It takes a moment for my brain to catch up with my eyes as the town square of Washington, Connecticut, comes into focus and I wonder if I’ve landed in a Hallmark movie.
There’s a cute market with a white facade, a huge town hall, a post office that could have been dropped out of a stereotype and the Hickory Stick bookshop that’d make Rory Gilmore weak… there’s even a red truck. Surely this isn’t real? Then I remember this is the place said to have inspired Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Stars Hollow and it all makes sense.
Legend has it that Amy was staying at the exclusive Mayflower Inn just a short drive up the white picket-fence adorned road when she decided small town New England life needed to be turned into sitcom gold.
Now Gilmore Girls fans visit each year, but are they disappointed to learn, as I was, that the show wasn’t actually filmed here but in LA? ‘Maybe a little, but I think people see what they want to see. They want to see Stars Hollow, so they find it,’ our guide says.
Connecticut might be the birthplace of Gilmore Girls but it’s got far more claims to fame hidden under its unassuming exterior - it’s also the birthplace of the cheeseburger, the home of ESPN, which is based in Bristol, and PEZ’s US headquarters are in Orange.
The Congress-declared pizza capital of the US, New Haven, also calls Connecticut home. Even the resemblance to sweeter-than-sweet Hallmark Christmas movies makes sense - at least 22 of them have been filmed here.
Hartford
I start my exploration of Connecticut in the capital, Hartford, after a direct flight from Dublin to Bradley International Airport. Flying business with Aer Lingus, which operates direct flights from Dublin up to seven times per week from March 30, is a real treat.
The three-course meal served in the air is delicious and the flight crew generously top up glasses of champagne. The seven-hour journey flies by and the laid-back feeling continues upon first step into Bradley International Airport which although being busy with holiday commuters is not chaotic.
It quickly becomes clear why many New Yorkers prefer flying here rather than facing JFK. We’re on the road and hurtling towards Hartford within 30 minutes of landing and the autumnal scenery out the window is beautiful. My visit is during ‘Stick Season’ and it’s clear why Noah Kahan had to write about it.
Boutique hotel the Goodwin Hotel is the first stop and one of Connecticut’s hidden gems that is bursting with history. It’s believed JP Morgan, who was born in Hartford, had an apartment in the building at one point and the mid-century design is beautiful.
After settling in, we head to Bar Max which with its moody red walls and dark lighting creates a chilled-out vibe to relax in and enjoy a few cocktails. For another trendy spot, try West Hartford’s Delamar Hotel, which is brimming with cool art, and the Artisan restaurant, which does a mean New England lobster role.
Another not-to-be-missed stop in Hartford is Mark Twain’s House. The mansion was completed in 1874 and is seriously impressive. During a tour of the 25-room house, we learn stories about the family and get to oggle at the statement design including the ornamental hall which was carved by Leon Marcotte of New York and Paris and later stencilled in silver. Whether you’re a literature fan or an architecture nut, the house is well worth a few hours of your time.
Unexpected celebrity connections seem to come at you on every turn in Connecticut, but surely not at the New England Air Museum? Well, think again.
There’s plenty of history in the hangers including Irish-American actress Maureen O’Hara and her husband Charles Blair’s former plane Excambian and the only K-28 Blimp left in the world. The museum is only a stone’s throw from the airport and is well worth spending a couple hours at before a direct flight back to Dublin.
New Haven
New Haven is another Connecticut city ready to impress. For the architecture fans, there’s the Hotel Marcel which was empty for 20 years before reopening in 2022. The brutalist building is now owned and clearly loved by an architect and is foreboding to approach but inside the light has a special way of dancing across the clean lines of the lobby. Hotel Marcel isn’t just a visual work of art - it’s also the first passive house-certified hotel in the US, operating completely fossil-fuel free.
Perhaps New Haven and Connecticut’s biggest claim to fame is its sprawling Ivy League university, Yale. We take a tour of Yale and soak up the tidbits of information our student guide tells us.
On one stop we learn of Nathan Hale, who she says is the ‘first and worst spy for the US’ and now commemorated with a statue. Although, nobody knew what Nathan looked like so the statue is just ‘some hot guy from the class who were asked to line up’ for the artist.
If you want to really get to know a person in New Haven though, ask them where they go for pizza. Pizza is no laughing matter in this city, which Congress declared the Pizza Capital of the States in May 2024. We enjoy a huge pizza at Bar, a spot bursting with locals and visitors alike and are told we have to visit another beloved spot, Pepe’s Pizza, on our next visit.
Mystic
Talking of pizza, what would a trip to Connecticut be without a stop at perhaps the most famous pizza spot of them all (at least to Julia Roberts fans), Mystic Pizza? It’s easy to slip into the world of rom-coms as I walk the main street and take in its cute boutiques and views over the Mystic River.
Mystic was a significant seaport in the 1800s and the Seaport Museum is also well worth a visit. It’s home to the only wooden whale ship left in the world and you can walk around the ship while learning about life on a years-long whaling voyage. Now that’s a trip not for the weak!
Food
Soon into my saunter around Connecticut, it’s clear that the state is as proud of its food as its UConn Huskies basketball teams. If you have a sweet tooth pay a visit to Fascia’s Chocolates in Waterbury where chocolate must be one of the four main food groups and the family-ran business is still thriving after 60 years. Make sure to pick up a box of cordial cherries. Delicious!
Ever wondered what a restaurant decked out with more than 5,000 Christmas decorations might look like? Then Cava in Southington which has spent more than $1m on decs is the answer. The dining spot looks normal from the outside but once you step inside, it’s a whole different story with 211 trees and 40,000 lights fighting for your attention. It’s sensory overload in the merriest of ways. The food is delicious as well.
Another place to be awed is Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket which at 9m square feet is the largest resort casino in North America. Here you’ll find more than 35 dining spots, including Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen where the TV show was filmed.
If that sounds like a bit much and you’d prefer a quiet spot - in noise and design - then head to Madison Beach Hotel in Madison where you’ll find a delicious menu and touch of old world charm. Here the tuna tartare served with crisps is a specialty and a perfect dish to enjoy while taking in the ocean views.
Each stop in Connecticut provides a happily unexpected discovery. Perhaps that laid-back-and-confident-in-itself demeanour is behind the beauty of the place. Despite being so well connected - there are more than 10 Amtrak stops and Connecticut is a two-hour drive to either Boston or New York - the Constitution State is happy to fly under the radar. It’s a New England gem, happily waiting to be discovered by those with an appreciation for the slower pace… and Gilmore Girls.
Aer Lingus operates direct flights from Dublin Airport to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut, up to 7 times per week from March 30th. Fares start from €219 per person each way as part of a return journey, including taxes and charges.
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