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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 Favorite Places in Connecticut

December 18, 2011 by Elizabeth Larkin 5 Comments

The idea for Connecticut Day Trips was hatched when I moved from NYC back to my hometown in Connecticut in early 2011. Everyone kept asking me if I missed the city, and I surprised myself every time by saying, “No, I’m pretty happy here.” The truth is, I find Connecticut to be ideal for people who love travel, food and wine. It’s small geographical size is one of it’s greatest strengths, as you can get from one end of the state to the other in less than two hours, while passing beautiful scenery, terrific road food, plenty of museums to visit, mountains to climb, and trails to hike along the way.

Here are five places currently topping my list of venues to day trip to in Connecticut:

1. The Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington.

For both it’s picturesque landscape and world-class impressionist art collection, I like to go to the Hill-Stead for the farmer’s market, the house tours, and to just stroll the grounds taking in the scenery.

2. Barcelona in Norwalk.

I love Barcelona for their killer combination of paella and sangria. It’s my go-to restaurant when I visit my friends Nancy and Dan in Fairfield County, who thankfully, are also big paella-sangria fans making it much easier to share this huge family-style feast. (Thankfully, I have on right around the corner from me in West Hartford, too)

3. Plimptons in West Hartford. (now closed)

I grew up within walking distance to Plimptons in West Hartford Center (it’s one of the remaining stalwarts in the area), and while other kids wanted to hit up the Record Express and Baskin and Robbins (now a Ben and Jerry’s) after school, I loved to browse Plimpton’s rows of high-end office supplies and travel accessories, carefully selecting what I would purchase with an unlimited school supply budget. I guess that’s why I grew up to write about organization and productivity.

4. Antiques Marketplace in Putnam.

For it’s combination of size and range of different antique items (furniture, table top, clothing, jewelry, art work), I don’t think you can beat the Antiques Marketplace. It’s your best bet for a one-stop shopping experience in the “Quiet Corner,” not too mention it’s close proximity to the wonderful 85 Main, Courthouse Bar & Grille, and Sharpe Hill Vineyard. This area is a daytripper’s paradise.

5. Haight-Brown in Litchfield.

This is the winery to which I eagerly bring friends because it’s huge tasting room is the perfect marriage of large and inviting–so there’s no fighting for a place to sit–with a surprisingly cozy feel. They pair their wine with cheese and chocolate, and offer the chance to stop at my new favorite bar, At The Corner (also in Litchfield) for a burger and homemade potato chips.3

Filed Under: Connecticut, Travel Tagged With: ct wine trail, Fairfield County, good places, Greater Hartford, Hartford County, Litchfield County, museums, outdoorsy, Quiet Corner, Windham 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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