2994

*Purists will tell you that the entire central part of the state (aka the 91 Corridor) is the River Valley but traditionally people think of Chester, Deep River, East Haddam, Essex, Haddam, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook as the true River Valley.19

Filed Under: Connecticut, Food + Drinks Tagged With: Eastern Connecticut, good for groups, Haddam, Middlesex County, Preppy Connecticut, 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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