Connecticut is full of art and culture. Just travel the Connecticut Art Trail to visit a consortium of fifteen museums and historic landmarks. Explore bucolic farms; see studios and boarding houses where famous artists once resided. Visit contemporary art museums and go back in time to marvel European masterpieces and the works of American Impressionists. Some highlights along the trail are the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, the Hill Stead Museum in Farmington, the Mattatuch Museum Art & History Center in Ridgefield, and Yale University in New Haven. Connecticut is also home to two casinos, the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville and Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, the largest casino in the world. Both casinos offer their own unique atmosphere with an array of gaming experiences that include table games, slots, poker, bingo, keno, and race book. Foxwoods' latest addition is the MGM Grand. Both Foxwoods and Mohegan offer accommodations and special packages, luxury spas, casual and gourmet dining, live entertainment, and shopping. Feeling lucky? Just a short distance away from the casinos, along the banks of the Mystic River, return to the charm of New England in Mystic. Mystic is home to two world-renowned museums: Mystic Seaport, the largest maritime museum in the world, and the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. At Mystic Seaport you can go aboard tall ships at the seaport and tour a real 19^th-century seafaring village. There’s also a remarkable exhibit detailing Dr. Robert Ballard’s discovering of the shipwrecked Titanic.

If it seems as though this winter will never end, take heart, The sweet scents of maple syrup in the making clearly announce that spring is coming—and they are a good reason to plan a visit to Litchfield and Fairfield counties in Western Connecticut.

Sugar maples are plentiful in these scenic areas and more than a dozen sugarhouses from private farms to nature centers welcome visitors during peak syrup season in March. Guests will view the process from tap to tastes, see how the big bubbling kettles of thin sap boil down to thick fragrant syrup and get to sample the delicious results. Some operations are open every weekend, some have special maple celebration days and some smaller farms request a call to be sure they are ready for company. 

For the sap to run, nights below freezing and warm days are required, so dates can vary.  A call always is a good idea before visiting.

The Maple Calendar    

Lamothe’s Sugar House in Burlington starts the season early with the chance to see how syrup is made every weekend from February 12 to March 26. This family owned operation began as a hobby with seven taps and has grown to over 4500 taps and a year-round showroom.  Coffee and cider are complimentary to visitors. Along with the maple syrup business the family also raise pigs, and mini-lop bunnies.

My first journey into Connecticut as a contributor also coincided with the one-year anniversary of my very first travel trip.  I decided to hit the mid-coast area of Connecticut and ended up being blown away by what I saw in Groton.  Located on the Thames River, this city had a lot of features that I look for when choosing places to visit-specifically, an amazing lighthouse and a historic earthen fort.  That alone would make Groton a must-see, but there was so much more.

Groton is home to the University of Connecticut. Established in 1705, it has one of the largest collections of historic sites and monuments in the state which makes it very popular with travelers.  My experience in Groton began with a bang and never let up.

The first spot I visited was Fort Griswold. Now a state park, the fort was in use during the American Revolution and was attacked during the Battle of Groton Heights by troops led by turncoat Benedict Arnold.  As soon as you get close to the grounds your eyes are immediately  drawn up to the impressive sight that is the 135-foot Groton Monument.  Built in 1830, the monument, an obelisk which brought to mind the Bunker Hill Monument in Boston, was dedicated to all of the soldiers who died during the Battle of Groton Heights in 1781. 

When I passed through the iron gates and onto the grounds of the fort, I felt like I was passing into a different time.  Right away there is a stone marker depicting where Col. William Ledyard was killed by his own sword by a British soldier after surrendering the fort.  This was the beginning of the massacre at Fort Griswold.