The 23 best things to do in Connecticut

State-wide

When many museums charge $20 or more per visit, it’s a rare value to find a pass that lets you visit 22 museums for $35 over a 12-month period. The museums on the Connecticut Art Trail span the state with highlights being Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum, the state’s answer to the Met; the New Britain Museum of American Art and Ridgefield’s Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum for modern and contemporary art appreciators, and three sites where American Impressionists captured their bucolic surroundings: Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Redding’s Weir Farm National Historic Site, and the Greenwich Historical Society. Speaking of Impressionism, the pass includes Farmington’s Hill-Stead Museum where the beautiful home designed by one of America’s first female architects houses a collection of Monets and Degas. 

State-wide

Not everyone associates lobster rolls with Connecticut, but you’re missing out if they’re not on your to-do list. Connecticut’s rolls are straight out of 1920s Milford, with a warm, buttered roll encasing meaty lobster. In the winter, they’ll warm you to the core, and in summer they’re the perfect snack to take to the park. You’ll find spots everywhere for them, but we’d particularly recommend Lobster Landing, Guilford’s Lobster Pound and Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough. 

New Canaan

If you’re even vaguely into architecture, you’ll know all about Philip Johnson, one of the world’s most famous architects, who designed the Glass House in Connecticut. The house is really something to behold, set on 49 wooded acres with 14 other buildings. There’s an art gallery, sculpture gallery and more, and definitely go for the guided tour, which will teach you all about the history of the landscape and the Harvard Five. 

Mystic’s identity is tied to the water: Learn about its shipbuilding past at the Mystic Seaport Museum, a recreated 19th-century seafaring village; see beluga whales, penguins, and seals at the Mystic Aquarium, or get on the water in a schooner or a two-person jet boat. The boutiques and galleries along West Main Street are full of nautical fashion and art, and local cuisine is centered on seafood. Mystic’s culinary scene has attracted a lot of attention of late, finally overshadowing Mystic Pizza, featured in the 1988 hit movie of the same name. Hotspots include the Oyster Club, Red 36, and—pizza fans rejoice—Nana’s Bakery & Pizza.

On many Sunday afternoons from through September, high-goal polo matches take place at the Greenwich Polo Club, which has a spectacular backcountry setting complete with a grandstand, picnicking, and flowing Champagne. At the halfway mark, hundreds of smartly dressed spectators get their shoes dirty stomping divots, a testament to the unstuffy nature of the affair. Admission can be steep but general entry to see the sport of kings played in one of America’s wealthiest communities is only $40 per car. The club and its team White Birch were founded by Peter Brant, one of the world’s top art collectors. In a beautiful converted barn on the polo grounds, the Brant Foundation Art Study Center is a small, free, by-appointment-only contemporary art museum that sometimes hosts open houses on match days.

Hartford

Walk through 400 years of history in Hartford’s Old State House, the 1796 Charles Bulfinch-designed former state capitol. The lower floor has exhibits that provide a wonderful overview of the state’s many inventions, famous residents, and notable accomplishments. On the upper floors, see a courtroom where an Amistad trial happened, a Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington that was painted from life, and an amusing museum of curiosities drawn from the collection of a colonial portrait artist who had his studio in the building and collected, among other things, an enormous lobster claw and a two-headed calf. 

Oakdale

If coming across a life-sized brontosaurus in the woods sounds like fun, head to Dinosaur Place where 50 giant prehistoric beasts are disbursed along one-and-a-half miles of wide, flat, wooded trails. There’s also a dinosaur-themed playground, splash pad, maze, and mini-golf on the 60-acre site, which also has indoor activities. If you want to see real dinosaur footprints, one of the world’s largest dinosaur trackways can be found at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill. Dinosaur Place is open April-October but it’s part of a year-round complex called Nature’s Art Village. Dinosaur State Park is open year round but some activities are only offered May-October.

New Haven

New Haven’s signature ‘apizza’ style is like a crispier Neapolitan, and its original purveyor is Frank Pepe’s. Opened in 1925, Pepe’s is known for clam pie, laden with fresh clams and loads of garlic. There are now multiple locations but the New Haven one has the most character, is near other pizza spots for taste testing, and it’s in a neighborhood with Italian bakeries—so leave room for dessert. Read more 

Kent

A weekend sleepaway camp for adults, Club Getaway will have you canoeing and swimming in a private lake, zip lining, and playing Slip ‘N Slide kickball, color wars, tennis, and archery. Bug juice is swapped for gin and juice at an all-inclusive open bar, and there are fun and festive themed parties at night (and Bloody Mary bingo in the morning). Whether you play hard or party hard (or both) is entirely up to you. Don’t worry about rickety cots: beds have 10-inch memory foam mattresses and cabins are air-conditioned and heated. Children are welcome at certain times and there are themed weekends, so check the website to make sure you’re booking the right weekend for your interests.

Essex 

Climb aboard the Essex Steam Train and ride a historic steam locomotive through the stunning terrain of the Connecticut River Valley. You can choose any number of activities to coincide with your journey including a dinner train service or a riverboat cruise. Leave time to check out the town of Essex and soak up the atmosphere at the Griswold Inn, which opened its doors in 1776.

Thimble Islands

Part of a picturesque archipelago of tiny, rocky islands that dot the Connecticut shoreline, Outer Island, the farthest from shore, is the only one that’s accessible to the public. Here, the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge is a scientific research center, a stop on the Atlantic Flyway for sea birds like herons and egrets, and a wonderful, free way to spend a summer day. Narrated ferry tours run in season from the charming hamlet of Stony Creek, and you can also rent a kayak for a serene day on the water.

East Granby

Certainly a unique attraction, Old Newgate Prison is a former copper mine that became America’s first state prison in 1773. Descend into the cool, damp space to learn the surprising story of how prisoners were kept 75ft underground without beds, bathrooms, or a light source other than occasional beams of daylight. Originally there were no guards either, but the administrators changed that when prisoners kept escaping. Also peruse the aboveground exhibits that explain the site’s fascinating history.

State-wide

One of the most important cases in the struggle towards abolishing slavery in the United States—that of the African captives who commandeered La Amistad—played out mainly in Connecticut. Many of the more than 100 sites in upwards of 50 towns on the Connecticut Freedom Trail tell their harrowing story; also included are churches, the homes of luminaries such as Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson, statues like that of Jackie Robinson in Stamford, cemeteries, monuments, and archaeological sites. Not on the trail but certainly worth mentioning is a memorial at the Simsbury Free Library that recognizes the two formative summers Martin Luther King, Jr. spent in town working on a tobacco farm.

Hartford

Samuel Clemens (AKA Mark Twain) may be most associated with adventures on the Mississippi River, but the writer called Hartford home for a number of years at the turn of the 20th century. See the 25-room High Gothic Victorian house of one of America’s greatest writers, but first visit the separate museum that runs a 23-minute Ken Burns documentary about Twain on a loop. Harriet Beecher Stowe lived literally right next door for two decades, so leave time to tour both National Historic Landmark homes. 

State-wide

There are more than 125 craft breweries in Connecticut making up the popular Connecticut Beer Trail like Manchester’s Elicit Brewpub, which curates brews from around the state in addition to serving its own; the oldie (opened in 2012) but goodie Two Roads Brewing in a former Stratford factory; Danbury’s 10,000-square-foot Charter Oak where you’ll find signature IPAs, brown ales, and lagers as well as special releases like sours and stouts on 10 rotating taps; and on the water in Branford, hopping Stony Creek, which also serves cocktails and hard seltzers for non beer drinkers.

East Haddam

In a state park, Gillette Castle was the home of an eccentric actor, William Gillette. He conducted his own private railroad with passengers including Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin, threw birthday parties for his 17 cats, and included hidden stairwells and other surprises in his 14,000-square-foot home. Gillette played Sherlock Holmes more than 1,300 times over the course of 33 years but he wasn’t just an actor. He wrote the first authorized Sherlock Holmes adaptation for the stage, came up with the catchphrase ‘Elementary, my dear fellow’ (which evolved into ‘…my dear Watson’), and originated the character’s deerstalker cap, curved pipe and magnifying glass.

New Haven

Didn’t get a perfect score on the SAT? Don’t worry. You can still get into Yale University, even if it’s just for the day. Current students lead free tours of one of America’s oldest universities whose gothic-style architecture has been likened to Hogwarts. You’ll learn all about its 300-year history, and peek inside buildings like the stupendous Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The university oversees many—free—museums including the Yale University Art Gallery with van Goghs and Hoppers, a sculpture garden and rooftop terrace; and the Yale Center for British Art, which houses the largest collection of British art outside (you guessed it) Britain. 

Southington

At the oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States (opened in 1846), the fun includes a wooden roller coaster, a triple launch steel coaster, and a six-story-high water slide. Covering 332 acres that include a beach and the Crocodile Cove water park, which cools you off with wave pools and rafting, Lake Compounce also has plenty of rides for the younger set like Flying Elephants. 

State-wide 

In the old and strongly preservation minded Nutmeg State, it’s not a shock to find a plethora of antiques stores. The unofficial antiques capital is Woodbury, which runs head to head with Putnam. In this hotbed for antiques and collectibles, a Putnam standout is the Antiques Marketplace whose four floors are packed with seemingly every item imaginable from every time period. There are 200 dealers at the Stratford Antique Center and 85 dealers at Scranton’s Shops in South Woodstock as well as countless independent shops found along back roads and on main streets across the state.

Madison

Many towns limit access to theirs, but if you’re up for a beach day, head out early to the ones mentioned here to stake out your spot and ensure entry (they close when a limit is reached). Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven adds a lighthouse and antique carousel to its beach attractions and Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison is the state’s largest shoreline park, with more than two miles of land to roam. Walk the boardwalk, check out the nature center, and enjoy a picnic with expansive views and fresh salt breezes. 

Ledyard

An impressive complex, the 2,000-acre Foxwoods has four hotels, numerous restaurants, an outlet mall, spa, golf course, zip line, go karts, and theaters that attract headline entertainment. Don’t miss the massive Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center where a highlight is walking through a realistically recreated historic Pequot village. Oh, and yes, Foxwoods has gambling—blackjack, poker, craps, slot machines, you name it.

Sheffield Island

A cruise offered by the Norwalk Seaport Association offers a rare opportunity to explore 52-acre Sheffield Island, part of a chain of islands off Norwalk, with its beautiful lighthouse and enjoy a clambake under the stars. A New England tradition, a clambake traditionally includes clams, corn on the cob, potatoes, salad, and dessert. Held on Tuesdays in summer (dates vary), the outing includes a ferry ticket, a tour of the island’s lighthouse that was built in 1868, and a clambake served under a tented pavilion on the lighthouse lawn. Bring your own beverages as well as bug spray to ward off twilight mosquitoes.

Woodbury

See Connecticut’s Stonehenge at the 234-acre Hogpen Hill where other unorthodox sculptures include an Airstream trailer dangling 31ft overhead, a rusted bulldozer sitting on its rear end, and large metal fish swaying from trees. A giant black inflatable swan floats in a small lake, four sizable stainless steel arches lead the way to another field like a giant Slinky, and five miles of wooded trails add to the experience. The park is private but the owner, Edward Tufte—who is also the creator of the 100 sculptures—has a regular schedule of opening it to the public. Admission must be booked in advance.