A 5-day tour of the Coast and Countryside
Connecticut Sampler - from $2,025.00 for 2 persons (*includes our tour planning services plus direct lodging)
Highlights:
> 4 nights lodging in two charming Inns with breakfasts included (booked directly by you at our special rates)
> 1 dinner included at the award-winning Inn at Woodstock Hill
> Rides contrast picturesque coastal villages and seaports with rolling farmland and historic town greens
> A variety of world-renowned maritime exhibits at Mystic Seaport
> Expansive Woodstock common with Roseland Cottage
> Lighthouse museum in Stonington village, home of Connecticut's only commercial fishing fleet
> Antiquing in Putnam, CT
> Optional hiking on Audubon properties at Bafflin Sanctuary and Trail Wood
> Optional wine tastings at two wineries
> Luggage transfers (optional service)
> 4 nights lodging in two charming Inns with breakfasts included (booked directly by you at our special rates)
> 1 dinner included at the award-winning Inn at Woodstock Hill
> Rides contrast picturesque coastal villages and seaports with rolling farmland and historic town greens
> A variety of world-renowned maritime exhibits at Mystic Seaport
> Expansive Woodstock common with Roseland Cottage
> Lighthouse museum in Stonington village, home of Connecticut's only commercial fishing fleet
> Antiquing in Putnam, CT
> Optional hiking on Audubon properties at Bafflin Sanctuary and Trail Wood
> Optional wine tastings at two wineries
> Luggage transfers (optional service)
Day 1: Mystic - Welcome to the Historic Seaport!
Welcome to the back roads of one of America's most scenic coastlines! Mystic is the vibrant coastal town that will serve as your hub. Take a short ride to visit Mystic Seaport Museum where the fastest clipper ships in the United States were built in the middle of the 18th century. An optional longer loop cycles past the Pequot Tribal Nation's interesting Mashantucket museum. Enjoy a wide range of shopping choices in Mystic before returning to your centrally located Inn. (13 and 28 mile route options)
Day 2: A sampling of Connecticut's Eastern Shore
After a hearty breakfast at the Inn, we offer a leisurely loop ride along the coastline. Stonington might be our favorite small coastal village in all of New England. It still has a working fishing fleet, two great restaurants, fine antique shops and a fascinating lighthouse museum. Near the lighthouse is a small beach and stone jetty to relax and soak up the view or read a book. The entire village is on the National Register of Historic Places, so it's fun to just explore each street. You do have to eventually leave and we have a pleasant ride to a winery in pretty North Stonington before returning to your Inn. We also provide an optional loop to visit Watch Hill, a turn-of-the-century seaside resort. (24 and 45 mile route options)
Day 3: Rural beauty of the Quiet Corner
Today's ride begins along the Lebanon common, one of the largest town greens in New England. They have been continually haying the 'green' since colonial times, and George Washington's horse slept in a stable here! A series of wonderful hilly back roads dotted with farms will bring you through Windham, Scotland and Hampton. Hundreds of acres are protected in the Natchaug and Yale forests, providing amble evidence to why this is called Connecticut's Quiet Corner. Your destination is the award-winning Inn at Woodstock Hill. (36 mile route)
Day 4: Woodstock - an elegant New England country village
Savor breakfast at the Inn before beginning today's journey. The ride includes the expansive town green of Woodstock with stunning Roseland Cottage and historic Woodstock Academy. Continue on with views of farmland vistas into South Woodstock with a varied collection of nice shops. Pedal through Connecticut’s antique center of Putnam and pick up a picnic lunch. A favorite spot for that picnic is atop Thompson Hill Common featuring a grand collection of 18th and 19th century homes. (25 and 40 mile route options)
Day 5: Rural beauty of Pomfret and Brooklyn
After a hearty breakfast at the Inn, head south to Pomfret and Brooklyn with their open farmland, stately homes and rolling countryside. Stop at Bafflin Audubon sanctuary, with miles of hiking trails and some of the best birding in Connecticut. Further along is an excellent site for a refreshing picnic lunch and another winery. The grounds of Sharpe Hill Vineyard are carefully maintained and the tasting room is a nice stop. Then enjoy a treat at an all-time favorite ice cream stand with delicious homemade flavors. Cycle by a Revolutionary War cemetery and the oldest continuously operating church in Connecticut. (28 and 34 mile route options)