Q&A's From My Book Talks About Connecticut Attractions

For the past five years I have had the privilege of traveling around the State talking to folks at libraries, garden clubs, civic organizations, church groups, newcomers clubs, and book stores about the great destinations for day tripping and picnicking in this state. During some 180 appearances I been asked many questions, a few of which are posted here along with my answers.

Q. What is your favorite day trip?
A. It would be impossible to pick just one, plus the favorites sometimes vary from visit to visit. But I'll tell you about some of my personal favorites in each season: In the Fall,the wineries,and it’s also a great time of year to hike up to Heublein Tower at Talcott Mountain State Park. Plus every year, on a weekend day closest to October 15, I take my annual fall foliage day trip to Kent Falls in Kent, Cornwall Covered Bridge in West Cornwall, and Hopkins Vineyard in New Preston, the latter to marvel at the beautiful foliage on the banks of Lake Waramaug; in the winter, Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport, and especially during the holidays when they are decorated, Gillette Castle and Mark Twain House; in the Spring, Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury and Connecticut College Arboretum in New London for spring wildflower hunts and almost any place in Mystic; and in the summer, Main Street, Essex, and any place in or near the water, one of my favorites being the Thimble Island Cruise in Branford.

Q. What is your favorite place to picnic?
A. My favorite picnic is always the one enjoyed at the same location as my day trip/activity, but if I take the activity out of the equation, in the summer it’s the pond at Gillette Castle State Park (on the left before you drive up the hill to the Castle parking area) filled with pink, white and fuchsia water lilies. I like picnicking at the Heublein Tower at Talcott Mountain State Park at any time of year for the diverse areas available at the top of the mountain, all with great views, and Gouveia Vineyard in Wallingford because of the option of picnicking outside in the nice weather or in a comfortable room inside when the weather is questionable.

Q. After scouring the state day tripping for so many years, you must know about everything that is available?
A. Even I find it hard to believe, but I’ve hardly scratched the surface. There are numerous state parks that I have never visited, all with their own unique points of interest, historic homes I will probably never get to, hiking and biking trails, museums, and new wineries seem to be springing up faster than I can count.

Q. Was it hard to decide which places to write about.
A. Yes, I struggled with this decision, but I wanted diversity, not only in activities, but in locations throughout the state. This meant I had to leave out some great places because they were too close to another destination. Others did not have a suitable place to picnic. And, still others went out of business or changed drastically between the time of my research and years later when I finally got around to publishing my book.

Q. How did you decide on the recipes?
A. First, I designed a suggested menu for each day trip that suited both the activity and the picnicking facilities. For example, my picnic basket looks very different when I am visiting a state park with picnic tables and grills than when I am taking a walking tour of Hartford and stop for a light lunch on a park bench. Then, I found or designed recipes that covered all the food categories, because I wanted them to be enjoyed at home as well as on picnics.

A Potpourri of "stuff" to Share

--In my 2nd Edition of Cruising Connecticut with a Picnic Basket I added a note to the Downtown Cabaret Theatre chapter to the effect that musicals were expected to be offered only intermittently during the year.

So, I was particularly pleased to receive a mailing announcing that 42nd Street "Direct from the Tropicana in Atlantic City" will be playing from November 21st to January 4th. Personally, I am looking forward to this production and wanted to share the information with my readers.

Check their website for other scheduled shows during the coming months. http://www.downtowncabaret.org/.

--There is a new website that showcases products grown in Connecticut. Check out http://www.buyctgrown.com/ for a list of fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy products, seafood and much more. They are all listed with easy access to the farms (including maps) where these items can be found.

I was curious about the season for broccoli, but it seemed to be the only vegetable not on the list. Although there is a "Chart of Seasonality" it wasn't coming up, so I simply telephoned the farm. I was told that broccoli should be available in a couple of weeks, which will be in time to make my Bleu Broccoli for an upcoming picnic. (If you do not have my book but would like a great new broccoli salad recipe, email me and I'll send it to you. (jan@cruisingconnecticut.com)

The other information on this site wasn't as impressive. For example, when I clicked on Events, there was only one listed, for October 11, 2008. And the exciting Topics on this page, like Farmers' Markets, Farm Tour, Cooking Demonstrations and the like all brought up the same message, "No events. Sorry. Please choose another category." I guess because the site is new, they do not have all the information posted yet.

--Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic (http://www.dpnc.org/) always has a lot of special activities planned. One in particular, a July 22nd trip to Garden in the Woods, home of the New England Wildflower Society in Framingham, Mass. caused me to reflect on my six week Connecticut Spring Wildflower Hunt back in 1973. That adventure turned my day tripping into a passion, which in turn led to writing Cruising Connecticut. Isn't it fascinating that just one step out of our normal routine or comfort zone can lead us to the most wonderful places!