5-day tour to see the variety of historic preservation in the Last Green valley in Connecticut and Massachusetts
Restored and Revitalized Towns - Price on Request for 2 persons
Highlights:
> 4 nights lodging in two romantic Inn's with hearty breakfasts included each morning
> 1 dinner of elegantly prepared Austro-Hungarian cuisine
> Rides through picturesque villages and farmland
> Tour early 19th century Old Sturbridge Village, a recreated village and outdoor history museum
> Shopping for antiques and new crafts
> Wine tasting and sampling freshly brewed pints of ale
> Luggage or car transfer
> 4 nights lodging in two romantic Inn's with hearty breakfasts included each morning
> 1 dinner of elegantly prepared Austro-Hungarian cuisine
> Rides through picturesque villages and farmland
> Tour early 19th century Old Sturbridge Village, a recreated village and outdoor history museum
> Shopping for antiques and new crafts
> Wine tasting and sampling freshly brewed pints of ale
> Luggage or car transfer
Day 1: Welcome to Connecticut's Quiet Corner!
Arrive at your Inn in Woodstock, a town with typical New England charm, located in the northeastern corner of Connecticut. To protect Woodstock from growing too fast and losing many natural treasures, the residents have focused on preserving open space and farmlands. This makes the valley a beautiful and interesting place to explore by bicycle. (15 mile route)
Day 2: Rural Beauty of Pomfret and Woodstock, CT
After a hearty breakfast at the Inn, head south to Pomfret and Brooklyn with their open famland, 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. (36 mile route)
Day 3: The Vienna House welcomes you to Southbridge, MA
Your luggage will be transferred today to Southbridge where you will be welcomed by the wonderful couple who run the Vienna Restaurant and Historic Inn. The back roads of your ride will bring you to revitalized Southbridge, once a bustling mill city and now home to such projects as 12 Crane - where you will discover fine art, live music and entertainment, shopping and much more under one roof. Tonight enjoy the Austro-Hungarian dining offerings prepared by your hosts. (44 mile route)
Day 4: Historic villages of Brimfield and Sturbridge, MA
After a hearty breakfast at the Inn, today's cycling route will take you through the largely rural village of Brimfield. Settled in the late 1700's with sheep and dairy farms and orchards as the main source of income, you will travel along beautiful, quiet country roads with rolling terrain. Stop by Hyland Orchard, home of Rapscallion Brewery, and the Marketplace at the Falls, one of Sturbridge's many shopping options. Nearby is a wide range of dinner selections, our favorites are a Thai restaurant and the classic Publick House Tavern. (38 mile route)
Day 5: Rolling countryside to Oxford, MA
Before heading home, enjoy more quiet roads on a loop ride to Oxford, MA. Check out the Clara Barton Homestead, honoring the founder of the American Red Cross. If it's a warm day and you feel like a swim, we route you near a state recreation area. (20 and 28 mile options)