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A Recommended Drive: Connecticut
by Kathryn LoConte
As you drive along Route 169 in the eastern part of the state, it soon becomes clear why this section of Connecticut is called the Quiet Corner. This route, located just off I-395, offers 32 miles of uninterrupted tranquillity.
In Lisbon, weathered-clapboard homesteads appear around every bend. Stone walls flank the road as you come to the Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury. Prudence Crandall was a prescient white woman who educated black girls from 1833 to 1834 before a club-wielding mob brought an end to her school.
Back on Route 169, giant trees cast long shadows as you pass faded red barns amid fields of corn. The apple orchards and hiking and biking trails just off the road will have you making a mental note to return in the autumn.
Continuing on, you soon reach the town of Brooklyn, settled in the 1600s. Past the Brooklyn Fairgrounds, site of the oldest agricultural fair in the country, is a charming 18th-century bed-and-breakfast called the Friendship Valley Inn. Inn-keepers Beverly and Rusty Yates greet guests with glasses of homemade iced tea.
For a special treat, visit The Golden Lamb Buttery, part of a 1,000-acre estate just off Route 169. Enjoy a late-afternoon hayride (you just might find a glass of Pinot Noir hand-delivered in a '53 Jaguar), then relax with a cocktail on the deck overlooking the lake and meandering stone walls. For dinner, try the roast duckling -- the house specialty -- which is so tender it falls off the bone.
Twenty-six miles from the start of your trip, in Woodstock, stands Roseland Cottage, a resplendent raspberry sherbet-colored Gothic Revival house with maroon trim and dark-green shutters. The cottage was built by Henry Bowen, a local boy who moved to New York and struck it rich. He and his family returned to the cottage every summer, and their original furnishings are still on display here.
Prudence Crandall Museum
Stone walls flank the road as you come to the Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury. Prudence Crandall was a prescient white woman who educated black girls from 1833 to 1834 before a club-wielding mob brought an end to her school. [DETAILS]
Friendship Valley Inn
Innkeepers Beverly and Rusty Yates greet guests with glasses of homemade iced tea at this charming 18th-century bed-and-breakfast. [DETAILS]
Golden Lamb Buttery
For a special treat, visit The Golden Lamb Buttery, part of a 1,000-acre estate just off Route 169. Enjoy a late-afternoon hayride (you just might find a glass of Pinot Noir hand-delivered in a ’53 Jaguar), then relax with a cocktail on the deck overlooking the lake and meandering stone walls. For dinner, try the roast duckling—the house specialty—which is so tender it falls off the bone. [DETAILS]
Roseland Cottage
A resplendent raspberry sherbert-colored Gothic Revival house with maroon trim and dark-green shutters. The cottage was built by Henry Bowen, a local boy who moved to New York and struck it rich. He and his family returned to the cottage every summer, and their original furnishings are still on display here. [DETAILS]
Reader Comments
Comment from on July 25, 2008
It's difficult to chose which of the northern corners of Connecticut are the best. The quiet corner is indeed a lovely place. The Golden Lamb Buttery an unusual dining experience, but pricey.
Winding roads and beautiful scenery make this a lovely drive.
Comment from MARYANN OLGIN on September 4, 2009
My husband and I recently just took a drive one beautiful summer day and we went to Litchfield, CT in Litchfield County. The center of Town could be walked through with little effort. The stores, antique, clothing, boutique, etc.. were simply beautiful. The people were friendly. One gentlemen who was just sitting on his stairs getting some fresh air with his dog Noah, was very friendly, and told us his "favorite" restaurants. They are all fabulous.
On another trip there, an architect was sketching one of the older Churhes in town. He too started a converstaion with my husband, and we found out that he lived in Branford, as well.
I would strongly suggest that if you have never been to Litchfield before, you should do yourself a favor and take a drive there. MaryAnn Olgin
Comment from John Barrett on October 7, 2009
As an Anglo Scot visiting our son and family in New Milford I agree with Mary Ann Oglin, My wife and I pay a visit to to Litchfield,visit the museum,etc, every time we cross the pond from Scotland It is one of our favourite towns in the area. We find that the local people in the Housatonic valley make us very welcome and we will be back over in the spring. John and Margaret Barrett Ayrshire U.K.
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