Forget New York, Connecticut unexpectedly charmed me on my four-day trip

30 or so minutes after picking up my luggage I’m booking into the boutique Goodwin Hotel in Hartford, Connecticut’s capital. This gorgeous terracotta building dates to 1881 and is a former apartment block. 

Its Max Bar offers me small bites served in stylish surroundings, and a wander around the relatively quiet downtown Hartford provides a number of places to choose from for a nightcap.

The next morning it’s a 35-minute drive to the city of Waterbury for a morning of — be still my beating heart! — chocolate making at Fascia’s Chocolates. Carmen Romero, son-in-law of the owners, takes me through how this family business makes its handmade chocolate goods, using old-style methods like copper kettles and marble slabs. Fascia’s is an introduction to Connecticut’s ability to mix old world with new, with Romero demonstrating how the friendly locals are proud of their state.

After Waterbury it’s on to Washington, a half-hour drive away through rolling hills and communities of cute clapboard homes. The destination is one familiar to fans of the long-running show The Gilmore Girls: The Mayflower Inn, where series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino reportedly came up with her great idea. The inn owned by the character Lorelai Gilmore is very similar to the Mayflower Inn, which is a high-end but cosy hotel. 

After a look around I head a few minutes away to Washington Depot, a picturesque hamlet with a well-stocked bookshop that surely inspired the bookstore in Gilmore Girls’ fictional town of Stars Hollow. I leave clutching a copy of Sigrid Nunez’s latest novel.

It’s early December, meaning the trees along many roadsides are bare, but Connecticut never feels downcast. Still, I haven’t been feeling very festive. Luckily for me, lunch is at Cava Restaurant in Southington. This Italian restaurant looks plain on the outside, but inside a riot of f airy lights, baubles, and tinsel covers every inch of its walls and ceilings. It’s the glorious injection of festive cheer that I need, and the sage and brown butter pasta hits the spot too.

For an artistic afternoon I visit Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, to gaze at work in its Modern and Contemporary collection by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe and Edward Hopper. If I had more time, I’d spend days here. 

But I’ve heard that Connecticut has been named the American pizza capital (yes, this is a real thing), and have a booking at local pizza and craft beer joint Bar to put this to the test. The pizzas are huge and arrive on large metal trays. For me, they were a bit too much on the sloppy side, so I reckon that to be completely fair, a pizza-tasting trip around Connecticut is now in order.

My home for the night is the New Haven Hotel, just a few minutes walk away. I start the next day with a much-anticipated stop-off for brunch at the Hotel Marcel in the Long Wharf district. Why call into another hotel? Well, this Brutalist concrete construction was designed by renowned modernist architect Marcel Breuer. It absolutely wows me at first glance. Its boxy structure and unexpected location (it’s right next to the interstate) mean that I can’t help but fall in love with this quirky outsider.

The former Armstrong Rubber Company Building lay empty for years before being transformed into a 100% electric hotel with a sustainable focus. Its interior is midcentury-meets-Scandi-cool, with solid windows blocking out traffic noise. It’s hard to leave this calming delight, but back I go to New Haven to visit another iconic location, Yale University.

As my chirpy student guide gives me a tour of the large Ivy League city campus, I find myself daydreaming about an alternative life where I swapped UCC for Yale and lived on campus, hung out in Sterling Memorial Library (which is designed like a gothic cathedral) and got to flick through priceless books in the marble-walled Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Yale is where nerds out-nerd each other, but also where the mascot is a bulldog named Handsome Dan, who dribbles all over me when I give him a quick pet.

I escape the urban setting for lunch a short drive away at the oceanfront Madison Beach Hotel. The sun glints off the Long Island Sound as I eat, and even though there’s a winter chill in the air I can see why this luxe but laidback spa resort is a favoured wedding venue. I’m noticing that in Connecticut, fancy doesn’t mean uptight.

After Madison Beach it’s on to a seaside village with a wonderful name: Mystic. The pizza restaurant that inspired the 1988 Julia Roberts film Mystic Pizza is still here, while the main street is home to shops that mix quirky items with tourist tack. Admittedly, I do purchase a pair of socks with ‘Mystic’ on them. Local gems include Sift Bake Shop, whose owner Adam Young was named Food Network’s ‘Best Baker in America’ in 2018, and where I procure a chocolate chip cookie for research purposes. Verdict: Delicious.

Sometimes it’s an unexpected thing that becomes a trip highlight. Pulling up to the 19-acre Mystic Seaport Museum, I anticipate intense discussions about maritime history. But soon I’m on board the Charles W Morgan, America’s only surviving wooden whaling ship, dating to1841. I try not to dwell on what happened to the poor whales, and feel chills as I see up close how intense life on board was. It is a spellbinding experience to disembark the creaky ship as the sun dips, the Connecticut sky a deep navy rimmed with yellow.

There is a bit of whiplash after this as I embrace a more modern proposition: a night at a casino. While not very interested in gambling, I’m nonetheless curious about Foxwoods Resort Casino, which is owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. Turns out that with six casinos, thousands of slot machines, many restaurants and bars, live venues and even a shopping mall, you could stay here for days and — thanks to loud music and few windows — not know what time it is. Perhaps that’s the draw for some.

Dinner is at Hell’s Kitchen, themed around the Gordon Ramsay show. It’s mercifully less experiential than you might imagine, except for the tiny thrill of chefs shouting in unison. You either embrace the glittery kitsch of a casino or you avoid it at all costs. The choice is yours here.

After Foxwoods things turn literary, as the next morning I visit the Mark Twain House and Museum back in Hartford. The author’s (real name Samuel Clemens) Victorian family home has been refurbished and maintained to look as it did in his day, with dim lighting, stunning Tiffany-decorated interiors, and reports of ghostly visitors. Upstairs in Twain’s office are translucent marble windows decorated with his favourite things, including billiards and wine. Now there was a man who knew his vices.

Twain’s atmospheric abode feels like a fitting place to end my trip to Connecticut, combining so much of what makes the state special. Here, history and culture combine in a serene spot nestled in the middle of a large city. It’s stunning but not showy, just as there’s nothing showy about Hartford, New Haven, Mystic, Washington, or any of the other locations I visit. Instead, they all have their own quiet beauty, offering visitors much more than meets the eye.

A cultural high

New England Air Museum, 36 Perimeter Rd, Windsor Locks

At a loose end before boarding your flight home from Bradley International Airport? Take a trip to the nearby New England Air Museum. Here, a cheery docent (volunteer guide) who was a former pilot gives me a whole new appreciation for these weighty beasts. This is worth the trip, especially if you have curious children. Home to more than 80 aircraft, you can climb on board several of them — what fun.

Local lobster love

Seafood lovers will find themselves constantly encouraged to try the New England delicacy lobster rolls, Connecticut style. These are served warm and buttered, whereas Maine rolls are served cold with mayonnaise.

Naturally, locals maintain that Connecticut style is best. Try a Connecticut lobster roll in the elegant and well-priced Artisan Restaurant at the Delamar Hotel. Vegetarians also have plenty to choose from here. This chic spot is handily not far from the Mark Twain House & Museum and other attractions.

• Aoife was a guest of Aer Lingus, Bradley International Airport and Visit Connecticut.

Escape Notes

Aer Lingus flies between Dublin Airport and Bradley International Airport daily until the end of October when frequency reduces to three times per week before ceasing at the beginning of January until March 2026.

aerlingus.com

Where to stay