Connecticut may be the third-smallest state in the U.S., but it's
no lightweight when it comes to historic landmarks, museums,
attractions, and vacation destinations. If you're looking to
maximize your vacation time, Connecticut can't be beat for a quick
getaway--there's so much to experience in a close, accessible area.
This "land of firsts" gave the American nation its first municipal
and town libraries; first turnpike; first medical diploma, Ph.D.
degree, and law school; first newspaper and telephone exchange;
first helicopter; first artificial heart; and, thanks to
Yale
students, even the first Frisbee! Visitors to Connecticut, the
gateway to New England, will find a harmonious blend of old and new.
Historic whaling towns are a stone's throw from the glamour and
glitz of the world's largest casino. Urban Fairfield County, an
extension of the New York metropolitan region, is bisected by one of
the nation's most scenic highways, the Merritt Parkway.
In 1614, Dutch navigator Adriaen Block was the first European to
sail the Connecticut River, and by 1633, Connecticut's European
settlers had founded the riverside towns of
Hartford, Windsor, and
Wethersfield. Connecticut had already been home to Native American
tribes for more than 10,000 years. Connecticut played a prominent
role in the American war for independence, serving as the major
supplier to colonial forces. It quickly grew to be one of the new
nation's centers of industry and continues to be home to factories
producing weapons, jet engines, helicopters, hardware, tools, and
more. The state's capital city, Hartford, is the country's insurance
capital and home to about 40 major insurance companies. The American
insurance industry was born in
Hartford in 1810--largely to protect
important Connecticut River shipping interests.
Connecticut offers visitors nearly a dozen different regions to
explore. The Mystic area, a whaling and shipbuilding center in the
17th through 19th centuries, has ever-popular historic and
marine-life attractions and has been an even more popular draw since
Steven Spielberg selected Mystic Seaport for on-location filming of
the movie Amistad. Elsewhere along the state's Long Island
Sound shoreline and along the Connecticut River, visitors will find
spectacular scenery, steam-train rides, beaches, and even a castle.
New Haven is home to historic
Yale University, and even Coastal
Fairfield County, a New York City appendage, offers museums, a zoo,
and historic mansions and lighthouses to explore. Connecticut's Housatonic Valley and Litchfield Hills regions in the western part
of the state treat visitors to a look at the early days of
railroads, wine tasting at local vineyards, fabulous
outdoor-recreational opportunities and some of the state's
best-loved inns. The central part of the state, including the
Waterbury region and the greater Hartford capital area, is home to
historic houses, a soaring center, apple orchards, and one of the
country's oldest amusement parks still in operation. Connecticut's
"Quiet Corner," in the northeast wing of the state, offers charm all
its own from antiquing to panning for gemstones.
You'll find it's hard to stay for just a day in this state that
packs a wallop in spite of its compact geography.
