Fall in Connecticut – Visitors Guide

Another season has come and gone and now it's time to get prepared for the winter. And winter can be very cold around here. New England is - by far - my favorite area of the United States. Being here for the fall has been an amazing experience. The nature's display of vivid colored trees is a must see if you are visiting the US in late September through mid-October. You will "fall" in love with the foliage. It's truly breathtaking.

Besides the beautiful landscape, New England is a great place for dining as well. I feel like, during the fall, the food gets even better. I mean, this season is all about bringing people together around delicious food. Don't you agree with me? I love exploring restaurants and trying different dishes, and Connecticut is perfect for that. Around this time of the year, it's not too cold, not too hot. It's pleasant to wander around and discover what this gorgeous state has to offer.

We live around Mystic & Groton area. Both small towns, but with so much in them. Mystic is an inspiring place for artists. Every little shop, every corner of Mystic has something new and interesting. I am a huge fan of this town.

Here are some tips of where to go & what to do in Mystic and around our area:

Do:

• Take Route 9 to explore the lower Connecticut River Valley. It's beautiful!!
• Friends. You guys MUST call me when you are here and I will take you exploring 🙂

Go to: 

• Olde Mystic Village 

Ok. There's too much to talk about this place. I will devote one single post about the Village at some point. To sum it up for you: Olde Mystic Village has buildings designed to represent a New England Village of about 1720. You really feel like you are going back in time when you walk around their lanes. It's a very relaxing place and with a lot to present. The shops sell items from all over the world. You will find homemade tea made with Chinese leaves. Home decoration products. Kitchen supplies & cook books (Le Creuset collections are all over the place). Clothes, homemade chocolate, souvenirs... The list goes on. The Village is home to some of Mystic's best restaurants. And they also have a busy schedule with events that you can participate of. Yes. Visit this place.

• B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill -129 N Stonington Rd, Pawcatuck, CT 06379

You can't fully experience fall in Connecticut without trying this place's Apple Ciders AND Apple wines. I never thought I would like the taste of those, but they taste pretty good actually! They let you try some samples before you purchase your bottle. That adds a little fun to the visit!

Apart from that, they also sell fresh homemade bread, cakes & muffins. Homemade jelly and salsa. And of course, pumpkin pies, pumpkin everything. Well, what's so special about this place? They hold the oldest steam powered cider mill in the United States. And it still works! Which means their cider is made with a special touch from the old times. If you like visiting historical places, this is the right spot for you!

If you have a baby and want to take pictures with him/her with the pumpkins, they have a big field that visitors use for photo shoots. We snatched some pictures of our little one in there, obviously!

Eat: 

• Captain Daniel Packer Inne | 32 Water Street Mystic, CT 06355 | http://danielpacker.com/

At this restaurant, you may choose between formal dining upstairs and pub with entertainment downstairs. DPI is charming and it has a cozy environment. The food is amazing, guys! Trust me on this one.

We've been to Captain Daniel Packer Inne several times. We usually order their Garlic Bread and Fish & Chips. To. Die. For. This last October we brought Levi to the pub to have lunch with us. We thought at first that it wasn't going to be a good idea. But Levi was an incredible good boy! He ate his baby food with us, had some of my salad and didn't complain not even for a bit. Just set happily and content in his high chair. We had a wonderful family date that day! Great food, great weather and wonderful memories. I was thankful 🙂

• Ford's Lobster - 15 Riverview Ave, Groton, CT 06340 (It's actually between Groton and Noank) https://www.facebook.com/Fordslobster/

This place has the best Clam Chowder I've ever had! The restaurant only serves fresh ingredients and they have specials everyday. They've got an amazing ocean view, which makes the experience of being there even more memorable. It's the perfect place to unwind. You will enjoy the view! It's a small restaurant, very inviting.

Now. This is important: You can't visit New England and not have seafood. You gotta do it right! 😀 So, if you are visiting: remember to try Clam Chowder, Fish & Chips and Lobster roll. These are the three most popular dishes around here. And they. are. good. I might have to stop blogging and start eating. This post is making me hungry!

After Lunch:   Drawbridge Ice Cream -2 West Main Street Mystic, CT 06355 mysticdrawbridgeicecream.com | Homemade ice cream with all the add-ins, plus an eat-in café.

We talked about lunch. But we didn't talk about dessert! I almost forgot. What was I thinking? You guys! I only have Ice Cream once in a while. Only in special ocasions really. If I am to have some, I gotta use my calory in-take on the best ones. Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream Cafe sells the yummiest and creamiest Ice Cream in town. My favorite: Cookie Dough with Hot Fudge on top. If you are splurging, you must take it to the max. At least that's what I do.

Stay: 

• Water's Edge Resort & Spa - 1525 Boston Post Rd, Westbrook, CT 06498

I don't have to talk much about Water's Edge Resort in this post, right? The pictures speak for themselves. Even though we live here in New England, we like having our vacation here as well. I'm telling ya. There's so much to see in this area! We've stayed at the Water's Edge a couple of times, and every time was sublime! This resort has won lots of awards for having what's considered the best brunch of Connecticut. We tried it and approved it. It really is the best brunch, folks. There's not even a little bit of exaggeration on what I'm saying.

A little bit of what Fall was like for us this year:

I hope these tips were helpful! Fall 2015 was great! It couldn't have been better 🙂

Thanks for reading my darlings!

See you on the next post!

Bruna Masalin