Connecticut Travel Guide

✨ Things to Do

Connecticut is quintessentially New England and has a mix of great urban and rural activities, making it an alluring destination for any type of visitor. Make sure you check out:

• Tour Mystic Seaport – At this amazing living history museum, docents acting the part of 19th-Century seaport residents will demonstrate traditional crafts such as blacksmithing.
• Visit the Mark Twain House – See the quirky home of the unique writer whose ties to Connecticut run deep
• Educate yourself at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum – A phenomenal museum on the Mashantucket Pequot reservation that shares the crucial story of Native Americans in Connecticut, including through a stunning model village
• Try your luck at the casinos – There are two major Native American-run casinos in Connecticut: Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. Both are large-scale and have lots of dining and shopping opportunities, and Mohegan Sun has a major concert venue and upscale hotel.
• Board the Essex Steam Train – A tour of several historic sites in the Connecticut River Valley by both steam train and a traditional riverboat, with special holiday theming seasonally. 
• See the Old Wethersfield scarecrows – Around Halloween, historic Old Wethersfield comes alive, decorated with dozens of complex and artistic scarecrows made by local Wethersfield. 
• Visit Old Newgate Prison – Newgate Prison is an old, shutdown prison and mine that you can tour. But watch out–it’s notoriously haunted.

Read our full list of 40+ things to do in Connecticut.

🗺️ Where to Stay

Whether you’re looking for an urban adventure or a scenic getaway in nature, you have lots of options:

• Hartford – Connecticut’s state capital has no shortage of restaurants, museums, and nightlife options.
• New Haven – Home to Yale University, New Haven has several museums associated with the University and lots of fantastic places to eat.
• Mystic – A coastal town home to a seaport museum, an aquarium, and an international shopping center, the whole family will be entertained in Mystic. 
• Stamford – Check out Stamford if you’d like to stay in Connecticut but have quick access to New York City by train.
• Kent – For a quaint and beautiful getaway near the Appalachian Trail, check out Kent, where you’ll find a covered bridge, a waterfall, art galleries, and hiking.

🛎️ Best Hotels

As one of the oldest states in the nation, many of Connecticut’s most unique and luxurious accommodations are also deeply historic:

• Mayflower Inn and Spa – A 5-star hotel on 58-acre grounds that feature an English garden, a meditation labyrinth, a putting green, tennis courts, and both indoor and outdoor pools.
• Madison Beach Hotel – A 4-star beachfront hotel in Madison with beach access and bikes and kayaks to rent.
• Mohegan Sun – A 34-story hotel inside a world-class casino with 41 restaurants and bars, styled in Native American decor.
• The Inn at Stonington – A 4-star upscale B&B in a charming seaside hamlet is a 5-minute walk from the historic Stonington Lighthouse and is only 5 miles from Mystic Seaport

🚗 Best Road Trips

Whether you want to tour the coast or the cities, you have lots of Connecticut road trip options in this small state:

• Coastal Western Connecticut – Drive along the western Connecticut coast from Greenwich to Milford to see lighthouses and parks on the shore.
• Eastern Connecticut Coast – Travel from Old Lyme to Stonington and make stops like Bluff Point Park in Groton and Mystic Seaport.
• Hartford to New Haven – Hit up two of Connecticut’s most impressive cities in one day
• Gilmore Girls Road Trip – Travel from Washington Depot, Connecticut–the inspiration for Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow–to Yale in New Haven, where Rory Gilmore attended college.
• Haunted Road Trip – Start with the grave of Midnight Mary at Union Cemetery and travel all the way to the Seaside Sanitorium in Waterford, then head to Monroe to see Ed and Lorraine Warren’s paranormal museum.

⛰️ Best Hikes

• Talcott Mountain State Park – This little hike packs a big reward at the end because you’ll be able to explore historic and iconic Heublein Tower at the top of Talcott Mountain.
• Ragged Mountain – This rugged and difficult hike features beautiful vistas of the Wassel Reservoir.
• Bluff Point State Park– This coastal preserve offers remote beach access as well as a hiking loop along bluffs overlooking the ocean.
• Bear Mountain– A truly challenging, 6-mile hiking route leads to the highest peak in Connecticut, with an overnight option available at the historic Bear Mountain Inn
• Tunxis Trail – A Barkhamsted trail with steps leading down to the hardwood forest, which eventually leads to the Indian Council Caves.

🖼️ Best Museums

• Mark Twain House – Through a guided tour, learn all about Mark Twain, his family, his writing habits, and his eccentricities.
• Mashantucket Pequot Museum – Descend an escalator into a super cold Ice Age exhibit, see a life-size spear-hunting diorama, and sit inside model Wigwams at this immersive Native American museum.
• Mystic Seaport Museum – Be transported to a 19th-Century seaport village, board a whaling ship, help haul on a halyard, and see a live blacksmithing demonstration.
• Submarine Force Museum – The only submarine museum operated by the Navy. You can board the first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus.
• The Barnum Museum – Calling all fans of The Greatest Showman, come see this lighthearted and quirky museum entirely dedicated to P.T. Barnum

👉 Tips & Things to Know

• 🧥 – Pack layers – The weather in Connecticut can change rapidly and can vary over the course of the day; summer mornings can be cool while the afternoons can be very hot.
• 🍕 – Try New Haven Style Pizza – Not everyone knows that Connecticut has its own pizza style, but it’s delicious! The most famous vendor is Pepe Pizza in New Haven.
• ✈️ – Look into flying into New York or Boston – If you’re traveling on a budget, it might be difficult to make a flight into Connecticut’s Bradley Airport work out. If that’s the case, consider flying into NYC or Boston and taking a bus into Hartford.
• 🍁 – Time your visit to see the leaves – Autumn in New England can’t be beat. Maybe you think leaf peeping is just for old couples, but it’ll truly stun anyone who shows up during the peak season of late September through early October.
• 🌊 – Brace for cold water – While splashing around at the beach in the summer is a blast, if you’re visiting from somewhere warmer, don’t expect the ocean temperature to ever be totally comfortable.
• 🥣 – Know your clam chowders – New England clam chowder (which is what you should be ordering to get a real sense of Connecticut cuisine) has a creamy white broth. Manhattan Clam Chowder, has a clear tomato broth.

🧳 What to Pack

• 🧥 – A sweatshirt or fleece jacket – If it’s not cold enough for a full-on winter coat, still pack some warm layers.
• 🧤 – Gloves – If it’s not spring or summer, consider bringing gloves for your comfort!
• 👢 – Boots – If you’re visiting in cold weather, make sure you pack warm and waterproof shoes to navigate the snow and ice.
• 👟 – Traction cleats – As a runner and someone with poor balance, I’d advise looking into traction cleats (little spikes to add more traction) for your shoes. They may save you a fall.
• ☀️ – Sunscreen – Regardless of the season, consider wearing sunscreen! You’ll definitely need it in the summer, but burns can even happen in the winter due to reflection off the snow.

🤓 Facts & Info

• Population (2024) – 3.675 million
• Capital – Hartford
• Largest Metro Areas – Harford Metro Area, Bridgeport Metro Area, New Haven Metro Area
• Time Zone – EST Time (UTC -5 / UTC -4 during daylight savings)
• Airports – Bradley International Airport (BDL)
• Colleges & Universities – Yale University, Wesleyan College, Connecticut College, Trinity College, University of Connecticut 
• Nickname – The Constitution State, The Nutmeg State
• Demonym – Connecticution, Nutmegger
• USPS Abbreviation – CT
• Governor – Ned Lamont (Democratic Party)
• Country – United States of America

💵 Costs & Budgeting

• MERIC Cost of Living State Rank – #40 
• 3 Star Hotel Room – $140/night
• 1 Bedroom Apartment Rental – $100 – $280/night
• Rental Car – $35 – $80/day
• Public Transit Ticket – ~$3.50 for a bus pass for one day 
• Take Out Meal for Two – $30 – $60
• Sit Down Dinner for Two – $45 – $80
• Draft Beer – $8