Hardly more than a 3-block business center, the riverside hamlet of Chester still deserves savoring. Main Street offers up antiques shops, galleries, and several eateries. Ceramica, 36 Main St. (tel. 800/270-0900; www.ceramicadirect.com), an outlet of a small chain, carries a line of uniformly gorgeous hand-painted bowls, pitchers, vases, and teapots from Italy.
Nearby is Devil's Hopyard State Park, 366 Hopyard Rd., East Haddam (tel. 860/873-8566; www.ct.gov), with hiking, camping, a reputation for some of the finest birding in the state, and fishing -- brook trout, in particular.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
