Check Out These Upcoming Special Events

Many of the destinations in Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket offer special events during the year that should not be missed. I recently learned about the following:

June 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. & June 22 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Haight-Brown Vineyard sponsors "Taste of Litchfield Hills" including "fine cuisine, upscale shopping, live entertainment, plus winery tours & tastings." I will be signing books on Sunday. Find out more at http://www.haightvineyards.com/ or call 860-567-4045.

July 17 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. the Mark Twain House & Museum presents "Twain at Twilight" on the lower lawn. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy their picnic supper while listening to New Orleans Jazz. I will be listening as well, and signing books. Find out more about this free concert and another on June 22 at http://www.marktwainhouse.org/. or call 860-247-0998.

July 26 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Florence Griswold Museum takes part in the Old Lyme Midsummer Festival with the "En Plein Air" market on the grounds of the museum. Over 20 Connecticut vendors will offer fresh flowers, breads, cheeses, and specialty foods, or enjoy a prepared lunch under market umbrellas along the Lieutenant River. Find out more at http://www.flogris.org/ (Click Upcoming Events on left; click July on right) or call 860-434-5542.

The last Sunday in June, July, August, and September, and October 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine opens its Viets Tavern for tours and skittles. In my book, I write that prison guards frequented Viets Tavern during their free time to "eat, drink, and play skittles, a game first introduced in England in the fourteenth century." At the time my book went to print, the tavern was open to visitors "occasionally." So, I was happy to learn of these specific dates. Find out more at http://www.eastgranby.com/ or call 860-653-3563.

Be sure to check the above websites for costs and full description of these events. And, check the websites of the other destinations in Cruising Connecticut to learn about additional offerings throughout the year.

Have fun!