Perfect Pairings

One of the great luxuries of downtown New Haven is that so many of Yale’s treasures are practically right next door to each other. Get your art fix at the Yale University Art Gallery, whose recent renovation set the art world buzzing. Its eclectic collections, ranging from Coins and Medals to Modern and Contemporary Art (Hopper, Eakins, John Trumbull), will easily fill your morning.  After lunch, take in a walking tour of the university’s truly impressive architecture. Head for the Yale Visitor Center, where you’ll be able to choose between a regularly scheduled student-led tour or a self-guided tour, either via download or by printing out a PDF map.

If your interests run to salt water, you’ll be very pleased to learn that two of Connecticut’s top attractions, Mystic Seaport Museum and Mystic Aquarium, are located right down the street from each other. At Mystic Seaport Museum, the focus is on America’s long and colorful relationship with the sea. You’ll find a re-creation of a 19th-century whaling village, historic boats and ships, classes, workshops and demonstrations. Climb aboard the Charles W. Morgan, the 1841 whaling vessel that recently emerged from a five-year restoration. Dino Seas: An Immersive Journey at Mystic Aquarium, explores ancient seas where massive reptiles once ruled and mighty dinosaurs roamed on land. With hands-on interactive experiences, animatronic undersea creatures and dinosaurs, two thrilling 4-D movies, a two-story indoor playspace, and live amphibians and reptiles. Elsewhere at the Aquarium, you’ll find marine life of all kinds, including penguins, beluga whales and fish of every stripe and size.

If you like antiquing, you’ll think nothing of making a full day of it, and one of the best places in America to undertake such a trip, especially in autumn, is on Route 6 in Woodbury. Along a five-mile stretch of road between the Watertown line and the junction with Route 64, more than 30 professional dealers have set up shop, selling virtually all categories, periods and styles of antiques, related accessories, gifts and bench-made reproductions. Woodbury is also known for its Colonial architecture (the 1750 Glebe House is a real standout), art galleries and a wide array of restaurants. And if you’re up for a short side trip, head east on Route 64 to neighboring Middlebury, where Middlebury Consignment offers an entertaining mix of consignment furniture and furnishings, antiques and new items, as well as a café with outdoor dining.

There is plenty to see in downtown Hartford – in fact, you can make a day of it without ever getting into your car. Start at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, one of America’s first and consistently great art museums. Here you’ll find contemporary art, 20th-century European art and 18th- and 19th-century American art, including its beloved collection of Hudson River School paintings, along with European and American decorative arts and costumes and textiles. More than enough for a morning, to say the least. After lunch, it’s on to the Old State House, built in 1796 after a design by Charles Bullfinch, and long a seat of Connecticut government. Inside, you’ll find exhibits relating to Connecticut and Hartford history, and an old-fashioned Museum of Oddities and Curiosities. Finally, there’s the Connecticut Science Center, set in a spectacular location overlooking the Connecticut River. On four levels, the Center offers 165 hands-on exhibits, a state-of-the-art 3-D theater and daily programs and events.