No Cost Day Trips

These days we are all looking for ways to enjoy our leisure time, at little or preferably, no cost. Below is a partial list of Connecticut day trips that fit this criteria. All but one are from my book, Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket http://www.cruisingconnectiut.com/. The only thing you have to worry about is gas and food.

1. Easy and Pleasant Walking Trails: Gillette Castle State Park, East Haddam; Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill; White Memorial Conservation Center, Litchfield; Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, Mystic. (Note that these locations also have nature centers or buildings to tour for which there is an admission charge, however, there is no cost to enter and park, or for enjoying the walking trails and picnicking facilities.)

2. Window Shopping While Strolling Along Quintessential Connecticut Main Streets: Towns of Essex; Chester; and Mystic.

3. Spring Wildflower Walk: Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust, Woodbury; Connecticut College Arboretum, New London. (Note that May is the best month for this activity, although at Connecticut College you can also enjoy a profusion of native trees and shrubs in any season.)

4. Bike Paths: The one I know best is the Air Line Trail which goes through East Hampton, Colchester, and Hebron. For others, see http://www.traillink.com/ or www.americantrails.org/resources/statetrails/CTstate.html. (Click Rail & Canal Trails.)

5. Museums: Always Free ~ Yale University Art Gallery and Yale Center for British Art, both in New Haven; Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford currently has free admission on the last Saturday of each month. Confirm by telephone (860-278-2670) that this special is still in effect. Note that many libraries offer their patrons a free ARTpass to this and other museums.

6. Vineyards/Wineries: Although most wineries now charge for wine tasting, many offer free self-tours of the vineyards and guided tour of the wine making process. Best of all, the settings are scenic and most have picnicking facilities. www.ctwine.com/wineries.

Speaking of food, save money by bringing a picnic on your outings, either packing lunch at home or stopping at the market to pick up your favorite sandwich makings. Money aside, a meal eaten outdoors is the ultimate complement to an outdoor activity or event.

NEXT BLOG: SUGGESTIONS FOR FIRST DATE PICNICS, ROMANTIC PICNICS, AND MORE.

New Day Trip and Picnicking

I recently spent a pleasant Saturday afternoon in Colchester visiting both Cato Corner Farm and Priam Vineyards.

Cato Corner Farm is a small family farm with a mother-son team, who raise 40 free-range jersey cows without the use of hormones or subtherapeutic antibiotics. From the cows' raw milk, a dozen styles of aged farmhouse cheese is produced, such as: "Bridgid's Abbey," our most popular cheese...smooth, creamy, & medium mild with a rich finish; "Drunken Hooligan," rubbed in wine grapes from Priam Vineyard; and, "Fromage d'O'Cow," Hooligan's bigger brother, a wide flat wheel that is especially stinky & rich.

This was my first taste of fresh farm cheese, and it was a memorable treat. Of the several I tried, each was consistently outstanding in taste and texture.

The farm welcomes visitors for cheese tasting and purchase on Saturdays. For more information, plus directions and hours: www.catocornerfarm.com.

Close by, Priam Vineyards is a 40 acre farm with 24 acres of grapes grown free of insecticides. Their wines have won numerous International Wine Competition medals each year, including six in 2008. Tasting is on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and some holidays, from 11-5, with extended hours on select Fridays. Wine tasting, including a wine glass with logo cost $6.50.

What about picnicking? A wine patio adjacent to the barn is convenient and attractive, or consider a walk to the top of the vineyard. There, you will not only find a picnic table or spot of lawn, but a striking 35 mile view of the countryside.

It if isn't convenient or desirable to pack a picnic, no problem. Menus are available at the winery to order lunch or dinner delivered right to the wine patio. Or, on Sundays from 11-3, enjoy a Farmer's Market with fruits and vegetables grown by Priam Vineyards and local farmers, some of whom also bring baked goods.

Check it all out on their website (www.priamvineyards.com) by clicking on "Events & Tasting."