• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

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

  • About
  • Connecticut
    • CT Wine Trail
    • Farmers Markets
    • Kid-Friendly
    • Going Solo
    • Good for Groups
    • Historic
    • Outdoorsy
    • Pet Friendly
    • Preppy
    • Romantic
  • Caribbean
  • Travel
    • Europe
    • Connecticut
    • Florida
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • Texas
    • Vermont
    • Washingon, DC

Afternoon Hike to the Heublein Tower in Bloomfield

September 25, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin 3 Comments

Afternoon Hike to the Hueblein Tower in Simsbury, Connecticut

Mike and I decided to head to the tower in mid-September. We were both in the mood for a day trip but had to many errands to run, cleaning to do, and Saabs to fix to go much further than 20 minutes away.  A hike to the Hueblien Tower seemed like the perfect compromise.

Because this was mid-September, we didn’t get to experience that spectacular, vibrant fall foliage this hike is known for (for that, see Sarah’s hike there last fall), but it did give us the chance to spend a few hours outdoors on a beautiful Sunday, and a good excuse to try Republic, a new restaurant in Bloomfield for beers and football after our hike. A note on Republic: we just stopped in for a quick snack because we had a pot roast in the slow cooker at home, but after looking over the menu, and reading about it on Leeanne’s blog, I cannot wait to go back for a full meal.

You can see the leaves are getting ready to turn, but not quite there yet. That was fine. It’s still a very pretty hike, and we were psyched to see a hang glider peeking through the trees every few minutes on our way up the mountain.

Afternoon Hike to the Hueblein Tower in Bloomfield

Afternoon Hike to the Hueblein Tower in Simsbury, Connecticut

Afternoon Hike to the Hueblein Tower in Simsbury, Connecticut

Afternoon Hike to the Hueblein Tower in Simsbury, Connecticut

Afternoon Hike to the Hueblein Tower in Simsbury, Connecticut

Itinerary for Afternoon Hike to the Hueblein Tower

Talcott Mountain State Park
Heublein Tower Trail
560 Simsbury Road, Rt. 185
Bloomfield, CT

Republic
39 Jerome Avenue
Bloomfield, CT 06002

What to do in and near Bloomfield, Connecticut

Bloomfield is part of the Farmington Valley and Hartford County.

 1

Filed Under: Connecticut, Travel Tagged With: a good walk, Bloomfield, Farmington Valley, foliage, good for groups, Hartford County, pet-friendly

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Elizabeth Larkin circle copy

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

Explore

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Explore

Plan B Burger Bar in Glastonbury, CT - 1

Postcard from Plan B Burger Bar in Glastonbury

A Late Morning at Dondero Orchards in Glastonbury

Couples Tower Isle in Ocho Rios Jamaica

Ah, Jamaica. Our Adventure at Couples Tower Isle in Ocho Rios Jamiaca

Saturday Farmers Market in Washington Depot CT

Washington, Connecticut: The Town That Inspired Gilmore Girls [Itinerary]

Taylor Brook Winery in Woodstock

Taylor Brooke Winery in Woodstock

How to Make Pasta Salad that Travels Well - 1

How to Make Pasta Salad that Travels Well

Travel Ideas Straight in Your Inbox

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 […]

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework