Summer in the City: New Haven
The lure of New Haven extends beyond Yale University's ivy-covered walls. This Connecticut city on the Long Island Sound, 75 miles from Manhattan, has first-rate museums and cultural offerings. And with its many parks, active harbor, and restaurants that boast the best brick-oven pizza in Connecticut, New Haven is a great place to unwind, too.
The city's parks are sylvan retreats. Visit Black Rock Fort or Fort Nathan Hale to get your bearings; both provide panoramic views of New Haven Harbor.
The largest park in the city, East Rock's rose gardens are in full bloom June and July. It also has a bird sanctuary, nature trails, and tennis courts. This Connecticut area's 40-acre zoo is located in the West Rock Nature Center. On the Long Island Sound, Lighthouse Point Park has places to swim and picnic. Inside its beach pavilion there's an old-fashioned, turn-of-the-century carousel that still spins magic.
One needn't be a straight-A student to go through orientation at Yale: A free one-hour walking tour is offered daily. En route through this venerable Connecticut campus, with its lush green spaces and Gothic courtyards, the tour takes in Connecticut Hall dormitory (erected 1752), which housed both Noah Webster and George Bush Sr. in student days.
The arts flourish in New Haven, Connecticut in summer. High-quality theater, opera, and ballet performances abound. On the 16-acre Green, a National Historic Landmark surrounded by magnificent churches built during the early 1800s, weekend summer jazz concerts attract thousands of music lovers. Along the Connecticut city's Theater Row, the renovated halls mount musicals and Broadway shows. Experimental productions take the stage at the Yale Repertory Theater.
Museum-goers will appreciate the Yale University Art Gallery, designed by Louis Kahn. It displays American and European work and has a sculpture garden. The Peabody Museum of Natural History's collections include meteorites, the Hall of Dinosaurs, artifacts from ancient cultures, and exhibits on the environment.
Down By The Water
Connecticut's 250-mile-long coastline is marked by sandy coves and marinas. To understand the state's nautical past, a trip to The Mystic Seaport on the eastern end will prove illuminating.
During the 19th century, Mystic was one of the busiest ports on the eastern seaboard. Now it is the world's largest Maritime Museum. Visitors wander through restored homes and shops where blacksmiths, candle makers, woodcarvers, and sail makers demonstrate these old-fashioned trades.
On the waterfront, the Charles W. Morgan, last of the wooden whaling vessels (built 1841) is open for touring. Inside, above the 5-foot-high blubber room, are cramped quarters that once housed crews for two or three years at a stretch. A hundred tall ships are docked here as well. In one of the buildings, ship models, scrimshaw, sailors' carvings, and other nautical items are on display.
Penguins, whales, sharks, and other fishy friends make their home at Connecticut's nearby Mystic Aquarium, which features both indoor and outdoor exhibits. Each season new programs are added to this delightful place.
Taking a Gamble in Connecticut
No travel overview of Connecticut would be complete without a mention of its two mega-casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, which are located fairly close to one another.
Both Connecticut casinos now have overnight accommodations and spa facilities. For our money, Mohegan Sun -- with its phantasmagoric decor -- is Connecticut's most fun and spirited environment.
