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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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Union Pond Hike in Manchester

April 1, 2016 by Elizabeth Larkin Leave a Comment

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I feel like every time I do a new hike and write about it here, I’m writing copy for an ad agency. “If you like xxx, then you’ll absolutely love this hike” Maybe it’s the spring (lack of) Mad Men influence? It’s also kind of why I started this blog: to evangelize the stuff I like to do in Connecticut. Anyway, this wasn’t our favorite hike (“our” being my best hiking friend Ellen and myself). It’s kind of… weird. Like, at one point we walked 5 feet off the hiking path and had a clear shot of VIP Manchester.

So, if you love weird, then this is the hike for you!

First of all, it was hard to find. Even though we had the same address, Ellen ended up in one parking lot, and I ended up in another, and they were a 2-minute drive apart.

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Itinerary: Union Pond Hike in Manchester

Directions + Map

Take I-384 to I-84 to eastbound exit 63, straight off ramp continue south on Oakland St. for 3/4 mile, take right onto North School St., parking is available on left in Robertson Park or across the street in Union Pond Park. This trail is not wheelchair accessible.

Places to Eat + Drink

In Manchester, I like to stay away from the Buckland Hills area because of the huge amounts of traffic. Here are some non-chain restaurants to hit up after your hike

Mulberry Street
981 Main St
Manchester, CT 06040
Phone:(860) 645-8646

Corey’s Catsup & Mustard
623 Main St
Manchester, CT 06040

Corey’s sports Mike’s favorite burgers in all of Connecticut. Seating and service can be a little slow, one time we got our meals on the house because they took so long, but the burgers are worth it. They also have a nice beer selection.

Bui Vietnamese Cuisine
964 Main St
Manchester, CT 06040

Three Amigos Mexican Taqueria
298 Middle Turnpike W
Manchester, CT 06040
Phone:(860) 645-11113

Filed Under: Connecticut, Travel Tagged With: going solo, good for groups, Greater Hartford, Hartford County, Manchester, outdoorsy, UConn Area

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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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