When travelers think of paradise, Connecticut probably isn't the first place that pops into their head. But on second look, the Nutmeg State has provided seclusion in beauty for such great authors as J.D. Salinger and William Styron that it might be the perfect quiet winter getaway. With ripe farmlands, an architectural history rich in colonial American residence, and a coastline full of seafaring history immortalized by Nobel Prize-winning playwrite, Eugene O'Neill, Connecticut must be doing something right. Take advantage of the following travel deals and see for yourself.
To get to inland Connecticut via air, your best bet is to fly into the Hartford area, Providence or the New York area. Round-trip airfare from Chicago to Providence International Airport on American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) will run you $172 with two-weeks advanced booking with a Saturday night stay-over. The airline offers Internet specials on last minute travel into the New York area from Chicago at Newark International Airport costing $139 round-trip. If you're form Phoenix looking for a taste of winter carnival in the fresh air of a Connecticut winter, round-trip airfare to Hartford's Bradley International Airport on Continental Airlines (tel. 800/523-3273; www.continental.com) costs $227 round-trip. Air taxes or security fees are not included.
To experience the best of rural Connecticut, you'll want to rent a car and drive through the lovely countryside. With pick-up and return from the Hartford Bradley Airport site, Dollar Rental Car (tel. 800/800-3665; www.dollar.com) has a three-day package deal for an economy car costing $59 coming out to roughly $19 per day. Enterprise Rent-a-Car (tel. 800/261-7331; www.enterprise.com) offers a similar three-day deal for $70 total.
The place to start your Connecticut tour (after www.frommers.com/destinations/connecticut, of course) is the state tourism and travel site, www.tourism.state.ct.us. The available information on the comprehensive site includes driving tours, a region by region look at popular Connecticut destinations, and "52 Getaways." Among the 52 recommended trips are Ghosts of History (www.tourism.state.ct.us/GetaWay.asp?ID=53) and Colonial Connecticut (www.tourism.state.ct.us/GetaWay.asp?ID=47). The site offers driving routes, sites, accommodations and dining referrals associated with each getaway.
If you're more the independent type, Connecticut is full of inns and bed and breakfasts in pretty towns with haute cuisine and old American living. The Wake Robin Inn (tel. 800/435-2000; www.wakerobininn.com) in Litchfield County in the north corner of the state has some special weekend packages available for this winter. Rates for this winter, which are off peak, start at $99 from January to April. Set on 11 acres, the Inn's central location in Lakeville makes it easy to tour the neighboring towns and get a great glimpse of Colonial Connecticut touring such towns as Kent, Roxbury, Sharon and Old Lime.
One of the better sites in the area is the Lime Rock Park, a high-speed automobile racing track where movie stars like Paul Newman and Tom Cruise race their high-speed cars. Offering the "most diverse line-up of road racing," the racetrack offers a full spring schedule with racing classes and smaller races for local drivers all year round. Check out www.limerock.com for details on the yearly schedule.
For a real down-home authentic experience in the Connecticut woods, The Deacon Timothy Pratt Bed and Breakfast (tel. 800/640-1195; www.pratthouse.net) in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Closer to the coast and the infamous Boston Post Road, America's first highway, the Pratt House is near famous old lighthouses and beautiful sunsets over the western-facing bay. The hotel offers a Romance Package good for couples that costs $225 per person for the total package if you stay from Sunday to Thursday and $375 over the weekend. Rates are inclusive of two-night stays and do not include the 12% Connecticut room tax. A complementary fireside breakfast is included as is complementary wine and champagne upon arrival. All beds are queen-sized and either four-poster or canopy.
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