Where in Connecticut?
Oct 12th, 2003, 05:46 PM
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Where in Connecticut?
My husband and I are thinking of traveling to CT for the better part of a week. We like botanical gardens, small fishing villages, day trips, hiking, living museums, greenhouses, good local places to eat--not tourist traps.
Thinking of Mystic? Other ideas? Appreciate suggestions.
Thinking of Mystic? Other ideas? Appreciate suggestions.
Oct 13th, 2003, 06:13 AM
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Here's a good website to get started researching.
http://www.ctbound.org/Default.asp
I personally find Mystic a bit touristy & more oriented for kids but that's just one woman's opinion
You might want to check out whether there are any special events going on while you're there (there's an events section on that website).
http://www.ctbound.org/Default.asp
I personally find Mystic a bit touristy & more oriented for kids but that's just one woman's opinion
You might want to check out whether there are any special events going on while you're there (there's an events section on that website).
Oct 13th, 2003, 06:19 AM
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Mystic is a tourist trap...got this from a co-worker who lives in CT.
He said to check Gilford area, which is great for hiking and people crabbing right off the road, old style farm area on the coast. I'll provide more info as he remembers.
He said to check Gilford area, which is great for hiking and people crabbing right off the road, old style farm area on the coast. I'll provide more info as he remembers.
Oct 13th, 2003, 03:48 PM
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I would suggest Stonington Village for a night - upscale harbor village with shops, inns and restaurants. It's a few miles from Mystic so you can easily visit. I do recommend Mystic even if just for an afternoon (this is coming from a former local). You might want to visit Old Saybrook and Essex and take the boat/train ride along the Connecticut River if it is still in season. For museums, I haven't been, but have heard great things about the Mashantucket Pequot museum (again, a short ride if you stay in Stonington). For hiking, I would suggest you drive 1.5 hours from the southeast coast and head to Litchfield Hills. I've only been there once, so someone else will have to fill you in on that part. 13 miles of the Appalacian Trail cut through that area though.
Oct 13th, 2003, 04:26 PM
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I assume you are planning ahead..late spring or early summer 2004? I would include a day in Litchfield to see the lovely antique shops and White Flower Farm. Their herbaceous borders are incredible and the town in fairy tale perfect. LMF
Oct 14th, 2003, 02:27 AM
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We just visited the Pequot Museum and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Although it is not a living museum, the hands and feet of the life size figures were cast from real people and are fascinating. Visitors receive an audio guide so you can explore the indoor village at your own speed. If you are especially interested in a particular feature it allows you to choose to hear more information about that feature. We also visited the small nature museum Pequotsepos near Stonington because they were having a wild mushroom festival (late Sept). They had a great "meadow at night" room and it looked like they had some good hiking trails. In Mystic we loved the homemade ice cream at the Drawbridge and had lobster rolls at the famous Abbots. I don't think they have the best but they are certainly in a beautiful location. I would check the local newspapers to see if any garden tours are being offered when you visit. I have been on some in New Hampshire that have been very intesting. Great fun to see other peoples' backyards. Usually these are in mid to late June.
Oct 14th, 2003, 06:16 AM
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Friends of mine stay in the Manor House in Norfolk (nw corner) every year when they go to Tanglewood & love it. And if you like antiquing, I recently "discovered" the town of Sheffield, Mass. (just over the CT border). On Route 7 in Sheffield, there's one antique shop after another (but it may be further than you want to go).
Oct 14th, 2003, 08:06 AM
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If you stay in Mystic, you might consider Randall's Ordinary Inn & Restaurant (www.randallsordinary.com). It's a restored 17th century inn and some meals are cooked in the open fireplace. I can't speak for the rooms but we enjoyed dinner.
In eastern Conn., Rte 169 is a national scenic byway -- stone walls, winding roads, etc -- and worth a look. Stop in Brooklyn for an unforgettable lunch at The Golden Lamb Buttery. (Make reservations well in advance.)
In western Conn., as others have said, the Litchfield area is worth checking out. Kent Falls State Park should make an especially good hike in the spring time. It's on Rt 7. There's a covered bridge in West Cornwall.
If you're passing through Hartford, stop by the Mark Twain House. A beautiful museum is opening on the property in late November.
Have a great vacation!
In eastern Conn., Rte 169 is a national scenic byway -- stone walls, winding roads, etc -- and worth a look. Stop in Brooklyn for an unforgettable lunch at The Golden Lamb Buttery. (Make reservations well in advance.)
In western Conn., as others have said, the Litchfield area is worth checking out. Kent Falls State Park should make an especially good hike in the spring time. It's on Rt 7. There's a covered bridge in West Cornwall.
If you're passing through Hartford, stop by the Mark Twain House. A beautiful museum is opening on the property in late November.
Have a great vacation!
Oct 14th, 2003, 12:12 PM
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If you do go through Hartford, I would also add the Wadsworth Atheneum, an excellent and unsung museum that houses a great collection of Calders (stabiles and mobiles), an incredible Cole Gallery (an entire room filled with massive, gorgeous landscapes), and great examples of early Boston-crafted furniture. I'd second Stonington Borough, and would recommend dining at the Water Street Cafe on, of course, Water Street. I'll also second (third?) the Mashantucket Pequot Museum next to Foxwoods casino. Mystic is worth a stop for the Drawbridge Ice Cream Parlor(Mystic Mud, in particular) and the Harp and Hound is proving to be a welcome Irish Pub addition to Downtown. For hiking, I'd recommend packing a lunch and going to Devil's Hopyard, which has several good trails and a nice reservoir - it's about 35 minutes or so northwest (?) of Mystic. For botanical gardens, there is an arboretum at Connecticut College, and I believe they give tours if you call in advance. Various Shakespeare groups perform regularly in the gardens there. Have fun!
Oct 14th, 2003, 03:25 PM
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I forgot about Devil's Hopyard. If you head there,then visit Gillette's castle on the Connecticut River.
As for Randal's Ordinary, the Mashantuckets purchased it a few years ago, and I've only heard bad things about it since then.
As for Randal's Ordinary, the Mashantuckets purchased it a few years ago, and I've only heard bad things about it since then.
Oct 14th, 2003, 08:29 PM
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This summer a dear friend and I had to quickly "turn lemons into
lemonade" and create a Connecticut
holiday after getting stymied by NYC's
blackout (our intended destination).
We were most pleasantly surprised by
the beautiful Conn. coast.....wished
we could've stayed at the Madison Inn
(the only inn RIGHT on the water with
balconies and verandas looking out over
the sea)in the town of Madison. Since we couldn't have booked in advance we were turned away from that lovely spot.
We ended up at a dismal Super 8 in
Old Saybrooke but had a fantastic meal
(and again, wished we'd been staying)
at the wonderful & historic Griswold Inn, in Essex. Essex was so charming and has a town museum, I believe, right at the harbor. Weekends the
Griswold offers Banjo Night in its pub
which drew quite a crowd was a lot of
fun to hear during dinner.
I'd be cautious in Mystic. We found
the FREE tour of the nuclear sub to be
fascinating but Mystic Village itself,
altho pretty, charges a lot for entrance and may have the worst food
concession, as its only offering, of any tourist spot I've visited. After paying
a pretty penny to get in and then more
for the miserable lunch all 8 of us
were served....it was hard to maintain
a wholly open mind about the place.
My best advice is to be sure to eat
ANY where else but within the Village.
Awful clams--burgers like tree bark
which I had to return--and I can almost
always eat what's put in front of me.
The coastal areas seemed to abound
with lovely B&B's but thru no fault of our own (we'd booked our
NYC accomodations well in advance.....
just couldn't reach them in the blackout! (sigh)--we were turned away
from many places since we were calling
for that night's availability. Since
you're doing good planning you should
be just fine. Madison and Essex were
spots I'd love to return to. Hope this
helps.
Oct 14th, 2003, 08:39 PM
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Oops.....In Madison, the lovely inn
on the water is, in fact, the Madison Beach Hotel.....as well, so as not to have you hunting for a submarine in Mystic proper, the nuclear sub is the Nautilus and is moored in nearby Groton. Good luck!
on the water is, in fact, the Madison Beach Hotel.....as well, so as not to have you hunting for a submarine in Mystic proper, the nuclear sub is the Nautilus and is moored in nearby Groton. Good luck!
Oct 15th, 2003, 05:21 AM
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Sluggo mentioned Golden Lamb Buttery in Brooklyn (CT). If you are going that way I would also recommend a meal there. Dinner is a great experience with cocktails in the "barn", a hayride, and your table for the entire evening as they only have one seating. They do have a 2 bedroom cottage that you can reserve. We stayed there one night and had an incredible time with our friends. Breakfast was prepared for us at the cottage. The property is beautiful - tree lined lanes, ponds, and fields. We stayed there a few years ago, so hopefully nothing has changed.
Oct 30th, 2003, 12:10 PM
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Essex is a quaint town on the water where you can walk around comfortably, have lunch, visit the museum at the end of town on foot which is right on the water. The Black Seal is great for dinner (small place that does nopt take reservations).
