Visit Connecticut’s Hidden Gems this Fall

Hawk Ridge Winery, part of Hidden Breeze Farm, offers a peaceful farm setting to enjoy friends, family, and fantastic wine. Lounge in their open lawn seating, admire stunning foliage views, sip on the festive wine slushie of the month, and even take a bottle home!

Although the red covered bridge in West Cornwall, Connecticut, tends to get a little more attention, this pretty vintage covered pedestrian bridge across the Salmon River in East Hampton is worth a visit, especially in the fall. 

Although primarily a skiing spot, Middlefield’s Powder Ridge has reinvented itself as a year-round destination, offering mountain bike trails that are particularly fun during the colorful fall season. In October, they host an Oktoberfest celebration. Ride the lift up and hike down, or bundle up and get in a few last bike rides in before the snow flies.

If Halloween has whet your appetite for fanciful characters, take a trip to the remarkable Ballard Museum of Puppetry in Storrs. Experience the past, present and future of puppetry at this unique museum, exhibition, theater and workshop space located on the UCONN campus. Be sure to check the website for upcoming performances as well. Currently open by appointment only.

For something truly unique, visit The Glass House, built between 1949 and 1995 by architect Philip Johnson. The pastoral 49-acre landscape comprises fourteen structures, including the Glass House (1949), and features a permanent collection of 20th-century painting and sculpture, along with temporary exhibitions. The campus serves as a catalyst for the preservation and interpretation of modern architecture, landscape, and art. And you can bet you'll spot beautiful foliage from any direction you look!

There’s nothing like a motorcycle ride on Connecticut back roads to really get a feel for the beauty of fall. If you’re looking for a new destination, the largest motorcycle museum on the east coast has recently opened in Connecticut. Housed in Rockville’s 200-year-old Hockanum Mill, you’ll find a collection of over 100 vintage motorcycles and memorabilia on display.

Drive along National Scenic Byway Route 169, and you’ll find the Vanilla Bean Café in pretty Pomfret. This award-winning café, named "”Connecticut's Best Country Café” by Yankee Magazine, features hearty sandwiches, homemade soups, baked goods and more, in the heart of Connecticut’s Quiet Corner.

For a different kind of scare this season, zip on over to Adventure Park at Storrs for ziplining through the foliage.