Foliage from Mystic Places to Rhode Island
Continuing on our trip from the hamlet of Old Lyme and Lyme Street there are two ways to get the most out of the foliage in these shoreline areas. (Yellow Trail)
Peck Tavern on Sill Lane
We will take the second option and after a detour on historic Sill Lane named after the Sill family, one of which was David Fithian Sill a high regarded soldier during the American Revolution... we head toward East Lyme passing Rogers Lake a summer retreat for many towns people, the hills around Rogers Lake are filled with colors and if you opt to take a side route... why not follow Grass Hill Rd up along the Eastern side of the Lake for a few miles turning when you arrive in the middle of the woods near Blood Street. Across from Rogers Lake is the Coffee's Hardware Store at Laysville Center. Remodeled some years back into a great gourmet food shop sandwiches and brioche of all types are available here and made fresh. Breakfast is also an option and well worth the stop.
Proceeding on a treelined (dense in most places) Route 1 follow through to East Lyme, to your right you will see Scott's Orchards Farm Shop, a throw back to your parents time, homemade cider, homegrown fruit and vegetables are the rule. On some days apple cider and pumpkin donuts are available and hot out of the frier. At this spot once stood the 1741 Baptist Church the first of it's kind in the area, taken down and moved to Flanders this church was the father of the Baptist movement in the area and a placard marks the spot in the Eastern Corner of the parking lot of the farm shop. Worth a stop! Across the street is the old Reverends House that dates to 1696.
Scott's Farm Shop
From here you will pass through valleys and rolling hills of northern East Lyme. There are several side street tours available... if interested I would take a left at the Yale Outdoor Education Sign and proceed up that road for a mile or so before turning. A handful of 18th century homes and farms dot the area. Some sell produce as well during the proper seasons. After driving about .75 miles past Scott's head to the left in a neighborhood that climbs a hill. This new neighborhood offers a view of the Long Island Sound (when at the top) and the entire countryside around with glorious fall colors.
Returning on Route 1 continue until you reach Pattagansett Lake & Boat Launch. This lake is also a popular summer and winter lake and is surrounded by beautiful foliage vistas after another. Worth a spin around. More experience local drives often take this road up and past the lake and drive for several miles to Powers Lake for additional fall colors.
At this point you arrive in the village of Flanders, part of East Lyme. The venerable Flanders Fish House is here as is a great pizza place called "Pizza Cucina", both are worth the stop however Flanders Fish House can be very busy and full of tourists during the season.
From this point follow Route 1 over the I95 ramp and into Waterford. At the right you will see a tremendous display of colors followed by several colonial homes and eventually the old Beckwith Shipyard (left), Ferry Crossing(left) and Niantic River to the right. Follow Route 1 until you reach Waterford, basically a subburb of New London. From here head toward downtown New London which is ideal for a bite to eat a stop to stroll the resurging streets of this historic city or to grab a cup of coffee at one of the several establishments on Bank or State Street. From here I suggest the following... head through downtown New London and look for Route 32 which takes you high above the Thames River and past the Connecticut College, US Coast Guard Academy and Lyman Allyn Museum. The Conn-College Arboretum is located here and fall strolls are VERY popular with locals and are great if you have a nice hot cup of coffee with you.
Follow Route 32 North toward Norwich for scenic views of the entire countryside. At the end you will arrive in Norwich another historic resurging city lined with historic homes, cafes and more... Norwich itself is worth of a stop at least for a bit. Home to the Slater Museum (collection of moulds for the great works of ancient Rome) and a wonderful downtown area that has been re-inventing itself of late. Follow Route 32 and look for Route 9 and head south toward Groton on the other side of the Thames River. A side trip worth of a 5 minute break is in Ledyard at the Gales Ferry a historic village on the banks of the Thames and with views of the River and Mohegan Sun Casino.
Route 9 is similar to Route 32, loads of trees and views...follow until you reach "Long Hill Road" in downtown Groton, a standard cookie cutter shopping street. Follow for several minutes until you reach the end... follow through and head toward Mystic & Noank Villages.
Following Route 9 until you reach the greeting point of Route 1 again. Follow Route one and head to Mystic, however at the "split" of 1 and 1a follow toward 1a and head toward Noank and Groton Long Point for a nice autumn stroll near the shore. Plentiful with colors and the smells of autumn. Groton Long Point is a summer beach community with clean yards, and Adirondack chairs throughout.
When arriving in Noank a seaside village centered by a historic church once the marking point for ship captains, a country store/restaurant and a couple of well know seafood/summerfood shacks in Abbotts Lobster in the Rough and Costellos Clam Shack. Any side street in Mystic/Noank is worthy of the journey. The majority of the homes were built in the seafaring haydays of the 1800s (1830-1850) and come in a full range of sizes. Each played a roll in privateering during the American Revolution and War of 1812 and in the Whaling Era's of the early to mid 1800s.
Follow toward Mystic downtown an area that we covered already in previous blogs. Taking the water taxi or Sabino if available affords a wonderful colorful treat. Suggestion is to stop in Mystick Village and head to the general/country store for a real feel of autumn as they offer a line of local products and some good snack foods!
Heading on the road back toward downtown follow toward Stonington, with stops in the Borough, an 18th century hamlet filled with ship captain and explorers homes and trees everywhere. Also in this area , ideal for leaf peeping is the FarmHolme Road area... country estates and stone walls dominate this area and the foliage is tremendous as the roads are covered with the branches of trees and leaves, pumpkins dot the front porches of most homes and holiday indian corn stalks compliment the time of the year.
Nice dining spots include:
Noah, WaterStreet Cafe, Stonington Inn.
Worthy of a stop:
Lighthouse Museum-History of Stonington, Information on War of 1812 Battle of Stonington.
Waterfront Park at Stonington Commons-Walkway and gazeebo along the shore of the Stonington Borough
Old Clayworks behind the Lighthouse Museum
Cannons and War of 1812 Monument
From here head toward Pawcatuck and Westerly... First arriving at Pawcatuck on the Rhode Island border, Pawcatuck is udergoing a rebirth and has a way to go... Westerly is in the midst of the boom and is a wonderful little town located on the Rhode Island side of the border, with its period lamps, shops, fine dining and accessibility for all.
While in downtown head on Route 1 then Route 1a just near the entry to Washington Trust Bank and follow toward Watch Hill a summer resort for more than 100 years for the Northeast's wealthiest citizens. The Watch Hill light house offers a nice view of the Block Island Sound, Cliffs of East Beach and the Connecticut shore.
The rolling hills, quaint downtown and volume of trees that fill this area give it a uniquely New England feeling. From here we suggest bedding down in Stonington at the Inn or at any Bed & Breakfast in the area. There are also motels and places to stay throughout. They can be booked solid in the season so call ahead or take your chance. Midweek is always best!
Next we continue through Rhode Island....
- Drive on Route 156 toward Niantic (7 miles) passing by small beach community after small beach community. The roads are dotted with old homes and thick with trees of all types. Reds, Yellows, Oranges and Browns are the most popular. This part of the journey will end in downtown Niantic again about 7 miles from Lyme Street in Old Lyme.
- Drive on Lyme Street and follow past Old Lyme Inn on Route 1. For a short side trip follow to Sill Lane and travel down for about 2 miles. These was an extension of the downtown area in the 18th century and many fine homes and many more fine trees line the streets including the 1680s Peck Tavern B&B (also worthy of a stopover). Then follow Sill Lane back to Route 1 and head toward East Lyme...
Peck Tavern on Sill LaneWe will take the second option and after a detour on historic Sill Lane named after the Sill family, one of which was David Fithian Sill a high regarded soldier during the American Revolution... we head toward East Lyme passing Rogers Lake a summer retreat for many towns people, the hills around Rogers Lake are filled with colors and if you opt to take a side route... why not follow Grass Hill Rd up along the Eastern side of the Lake for a few miles turning when you arrive in the middle of the woods near Blood Street. Across from Rogers Lake is the Coffee's Hardware Store at Laysville Center. Remodeled some years back into a great gourmet food shop sandwiches and brioche of all types are available here and made fresh. Breakfast is also an option and well worth the stop.
Proceeding on a treelined (dense in most places) Route 1 follow through to East Lyme, to your right you will see Scott's Orchards Farm Shop, a throw back to your parents time, homemade cider, homegrown fruit and vegetables are the rule. On some days apple cider and pumpkin donuts are available and hot out of the frier. At this spot once stood the 1741 Baptist Church the first of it's kind in the area, taken down and moved to Flanders this church was the father of the Baptist movement in the area and a placard marks the spot in the Eastern Corner of the parking lot of the farm shop. Worth a stop! Across the street is the old Reverends House that dates to 1696.
Scott's Farm Shop From here you will pass through valleys and rolling hills of northern East Lyme. There are several side street tours available... if interested I would take a left at the Yale Outdoor Education Sign and proceed up that road for a mile or so before turning. A handful of 18th century homes and farms dot the area. Some sell produce as well during the proper seasons. After driving about .75 miles past Scott's head to the left in a neighborhood that climbs a hill. This new neighborhood offers a view of the Long Island Sound (when at the top) and the entire countryside around with glorious fall colors.
Returning on Route 1 continue until you reach Pattagansett Lake & Boat Launch. This lake is also a popular summer and winter lake and is surrounded by beautiful foliage vistas after another. Worth a spin around. More experience local drives often take this road up and past the lake and drive for several miles to Powers Lake for additional fall colors.
At this point you arrive in the village of Flanders, part of East Lyme. The venerable Flanders Fish House is here as is a great pizza place called "Pizza Cucina", both are worth the stop however Flanders Fish House can be very busy and full of tourists during the season.
From this point follow Route 1 over the I95 ramp and into Waterford. At the right you will see a tremendous display of colors followed by several colonial homes and eventually the old Beckwith Shipyard (left), Ferry Crossing(left) and Niantic River to the right. Follow Route 1 until you reach Waterford, basically a subburb of New London. From here head toward downtown New London which is ideal for a bite to eat a stop to stroll the resurging streets of this historic city or to grab a cup of coffee at one of the several establishments on Bank or State Street. From here I suggest the following... head through downtown New London and look for Route 32 which takes you high above the Thames River and past the Connecticut College, US Coast Guard Academy and Lyman Allyn Museum. The Conn-College Arboretum is located here and fall strolls are VERY popular with locals and are great if you have a nice hot cup of coffee with you.
Follow Route 32 North toward Norwich for scenic views of the entire countryside. At the end you will arrive in Norwich another historic resurging city lined with historic homes, cafes and more... Norwich itself is worth of a stop at least for a bit. Home to the Slater Museum (collection of moulds for the great works of ancient Rome) and a wonderful downtown area that has been re-inventing itself of late. Follow Route 32 and look for Route 9 and head south toward Groton on the other side of the Thames River. A side trip worth of a 5 minute break is in Ledyard at the Gales Ferry a historic village on the banks of the Thames and with views of the River and Mohegan Sun Casino.
Route 9 is similar to Route 32, loads of trees and views...follow until you reach "Long Hill Road" in downtown Groton, a standard cookie cutter shopping street. Follow for several minutes until you reach the end... follow through and head toward Mystic & Noank Villages.
Following Route 9 until you reach the greeting point of Route 1 again. Follow Route one and head to Mystic, however at the "split" of 1 and 1a follow toward 1a and head toward Noank and Groton Long Point for a nice autumn stroll near the shore. Plentiful with colors and the smells of autumn. Groton Long Point is a summer beach community with clean yards, and Adirondack chairs throughout.
When arriving in Noank a seaside village centered by a historic church once the marking point for ship captains, a country store/restaurant and a couple of well know seafood/summerfood shacks in Abbotts Lobster in the Rough and Costellos Clam Shack. Any side street in Mystic/Noank is worthy of the journey. The majority of the homes were built in the seafaring haydays of the 1800s (1830-1850) and come in a full range of sizes. Each played a roll in privateering during the American Revolution and War of 1812 and in the Whaling Era's of the early to mid 1800s.
Follow toward Mystic downtown an area that we covered already in previous blogs. Taking the water taxi or Sabino if available affords a wonderful colorful treat. Suggestion is to stop in Mystick Village and head to the general/country store for a real feel of autumn as they offer a line of local products and some good snack foods!
Heading on the road back toward downtown follow toward Stonington, with stops in the Borough, an 18th century hamlet filled with ship captain and explorers homes and trees everywhere. Also in this area , ideal for leaf peeping is the FarmHolme Road area... country estates and stone walls dominate this area and the foliage is tremendous as the roads are covered with the branches of trees and leaves, pumpkins dot the front porches of most homes and holiday indian corn stalks compliment the time of the year.
Nice dining spots include:
Noah, WaterStreet Cafe, Stonington Inn.
Worthy of a stop:
Lighthouse Museum-History of Stonington, Information on War of 1812 Battle of Stonington.
Waterfront Park at Stonington Commons-Walkway and gazeebo along the shore of the Stonington Borough
Old Clayworks behind the Lighthouse Museum
Cannons and War of 1812 Monument
From here head toward Pawcatuck and Westerly... First arriving at Pawcatuck on the Rhode Island border, Pawcatuck is udergoing a rebirth and has a way to go... Westerly is in the midst of the boom and is a wonderful little town located on the Rhode Island side of the border, with its period lamps, shops, fine dining and accessibility for all.
While in downtown head on Route 1 then Route 1a just near the entry to Washington Trust Bank and follow toward Watch Hill a summer resort for more than 100 years for the Northeast's wealthiest citizens. The Watch Hill light house offers a nice view of the Block Island Sound, Cliffs of East Beach and the Connecticut shore.
The rolling hills, quaint downtown and volume of trees that fill this area give it a uniquely New England feeling. From here we suggest bedding down in Stonington at the Inn or at any Bed & Breakfast in the area. There are also motels and places to stay throughout. They can be booked solid in the season so call ahead or take your chance. Midweek is always best!
Next we continue through Rhode Island....
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