GRISWOLDDAD
Parenting, Entertainment, and Travel Tips
Things to Do in Connecticut
*For a list of Connecticut's best yearly events, click here.
East Haddam
Built in 1914, Gillette Castle was named after its actor owner, William Gillette, and is also called the Seventh Sister because it sits on the seventh of a chain of hills called the Seven Sisters. When Gillette died, he had no one to leave the Castle to and even stated in his will that it couldn't go to a "blithering sap-head who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded." So, the state took over the property and turned it into a park which was later added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Hartford
Hartford is home to the homes of two famous authors, Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe. You tour either author's home and museum.
New Haven
Connecticut is known for it's bucolic scenery, Victorian and Cape Cod architecture, and antiquing! New Haven, in the fall, is a wonderful place to see all of the above.
Warren
Connecticut is also known for its lovely B&B's and Inns. We found an exceptional Victorian inn in the Litchfield Hills area in Warren, the Hopkins Inn. It is positioned just beside Lake Waramaug, so it has great views. Plus it has a private beach area on the lake, an in-house Austrian restaurant, and a winery, complete with vineyards. The food was really good, by the way. Also, in the fall, this area is filled with colorful Autumn leaf beauty.
Washington Depot
My wife loved "The Gilmore Girls" and eventually got me to watch every episode with her. I liked the show but fell in love with the small town, of Stars Hollow, CT. Well, Stars Hollow is based on the real world town of Washington Depot. You definitely get the feel and atmosphere of Stars Hollow as you drive and walk through the town. Plus, you can grab lunch at the inspiration for Luke's, The Crossroads Café.
