Is This the Real Life Stars Hollow?

Ever since the first episode of Gilmore Girls aired on the WB in October of 2000, fans of the show have scoured Connecticut for a town with the same quirky quaintness as the fictional Stars Hollow. New Milford, Connecticut, is one of the strongest contenders. While the show’s creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, is known to have been inspired by her stay at the Mayflower Inn & Spa in nearby Washington, Connecticut, New Milford has an assortment of features (and photo ops!) that more readily invite you to feel as though you’ve landed in Lorelai and Rory Gilmore’s world when you visit.

So, stream a few reruns to spark your appetite for coffee and tacos and your desire to stroll arm-in-arm through a cute town with someone you love. Then, set your GPS for New Milford in northwestern Connecticut (not to be confused with Milford on the shoreline), and use our guide to help you find a bit of Stars Hollow magic.

A Historic Connecticut Village

Stop one on your Gilmore Girls tour: the New Milford Town Green. This grassy half-acre in the heart of town has an 1875 bandstand that will immediately remind you of the Stars Hollow gazebo. Like the gazebo you remember from the TV show, the bandstand plays host to performances and is dressed up seasonally with patriotic bunting, pumpkins and hay, and holiday lights. While New Milford may not have an omnipresent troubadour like Stars Hollow, Connecticut does have an officially appointed state troubadour, so you may want to listen to Kala Farnham on Spotify as you’re strolling the narrow, three-section green.

The fictional Stars Hollow was founded in 1779. New Milford, Connecticut, traces its origins back to the earlier part of that century. The first settlers built homes here in 1707, and New Milford was officially established in 1712. Near the green, another classic New England photo op is Roger Sherman Town Hall, an early example of Colonial Revival brick architecture built in 1875. Do the town meetings held inside unfold as comically as those presided over by Taylor Doose? It’s doubtful.

Staying in “Stars Hollow”

The Independence Inn was the place to stay in Stars Hollow… until an electrical fire caused catastrophic damage. If you’re looking for a white clapboard inn with a columned porch that brings the Independence Inn back to life, look no further than the Homestead Inn, which has stood on the north end of the New Milford Green since 1928. Check-in is contactless these days, so you won’t have to deal with attitude from the likes of Michel Gerard, the Independence Inn’s snooty but lovable concierge.

Fans of the TV town know that after the Independence Inn’s demise, Lorelai and chef Sookie St. James opened the Dragonfly Inn, where they even had two horses, Desdemona and Cletus. You’ll find stables on-property at New Milford’s Candlelight Farms Inn, too. Located about 5 miles west of the center of town, Candlelight Farms is primarily a wedding venue, but six simple guest rooms and horseback riding lessons are available to traveling Gilmore Girls fans.

Going to School in “Stars Hollow”

If you’re looking for a pretty barn like the one where Miss Patty teaches dance classes (and Rory and her boyfriend, Dean Forester, fell asleep), drive north of the New Milford Town Green about 2.5 miles to Fieldstone Nursery. On your way, you’ll pass Canterbury School… and feel as though you’ve stumbled upon Rory’s alma mater: Chilton.

Of Course There’s a Diner

It wouldn’t be Stars Hollow without a thriving diner like Luke’s, and New Milford has Theo’s Downtown Diner, open for breakfast and lunch (no dinner, no nighttime shoulder to cry on). Order New Milford’s own Sullivan Farm maple syrup to go with your pancakes, or do as Lorelai and Rory would and order burgers and fries. Just a few doors down on Railroad Street at Cool Hand Duke’s, which even rhymes with Luke’s, you can also fill up on this classic combo, although the burgers here put Luke Danes’s to shame. Luke would have no patience for menu items with protracted names like “Whenever Possible, Put on Side One of Led Zeppelin IV,” which is a burger topped with baby spinach, gorgonzola cheese, North Country bacon, and garlic aioli.

If you’re a coffee addict like Lorelai and want the best brew in town, River & Rail Cafe on Bank Street near the green is your best bet. And if you’re truly a Gilmore Girls superfan, you’ll want tacos with your coffee. They’re 500 feet away at Momma’s Tacos. You’re welcome.

One more food tip for your Stars Hollow… er, New Milford trip. As you may recall, during Episode 18 of Season 3, Rory walks Lorelai over to Antonioli’s for a birthday surprise: the world’s largest pizza (almost). You won’t find a pizza that humongous, but New Milford Pizza Station does have a size XL pie that measures 18 inches.

Shopping in “Stars Hollow”

When the cameras follow Rory and her best friend, Lane Kim, into Mrs. Kim’s antiques store, are you always salivating over the eclectic furnishings and accent pieces? Then, be sure to visit one of New Milford’s purveyors of antiques. Near the north end of the green, Bob Kretchko Antiques specializes in pre-Victorian to Midcentury furnishings and a variety of collectibles flushed out of Connecticut estates. Serious antiquers should time their New Milford visit to coincide with the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market, held Sundays from April through December, or with a live sale at the Auction Barn.

Where would Sookie shop? For sure at BD Provisions, where you can scoop up just what you need: The store stocks 300 bulk food items including spices, teas, pastas, nuts, coffees, and candies. Nutmeg Olive Oil would be on her list, too. And she’d sneak away from the inn whenever she could to browse the organic produce and gourmet goods at the Smithy Market, an architecturally splendid former blacksmith shop in nearby New Preston.

Visit Hickory Stick Book Shop in Washington, about a 14-minute drive from the New Milford Town Green, and you’ll be fully able to imagine bumping into Rory as you browse shelves filled with intriguing titles including many by local authors. On your way back to New Milford, loop through Marbledale and visit Stars Hollow Yarns. If you’re an avid knitter or crocheter or even a beginner, you’ll find this “haven for handcrafters” offers the kind of inclusive, loving community many Gilmore Girls fans associate with Stars Hollow. The shop has a unique story: one that is focused on philanthropy, sustainability, and social consciousness.

The imaginary Stars Hollow has Le Chat Club, a shop filled with cat items, and New Milford has the Safari Collective, a wood-floored, string-lit store that sells ethically made jewelry, home goods, and soothing lifestyle products. It’s your destination for creating custom gift boxes to send to fellow Gilmore Girls fans. Ask if Kirk works here… we dare you.

Have you ever been to New Milford, Connecticut? Let us know in the comments below!

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