April 30-May 1: MERIDEN, Meriden Daffodil Festival. Celebrate the blooming of the 600,000 daffodils in Hubbard Park. Enjoy the parade, a juried crafts fair, food prepared by local nonprofit organizations, a business expo, and a spectacular fireworks display. 203-630-4259; daffodilfest.com May 6-7: FARMINGTON, Hill-Stead May Market. All the crafts and plants you need to start […]
You’re bound to find treasure when you hunt along the Connecticut Antiques Trail. Antiques hunter Polly Bannister describes her own experience. The broad, mile-long Main Street of Woodbury, Connecticut, is lined with remarkable historic homes built since the town’s settlement in 1673, each more beautifully restored than the next. It seems that nearly every house […]
With its significant coastline and interior farmland, Connecticut suffers no shortage of great food from land and sea. But notwithstanding the state’s well-documented affection for pizza, it seems that the humble hamburger is the point of greatest pride in these parts–and it may have even been invented here. Where would American cuisine (and the U.S. […]
BEST ART ON A HILL Sculpture Barn, New Fairfield Dynamic in feeling, diverse in media, this atelier’s contemporary works reside in natural spaces both inside and out. The changing exhibit gallery was once owned by Louise Nevelson’s son. 3 Milltown Road. 203-746-6101; sculpturebarn.com BEST PEACEFUL RETREAT St. Edmund’s retreat, Enders Island, Mystic This retreat house […]
POTTERY PERFECTION Bantam Tileworks, Bantam Fired up by a many-colored spectrum of ceramic-topped game boards, trays, and handmade tableware, owners Darin Ronning and Travis Messinger make their one-of-a-kinds affordable, with prices from $20 to $100. Don’t miss the menagerie of bas-relief animal tiles. 931 Bantam Road (Route 202). 860-361-9306; bantamtileworks.com COTTAGE RETREAT Beech Tree Cottages, […]
BEST BALINESE IMPORTS Agabhumi: The Best of Bali, Westport Filled with beautiful, diverse jewelry, handbags, scarves, and sandals, all fashioned far away, but a good fit here. The prices will keep you coming back for seconds. 165 Post Road East. 203-557-0188; agabhumi.com BEST GARDEN & PICNIC PARK Wickham Park, Manchester Gardens inspired by England, Italy, […]
BEST TUBING Farmington River, New Hartford The gentle rapids here provide a rollicking good ride down a 2.5-mile stretch. Farmington River Tubing provides tubes, lifejackets, and a shuttle bus from the take-out back to the starting point (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day). 92 Main St. 960-693-6465; farmingtonrivertubing.com BEST RIVERSIDE BIKING Essex Loop, Essex A […]
BEST IMPRESSIONIST SUNSETS Bee & Thistle Inn & Spa,Old Lyme All nine guestrooms in this Colonial mansion are as graceful as the works of the American Impressionists who once painted beside its backyard river. There’s also a convivial restaurant and a rare petanque court for French lawn bowling. Rates: from $170. 100 Lyme St. 800-622-4946, […]
BEST CHOCOLATE INFUSION Chocopologie Cafe, South Norwalk No apologies for sweet-tooth temptations from breakfast to bedtime: cocoa-intensive baked goods for dessert and candies such as ginger-passion fruit. There are savory offerings, too, and a French-accented menu that includes cocoa-braised short ribs. Entrées: from $15. 12 South Main St. 203-854-4754; chocopologie.com BEST CITY CHIC Firebox, Hartford […]
This morning’s sunrise in front of an old mansion in Woodstock, Ct with two old large ‘atom-looking’ globes at the entrance.
