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V&T O C T O B E R 2 - 8 , 2 019
VACATION &TRAVEL
AN ANTON MEDIA GROUP SPECIAL
Leaf Peeping In Connecticut A colorful weekend in The Nutmeg State BY KIMBERLY DIJKSTRA
kdijkstra@antonmediagroup.com
The changing of the seasons from summer to fall is one of the most wondrous things to experience on this planet. All that green we enjoyed for the past six months gives way to vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. For a few short weeks in October, New England glows and people come from all over the world to see it for themselves. Connecticut epitomizes autumn in autumn. Just thinking of it brings up those good feelings of leaves crunching under your feet, a brisk breeze on your face, sipping a warm drink by a fireplace, driving over colorful hills and strolling through covered bridges. Long Islanders are fortunate to be only a short distance away—about 1 to 3 hours by car or a hop, skip and a jump by ferry. Spending a weekend among the fall foliage is an absolute must for all leaf peepers and outdoors seekers.
View from Poplar Street, New Milford
see LEAF PEEPING on page 18A
(Photos by Kimberly Dijkstra)
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OCTOBER 2 - 8, 2019 • VACATION & TRAVEL | 17A
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LEAF PEEPING from page 17A The Nutmeg State If you’re wondering why Connecticut is sometimes called The Nutmeg State, you’re not alone. Nutmeg trees do not grow in Connecticut, but hundreds of years ago when the spice trade was booming, Connecticut merchants imported nutmeg, a spice prevalent in early American cuisine. The official nickname of the state is The Constitution State. However, The Nutmeg State is apropos, especially in autumn when it describes the warm colors and comforting spiced scents and flavors closely associated with the season. Fall Foliage Finder In early October, the northernmost eastern and western corners of Connecticut will be at peak vibrance. By mid-October, the northern two-thirds of the state will be overtaken by the colors of fall. By late October, every part of the state will be touched by the palette leaf peepers lust after. Visit CT, Connecticut’s Office of Tourism, offers a handy
From Oct. 9 to 15, Connecticut is expected to have lots of colorful trees on view in the northernmost parts of the state, according to Visit CT’s Fall Foliage Tracker. (Image source: www.ctvisit.com/articles/connecticuts-foliage-tracker)
week-by-week guide to fall foliage on its website at ctvisit.com. The maps are based upon historic field observations by the Department of Energy and foresters. The Foliage Finder is a very helpful guide to planning your trip to the state that boasts New England’s longest foliage season.
18A | VACATION & TRAVEL • OCTOBER 2 - 8, 2019
Be A Gilmore Girl Gilmore Girls, which ran on The WB and The CW from 2000 to 2007 and Netflix in 2016, is known for taking place in the quaint small town of Stars Hollow, CT. Though fictional, the setting was inspired by the charming towns in the Litchfield Hills area of Connecticut.
The Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, CT, served as inspiration for the fictional Independence Inn run by Lorelai Gilmore on the television show. While in Washington, also stop at Marty’s Café (aka Luke’s Diner), the Washington Food Market (aka Doose’s Market) and The Hickory Stick bookshop (aka Stars Hollow Books). Between the gazebo, the library and the independent shops, New Milford feels even more like Stars Hollow than Washington. For a coffee fix—and you can’t be a Gilmore Girl without fueling up with a cup of coffee or six—stop into the cozy River & Rail Café. Spend the rest of your morning at the Town Green and the afternoon at Lovers Leap State Park with magnificent views of the Housatonic River. Litchfield, which is mentioned by name on Gilmore Girls, is a lovely place to stop if you enjoy antiquing. Nearby Kent also has a Stars Hollow vibe with a cute downtown area, and features Bulls Covered Bridge, which sits atop a waterfall. A ways away on Connecticut’s shoreline, Guilford also resembles the home of the Gilmore Girls, and even has
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a Taylor’s Old-Fashioned Soda Shoppe lookalike called The Village Chocolatier. Not far from Guilford is the Essex Steam Train, a vintage locomotive that weaves its way through the unspoiled Connecticut River Valley and gives you a front row seat to the blazing foliage.
Lover’s Leap Bridge
(Photo by Kimberly Lovisi)
Take a trip on the Essex Steam Train for a unique autumn experience.
(Photo source: essexsteamtrain.com)
The museum will close for renovations after Oct. 20, 2019. Antiques Marketplace in Putnam is one of Connecticut’s oldest antiques mega-malls. Creamery Brook Bison is a working farm in Brooklyn where the buffalo really do roam. The farm offers wagon rides to the public and has several events coming up The Quiet Corner this October. The northeast portion of For lunch, enjoy some Connecticut has been dubbed comfort food at the Vanilla Bean “The Quiet Corner” by locals for Café, located in a restored, early its rolling hills, farmlands and 19th-century barn in Pomfret. scenic views throughout. On the For dinner, don’t miss a relaxing drive around this area, gourmet meal and wine tasting you will encounter Route 169, a at Sharpe Hill Vineyard. National Scenic Byway desigAlso spend some time in the nated as such for its intrinsic town of Woodstock, which is historical value. The road passes known for its tranquil, pastoral through Colonial homesteads, scenery. The Inn at Woodstock churches, stone walls and Hill Bed and Breakfast is a meeting houses of classic New restored country estate on 19 England towns. Maples and acres, listed on the National pines stand tall along the byway, Register of Historic Places. A interspersed with open fields stone’s throw from other points and glacially deposited boulders. of interest in the Quiet Corner, Visit the Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury, a former the inn is an ideal place to spend your evenings during boarding school historically significant to Civil Rights and ed- the perfect autumn weekend in ucation equality in this country. Connecticut.
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OCTOBER 2 - 8, 2019 • VACATION & TRAVEL | 19A