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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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Good Pizza in the Farmington Valley

June 11, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin 3 Comments

Little City Pizza  in Simsbury, CT - 05

When people think “Connecticut Pizza” they’re probably not thinking “Simsbury” or “Canton,” most likely they have in mind a thin crust slice of heaven from one of the famed apizzas in New Haven.  

But good pizza can be found north of the of the 91/95 interchange, even as far north as the Farmington Valley. Olees in Farmington gets high marks from my mother, a confirmed New York pizza snob, and I love Colony Grill’s hot oil, which I first tried while living in New York and working in Stamford where their flagship restaurant is located. In fact, I have two of their pies in the freezer right now: bacon and onion, and the traditional hot oil. 

Five Good Places for Pizza in The Farmington Valley Connecticut

Colony Grill
315 W Main St
Avon, CT 06001

Joe Pizza
140 Albany Turpike
Canton, CT 06070

Little City Pizza
926 Hopmeadow St
Simsbury, CT 06070

Naples Pizza
838 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06032

Olees Pizza
222 Main Street
Farmington, CT 06032

(Picture is from my last visit to Little City Pizza in Simsbury, CT)

Make It a Day Trip
More good things to see, eat, and do in the Farmington Valley and Hartford County:

Hike to the Heublein Tower Day Trip
Day Trip to Lost Acres Orchard in North Granby
Day Trip to the Hill-Stead Museum Farmers Market
A Rainy Day at Bushy Hill Orchard
Good Places for Happy Hour in West Hartford
5 Places for Coffee in Hartford
5 Good Restaurants for Brunch in Hartford

The series Five Good Places started because I kept finding myself in unfamiliar towns and villages and wondering where to eat. I didn’t want Subway or McDonald’s, I wanted something unique and special, so I decided to do a little research ahead of time and am continually compiling dining guides for towns and regions. Peruse them all: Five Good Places.

You can also suggest a good place by emailing me, or leave a comment below.0

Filed Under: Connecticut, Food + Drinks, Travel Tagged With: Avon, Farmington, Farmington Valley, good places, Hartford County, pizza, Simsbury

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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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