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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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Things to Do Near Winvian in Morris

October 27, 2012 by Elizabeth Larkin 1 Comment

Winivan in Morris, Connecticut - 2

The best place to wait out a major hurricane, freak snow storm, or other natural catastrophe is–by far–a city. Mike and I remained blithely unaware of the doom inflicted on Greater Hartford for a full 24 hours after 2011’s “Snocktober” storm because we were in Hartford.

That Saturday night we walked to the Half Door for dinner and saw a band, later on watched movies at home, and the next morning got coffee at Tisane without incident. It wasn’t until we left the city that we noticed anything had gone awry.  So with another October “perfect storm” bearing down on us, my advice is: move to a city where you can walk everywhere.

If you can’t move, a rural, enchanting, all-inclusive spa may be your next best bet. There’s a page on this site where readers can suggest places for me to visit. Many people email me with suggestions for hotels with spas like the Mayflower, Essex Day Spa, Norwich Inn, Interlaken, and by far the most popular, the Winvian in Morris, Connecticut. I’m wholeheartedly approve of these suggestions, and I will get to them someday, but currently, the Connecticut Day Trips budget does not allow for the necessary research on these spa-inns.

That’s not going to stop me from imagining what I’d do for the day if I were staying in one of these famous inns, nor did it stop me from doing a drive by on Winvian the other night after a day trip in the Litchfield area.  Winvian is and all-inclusive inn with it’s own spa, restaurant, farm, and cottages to frolic in, but for the intrepid guest who wants a break from all of that champagne, spa treatments, gourmet food, and natural beauty of the inn’s grounds, here’s what I’d do with a day in the area.

Things to Do Near Winvian in Morris

Litchfield County has a great deal to offer: wineries, the outdoors adventures, and the fine dining experiences. Here are my picks:

Make Your Own Picnic in Bantam

The would be a fantastic way to spend a late morning or early afternoon before heading off to either a winery, a hike, or a walk around town in Litchfield. The Bantam Bread Co. and Arethusa’s Dairy produce some of the best to-go food in Litchfield County. If you do any fine dining in the region, chances are you’ll be enjoying some of their goods, so stop by and build your own picnic.

Wine Tasting at Haight-Brown

Haight-Brown is one of the best wineries to visit during colder months due to their large, inviting tasting room. The tasting room has a large bar to sidle up to, fireplaces to gather around, and a beautiful view of the rolling hills of Litchfield County.

Spend an Afternoon Shopping in New Preston

If you have the coin to stay at Winvian, then I’ve got a perfect little hamlet you can shop till you drop in. New Preston has a high-end kitchen supply store, a high-end antique store, and a high-end baby clothing store. Plus, it’s gorgeous. If you’ve visited the Winvian in the hopes of finding a charming little town, you will find the landscape of New Preston ideal.

A Drive By at South Farms

This is one of those pretty places that really sticks with you. It’s just a farm and a farm stand, but it has such a nice vibe and is in the middle of such a picturesque area, it’s worth the drive by.

Morris is part of Litchfield County. Find more things to see, eat and visit in Litchfield County, Connecticut.11

Filed Under: Connecticut, Travel Tagged With: Litchfield County, Litchfield Hills, Morris, 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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