Connecticut information
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.
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