Stars Hollow.

[I'm sorry, but I can't help it. If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch WB Tue, 8ET.]

LOL! That was my first thought too, rkkwan! Altho', FWIW, my daughter has a friend from a small town in CT who said that she feels Stars Hollow is a pretty good representation. Not that that helps the OP any, unfortunately.

I actually did live in such a town for 2.5 years, but it's in RI, not CT. [Bristol, RI.] It's really pretty but sleepy - a few diners, some B&Bs, and the restaurants there close at around 8pm on weekdays, and aren't even for dinner Sundays.

Forget Fairfield County, New Haven County and Hartford County. What comes to mind right away is Litchfield County in the quiet northwest corner of Connecticut. (This is where Mia Farrow lives with her brood.)

This area is beautiful and has natural beauty, so you may want to do some research on the "quiet" corner of Connecticut.

Hi, chadandkim,

Try this web site:

http://www.ctbound.org/tourism_regions/default.asp

There are lots of quiet small towns in the Eastern half of the state. Except the areas too close to Storrs (U Conn) or Norwich (2 huge casinos), or the coast. But even along the coast, there may be quiet towns too. For example, one of my friend used to live in Sotrrington, near the RI border. It's just a few miles from Mystic, but it's as quiet a seaside town as it can be (except when the AMTRAK rolls by).

But, yeah, NW CT is also very nice.

I lived there for 12 years. Try,

Litchfield, Norfolk, Riverton in the Northwest Hills. You could spend a week easily there if you are into the outdoors.

Shore area - Harkness State Park is beautiful and it is near New London and Mystic Seaport.

Forget the wineries in CT. They are really, really bad and are not very picturesque.

Mystic Conn. comes to mind. I have been there and I am trying to picture it in my mind and can't. It is a Seaport town.

The towns along the coast, below New Haven, and beyond R.I. - think Essex, Old Lyme, Saybrook and Mystic are lovely, laid back, on the shore and near many attractions the family may enjoy. Litchfield County is beautiful- wonderful restaurants, a large lake (Lake Waponaug) but having spent several long holiday weekends there, there would not be as much to do as on the coast line.

JMHO, but, much as I enjoyed Mystic, I definitely wouldn't call it typical "small town America". Which is what the OP says he/she is looking for. It's far too touristy to be typical of most small towns.

In driving from our daughter's campus in Massachusetts to check out UCONN for our son, we passed through a lot of small, sleepy towns. Much more representative of small town America. So I suspect that the Western half of CT is more likely to fill the bill.

Forget Fairfield County???? Well, sure, forget it, we don't want tourists anyway, I could tell you about the gorgeous small town I live in there but it's a secret....I think Litchfield does have some very picturesque towns, Litchfield Green, Kent, The Lake Waramaug area with Hopkins Vineyard which is GORGEOUS (bad wine, but beautiful views if you drive up the hill in back of the tasting room), so I disagree with Denice about that.

As far as coastal towns, Stonington Burrough is my favorite, then Madison, Lyme (Go to Point O' Woods neighborhood), Old Saybrook where Kate Hepburn used to live, it says private but it's worth a spin around the peninsula, it's breathtaking, Saybrook Point.

There are loads of quaint small towns, true they may be a little more chic than quaint, but they're there, and the ones that look the same as they did 200 years ago look that way because no one talks about them and they get no tourists.

nina, <Forget Fairfield County??? Well sure forget it, we don't want tourists anyway> WOW! That's not a hospitable statement. I hope chadandkim don't take your comment to heart.

I live in Fairfield County, and it is (probably) the richest county in the U.S. Most of Fairfield County's towns do not typify a small town in Connecticut.

chadandkim, we welcome you to Connecticut. It is a beautiful state, and I wouldn't live anywhere else.

Although I live in Eastern CT now, I am most familiar with and fond of western CT.

The NW part of Litchfield County is beautiful -- my favorite towns are:

Litchfield -- it just 'looks' so New England (the white church, the town green) and has some interesting shops, good restaurants, lovely buildings and views. Busy on summer weekends.

Salisbury and Lakeville -- smaller, also look New Englandish, good restaurants, 'mountains' with great hiking trails (Appalachian Trail etc), lakes, scenic vistas

Norfolk -- my personal favorite, much smaller, "the ice box of CT" very pleasant when it's hot elsewhere, summer music, hiking

Other nice places -- Kent, Falls Village and West Cornwall on the Housatonic River -- covered bridge, waterfalls, state parks.

I was born in raised in Litchfield County (Torrington). My guess is that's what you're looking for. Don't overlook Litchfield (the town) - the town is absolutely a stunner with it's typical New England church and boulevard with gorgeous NE style mansions.

The county is home to many Hollywood types, Mia Farrow, yes, but also Tom Selleck, Meryl Streep, I thought Kevin Bacon lived there, etc. Consequently, there's a tinge of cosmopolitanism in the air. Some of the lakes in the area are also worth visits (Lake Waramaug, Bantam Lake, etc.) during the summer.

These are great and very informative! Thanks for your thoughtfulness. I don't know why I'm interested in it, but I love the old-time traditional towns. They are sort of vanishing these days and it's neat to see there are still some places where you can go to see them.

chadandkim

You're welcome. Enjoy your stay in CT!

Stars Hollow is a creation of CA born and bred Amy Sherman-Palladino. However, she came up with the idea of the setting after staying in this *real* CT inn that is located in a town called Washington, CT.
The Independence Inn, where Lorelai was the manager before opening her own inn, bears several resemblances to this place...Glad to know I am not alone in being a GG fan!!
http://www.mayflowerinn.com/

I am Kane, I was kidding, I live in Fairfield county too, and the town I live in is, IMO, one of the most beautiful, charming, and non-commercial that I've ever been to, and I'm not saying it's name!

On the other hand, there is another Fairfield County town that is like heaven on earth, and that is Southport Village. The harbor is spectacular, and the village looks probably the same as it did 200 years ago (but with nicer cars). I walk there about 3X a week, it's not reality in terms of affordability, but boy is it beautiful.

Nina, We are neighbors (within 15 miles), and I agree with you about Southport. The Center is beautiful, and the library is a one-of-a-kind. You probably know that people come from as far away as California for their annual book sale. How do they come up with these old rare books every year?

The only time I walked through Southport was when I was riding in a car with a real estate agent, and his car broke down! You should have seen me walking through Southport, and then onto the Post Road, with my suit and high heels.

Eastern Connecticut has many wonderful little towns including Mystic, a quaint community with Mystic Seaport, a maritime museum definitely worth seeing. Also in Mystic is the Mystic Aquarium, the kids love getting up close to the beluga whales. In Groton is the world's first nuclear powered submarine the USS Nautilus. In Brooklyn, you can visit Creamery Brook Bison and take a wagonride out to the herd of bison and they have great ice-cream! to get a feel for eastern Connectict, visit www.mysticcountry.com to see all the fun things to see and do. I love my little corner of the state and welcome you to visit.

I agree with alot of posters Mystic with it's aquarium and seaport is a great place to visit with kids. I could watch the whales for hours. Try the famous Mystic pizza. For that small town America feel go to Essex, lovely and quaint. The casinos are close to these places as well, even though it doesn't match your quaint village search you could hit them for a little excitement. I hear Mohegan sun has a great kids playplace. Ct welcomes you, have a great time

I would say that Mystic is definitely not small, quaint and a typical New England village any more. Although it has a lot to offer visitors, and I enjoy going there myself, it doesn't quite fit the desription of what you are looking for.
Here are some of my favorite small towns in SE Connecticut:

Essex: Voted best small town in America a few years back. Right on CT River. some highlights are CT River Museum, Essex Steam Train and River Boat, Griswold Inn (in operation since 1776), Ivoryton Playhouse, great nature parks, great NE architecture

Chester-Artist town with old architecture and some very fine stores. From there you can take the ferry across to Hadlyme and check out Gilette's Castle, beautiful grounds, interesting castle, unbelievable views, driving around that side of the river is truly amazing.

East Haddam-just up from Hadlyme has the Goodspeed Opera House and is right on the CT river also. The village is also an old NE village with shops and restaurants

Moodus and Devil's Hopyard State Park-unbelievably cool park right along the 8 mile river with large waterfalls and great hiking.

Colchester and Salmon River, Comstock Covered Bridge, Day Pond SP

The drive down route 156 to
Old Lyme- Does have more development but that part can be avoided and stick to the historical areas and check out the Florence Griswold Museum and the beautiful mansions on the original Main Street.

Old Saybrook is very built up but the Fenwick Point section, where someone else had mentioned that Kate Hepburn lived until she died, is spectacular to see the summer "cottages"

Further East:
Stonington is also a beautiful burough right on the water with terrific restaurants

NW corner is also a beautiful area with Litchfield, Norfolk, West Cornwall

Hope this helps

Essex, which some have already mentioned, is just as quaint as quaint can be. East Haddom and Old Lyme are also cute little towns, completely untouched by neon and commercialism. That is an area that I only went to because of my interest in art--wanted to see the Florence Griswold Museum. I was not prepared to fall totally in love with the place as I did. (Sorry Litchfield fans, there was something intangible here, maybe more earthiness, less pretension, that made me like it better. Although the Litchfield Hills are also nice...)

Wow, this is great. Many of you have had alot of great things to say about Essex. That sounds like a "must see".

Is it realistic to do the coastal towns -- say Stonington, Old Lyme, Essex, etc. in one weekend?

I never got to Stonington, but in Old Lyme and Essex, if all you're doing is walking the main street, you can be done in an hour for each! Now, if you add on time for museums, meals and relaxing, that adds a bit. So yes, a weekend would be ample time. I stayed at the Bee and Thistle and loved it, by the way. They have a lovely dining area on the porch, a nice garden, and they're on the river. And there are several other inns in town as well.

Sorry...The Bee and Thistle is in Old Lyme.

They can be done in one weekend, if you stayed Fri night in say either Essex or Old Lyme. Sat morning head out and do a loop that runs up one side of the river and down the other. That would be routes 154 on the west side of river and 156 on the east. Some of the places I mentioned above would be a detour off but not by far. That would take you all day on Saturday and then Sunday you could head up to Stonington. That is about a 35 minute drive. You would be trying to squeeze too much in to do all of them in one day.
As someone else mentioned there is The Bee and Thistle in Old Lyme as well as Old Lyme Inn. They are both very quiet places and are pretty much by themselves in the area.
The Griswold Inn is right in Essex Village, it is much livelier and is in the middle of all the shops, waterfront, CT River Museum, etc. The Copper Beech Inn is also in Essex, it is beautiful but not within walking distance to the village.

Hope this helps.

TTT

TTT???? The vacation was in June.

Well mine wasn't.

Sorry...didn't know you were asking as well...

No worries!

"Norfolk -- my personal favorite, much smaller, "the ice box of CT" very pleasant when it's hot elsewhere, summer music, hiking"

Ah... memories! I grew up in Colebrook and Norfolk, and actually went to a 2-room schoolhouse in Colebrook! (It is now a "museum", no less, which sure makes me feel old!)

Our kids never believed me about walking to school in Norfolk when it was -20 or so, but we did!

Northwestern CT IS lovely. Mountains, ponds, little towns, even today.

If you prefer the sea then I would also vote for Mystic but for the real N.England feel we loved Litchfield.They even have the first lawschool in the US.Paul

On Tuesday we took "back roads" from Amherst, MA where our daughter goes to school, to Storrs, CT so that our son could check out UConn.

I can't offer much in the way of specifics about where you might want to stay. But I can say that it was a very pretty drive. If I recall correctly, amaclise, you're a midwesterner. Believe me, that drive was like nothing you'd see around Chicago!

CAPH52. Right you are to a point. But I am also born and bred small town Connecticut and I miss it all the time!

amaclise, I can understand why you would. Don't get me wrong, I'm a born and bred Midwesterner. I love the Chicago area and I love being closer to my family. But I also have a real soft spot for the east. We lived in various parts of it for nine years when we were first married. And, as I mentioned, our daughter now goes to school in Massachusetts.

What strikes me anew every time we visit is how pretty the countryside is. As I said in my earlier post, it's like nothing you'll find around Chicago! With far too few exeptions, driving in the midwest is very boring!

exceptions!

How lucky you and your daughter are to spend time in the Happy Valley! She must be a smart cookie. I can also recommend UConn to your son - didn't go there but it is a fine school.

Topping for wildfire3068.

When my husband and I want to get away in CT. we head to Woodstock, Pomfret or any of the small towns in the NW corner. These are true small towns, filled with antique shops and beautiful land. Be sure to have lunch at The Golden Lamb and Buttery, in Woodstock. The restaurant is run by a husband and wife who retired on this beautiful farm from the city. She does the cooking, you will walk through the kitchen on the way to your table, he serves the guests. The farm is breathtaking, the food is fresh and lovely and the barn is filled with antiques and memoirs of their own, and the farms, past. Have a great trip!

Sorry, forgot the link!

http://www.thegoldenlamb.com/

OMG, it must be Sunday. That would be the northEastern part of the state. Sorry, it's known as the "Quiet Corner".

The northwestern part of Connecticut (Litchfield County) is known as the quiet corner.

I've lived in Connecticut (southwestern) all of my 60+ years, and I have never heard a moniker for the northeastern part of Connecticut.

Northeast Corner



For a peaceful getaway, Connecticut's "Quiet Corner" offers picturesque villages and farms, naturally beautiful woodlands and lakes. Antique lovers delight in the varied shops and lovely vintage homes.

Even tho the original poster has come and gone I would like to vote for Bridgewater, New Milford, Washington, New Preston and Litchfield, CT. Thanks

Well, what do you know! Living down here (Fairfield County), I've never heard the northeastern corner called "The Quiet Corner."

I'm glad you enlighted me.