Connecticut – New England in the Fall

I booked this Fall trip to Connecticut with Southwest, my preferred state-side travel airline, using their low fare calendar (if you have never used this option, you NEED to). I paid $120 round trip flying from Houston to Providence, Rhode Island. No itinerary and off to visit my college roommate and a friend in there new homes in New England.

Don’t mistake a lack of itinerary for a lack of research about what there is to do in Connecticut in the Fall. Before I left I had a few things on my to do list. I wanted to drink some wine on the Connecticut Wine Trail, see a few historic New England Lighthouses, visit Mystic Aquarium and Seaport, SCUBA dive near Newport Rhode Island, and go Hiking.

Newport, RI and Mystic, CT

Night one was spent in Newport, RI exploring Thames Street and Broadway with my girl friend Aubree. There were so many good restaurants and bars along these two streets. By far my favorite place was Corner Cafe along Broadway. Be prepared for a wait all times of the year here, especially on the weekends, but our brunch was to die for.

On my second day it was loosely planned to go SCUBA diving in the morning. Unfortunately, the dive shop for our tank rental turned out to be closed for their new “winter hours”. We rolled with the punch and drove down to Mystic, CT to meet up with our girl friend Sydney. In Mystic we channeled our Marine Biologist sides and visited the renowned Mystic Aquarium, where Sydney interned as a Marine Mammal Trainer. The Aquarium was amazing, and if you ever find yourself in the area I highly recommend stopping in for a day. Mystic Aquarium is well known for their conservation, research, and rescue efforts. For us, the California Sea Lion show was the highlight of the day!

Connecticut Hiking in the Fall

The third and fourth day of my trip, I stayed in Groton, CT, with Sydney. Both mornings Sydney and I woke up and went hiking to start the day. First at Bluff Point State Park, which offers 800 acres of hiking, forested trails, and views of a fog laden Long Island Sound. The second morning we hiked Historic Haley Farms State Park, which connects to Bluff Point State Park via a bridge over the Amtrak. Sadly, this hike got cut short because my trusty hiking boots (which were about 8 years old) bit the dust. We still got in some great hiking, fall foliage, and amazing views at both parks!

I lucked out with the foliage change being later in the season this year and many of the trees were just starting to lose their leaves, with the fall colors in full swing (you can use this website to track foliage change if you plan to visit Connecticut).

Another spot we visited was the UCONN Avery Point Campus, not far from Groton, to view the Avery Point Lighthouse. There are numerous lighthouses along the CT coastline (really all of New England), some of which are only accessible by boat. We did do a bit of research to figure out which lighthouses were close to us and open to the public.

Another cool feature of the campus was the “Hogwarts Style” main building.

Wine and Cider

What would a girls trip be with stopping in at a Winery! The fourth day of my trip was a little rainy, so an indoor activity like wine tasting was the perfect fit for the afternoon. We visited Stonington Vineyards, just a short drive up the coast from Groton and a stop on the Connecticut Wine Trail. The staff there was so nice, and the wines were delicious. They do cater more toward white wines, though they did have a Cabernet when we visited that was great. All of their grapes are grown in the region, and most grown on site. You can also check their website for events if you visit during the summer months.

Unfortunately, my trip fell too late in the season for apple picking, but B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill still had all the apple based things you could ever want: hard apple cider, hot cider, apple syrup, apple pie, apple donuts, apple bread, and the list goes on. During the apple picking season, September to October, and through to December the Cider Mill is open, with live demonstrations on Saturdays and Sundays. Oh, and I can’t forget the best part, FREE Hard Cider Tastings! We visited B.F Clyde’s after our wine tasting at Stonington Vineyards, and it was only 5 minutes away!

Following the winery and cider, pizza was on the menu for dinner. What better place to grab pizza than from the famous Mystic Pizza, located in downtown Mystic, CT. By far, some of the best pizza I have ever had! We also explored downtown Mystic to do some shopping and see the historic Mystic River Bascule Bridge. The next morning I had to catch an early train from New London, CT to go back to the airport and head home.

Check out a few of my other 2018 fall adventures in the blog archives!