Toasts by the Coast

There's no better place to sip a freshly brewed beer or just-shaken cocktail and enjoy a Connecticut shoreline sunset. Stony Creek Brewery offers an abundance of outdoor drinking and dining, along with a full lineup of their own craft beers.

Thimble Islands Bed & Breakfast is a luxury B&B features magnificent views of the Thimble Islands and Long Island Sound. Nearby, sample a variety of locally made wines at the beautiful Rose Vineyards. And don't forget to get some food in you, too — Archie Moore's Bar & Restaurant has been an area favorite for decades.

Check out Chamard Vineyard, featuring a 40-acre winery producing several handcrafted, award-winning wines, as well as a tasting room and a French-inspired farm-to-table bistro.

Then head 20 minutes east of Chamard to Saybrook Point Resort & Marina's Fresh Salt restaurant, which hosts regular bourbon dinners — and offers an impressive selection of cocktails. Chow Food & Beverage is a great choice for everything from burgers to craft pizza.

And if all that puts you in a food coma, there are far worse places to crash than the Madison Beach Hotel, part of Hilton's Curio Collection.

Milford's Dockside Brewery doesn't just brew its own family of delicious beers — it provides a perfect setting in which to enjoy them, offering a lively taproom, a spacious biergarten and New Haven style pizza, all on the banks of the Housatonic River.

Just down the road, you'll find some of New England's most popular IPAs, and many other varieties, at Two Roads Brewing. If you want to move beyond beer, head to White Hills Distillery, where they make their own bourbon, rye, vodka, brandy and more.

Finally, fall asleep to the sound of the waves at The Surfside Hotel, located on the beach in Stratford.