Litchfield Hills CT Tourism and Sightseeing

Best Time to Visit Litchfield Hills Connecticut

Spring: The mixture of warm days and cold nights is the perfect and necessary combination for "sugaring off." This is the time of year when farmers collect the sap from sugar maples and boil it down to make maple syrup, candy, and spread. Spring is also one of the best times for whitewater canoeing and kayaking on the Housatonic and Farmington Rivers. Another favorite spring activity is a visit to one of the many nurseries and a stroll through beautiful display gardens.

Summer: The pastoral countryside, cool mountain lakes, laurel covered slopes and pine-scented forest glades have made the Litchfield Hills a resort area for more than a century. In Northwest Connecticut a refreshing breeze cools the warm, often hot summer days and pleasant evenings. Lake swimming, picnicking, hiking on the Appalachian Trail, fishing, and biking are just some of the summer pleasures that abound in the area.

Fall/Indian Summer: Beginning in September through late October the days are crisp, clear and sunny; the evenings are cool. Our rolling hills and river valleys are alive with the activity of the harvest, which culminates in fifteen of the State's Country Agricultural Fairs. During the first three weeks in October our bucolic countryside and colonial villages are transformed into a palette of brilliant colors.

Winter: Snow transforms the Northwest Connecticut into a Currier and Ives painting -- with church steeples soaring above a filigree of bare branches, village greens powdered with snow, colonial homes garlanded with pine boughs and candles gleaming in windows etched with frost. This is a favorite time for skiers to visit the area because the Northwest Connecticut's Litchfield Hills has Connecticut's largest downhill Ski Area, Mohawk Mountain (860-672-6100) in Cornwall, Ski Sundown in New Hartford (860-379-9851), and Woodbury Ski & Racquet in Woodbury (203-263-2203), as well as miles of pristine trails for cross country skiing. Another outdoor activity is Eagle Watching in Southbury.
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Average Litchfield Hills Weather

Despite New England's reputation for rugged climate, Connecticut weather is relatively mild. Average high and lows by month:

January: 35/18
February: 36/19
March: 46/28
April: 59/38
May: 70/48
June: 79/57
July: 84/63
August: 81/61
September: 74/53
October: 64/42
November: 51/33
December: 38/23

Transportation
The best way to explore Northwest Connecticut is by car.

To get to the region by air: Bradley International Airport located in Hartford/Windsor Locks is Connecticut's major airport, located one hour from the Northwest Connecticut.

Many flights to New England and Connecticut stop at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, La Guardia Airport and New Jersey's Newark Airport All three airports are easily accessible to Northwest Connecticut. Connecting flights can be made from New York or New Jersey to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut.

Getting Here By Rail Metro-North Railroad is the second-largest commuter line in the United States and is a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Metro-North goes to Bethel, Waterbury, Danbury and Brewster/NY. For schedule information, please visit the Metro-North portion of the MTA website 800/638-7646.

In-Season Costs
Range from $100 - $300 (and up) for lodging.

Connecticut Tourism - Litchfield Hills Attractions, Activities and Day Trips


Woodbury along Rte. 6, Litchfield along Rte. 202 and Kent and Ridgefield along Rte. 7 are ideal for antiquers.

For family fun try Lake Compounce Theme Park in Bristol and Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury.

Winter Family fun at Mohawk Mountain Ski Area in Cornwall, Ski Sundown in New Hartford and Woodbury Ski and Skate Park in Woodbury,

For Garden Buffs: The Glebe House in Woodbury with the only garnde in the U.S. designed by Gertrude Jekell, the Bellamy –Ferriday House and Garden of antique roses, Osborne Homestead Museum and Garden in the former home of the Osborndale family. White Flower Farm in Litchfield has 5 acres of glorious display gardens.

Wining and Dining: There are six vineyards to explore in the area and many fine restaurants.

Start in the serene, wooded Litchfield Hills with one of Connecticut's newest farm wineries, the Jerram Winery on Route 219, on a hill above the Farmington River in the Town Hill section of New Hartford, the site of the towns first settlement in the early 1700s. Winemaker James Jerram says that the elevation provides a long growing season that makes for especially well-matured grapes. He enjoys showing guests how the wines are made, and offering samples of Jerram's three white and three red varieties.

Drive southwest for the states oldest established winery, Haight Vineyard, overlooking Litchfield, a town famous for its beautiful green and fine Colonial homes. The first Chardonnay and Riesling grapes were planted on the slopes here in 1975 on land that had been a family farm since the 1920s. Haight offers free tours on the hour, wine tastings and a special treat, the chance for a "Vineyard Walk."

Hopkins Vineyard awaits further southwest, situated on a hilltop above the blue waters of Lake Waramaug. A family farm since 1787, the first Hopkins vines were planted in 1979 and the nineteenth century barn was converted to a state-of-the-art winery. The warming influence of an inland lake extends the growing season, allowing for varieties that would not usually thrive in a cold climate. In addition to red and white table wines, Hopkins produces sparkling wine as well as semi-sweet wines, Rose and a Vidal Blanc dessert wine. Wine tastings are offered and when you have chosen a favorite, you can order it at The Hayloft at the top of the barn, now a wine bar with a stunning view of the foliage-rimmed lake.

Continuing south to Sherman, White Silo Farm, a century-old dairy farm, has a special focus, making fruit wines from raspberries and blackberries grown on the farm. Visitors are invited to tour the fermentation, bottling and corking rooms located in an 1850s dairy barn, to sample the sweet and dry fruit wines, admire work by local artists and to walk the raspberry fields, where you are invited to pick your own luscious fruit in September and October.

One of the largest operations is the 45-acre DiGrazia Vineyards in Brookfield, founded in 1978. It has grown from an initial release of four brands of wine to twenty-eight different varieties. DiGrazia grows hardy French Hybrid grape varieties adapted to withstand New England winters, producing crisp, fruity, dry, semi-dry and dessert wines. The winery features one-hour guided tours of the production and bottling facilities followed by tastings.

A final stop is McLaughlin Vineyards in the Sandy Hook Section of Newtown, a 160 - acre farm tucked into the hills that have been in the same family since the early 1940's. Her you can hike trails along the Housatonic River, picnic at the edge of the vineyards, pick vegetables in an heirloom garden and browse through a selection of fine wines.

McLaughlin has many special events in the, fall for a fee. On Sundays September 5,12 and 19, jazz performances and wine tastings are presented in the garden overlooking the vineyards ($10). Harvest Open Houses on September 25 and 26 feature tractor rides, guided hikes, grape picking, winery tours and tastings ($5 per person, under 16 free). October weekends bring Hayrides and Pumpkin Picking with wine tastings for the adults while the kids take a hay ride to the pumpkin patch. $3 per person includes a pumpkin and a cup of cider.

McLaughlin also offers serious two Wine School sessions. All Things Harvest September 4, 11, and 18, $35, is a hands-on afternoon working in and out of the vineyard. The ABCs of Wine Tasting, September 4 and 18, $25, is a tasting seminar including white and red wines from around the world. Reservations are necessary for both programs.

For hours and driving directions, contact the wineries listed below. For more autumn suggestions and to receive a free guide to the region, including lodging and maps, contact the Northwest Connecticut Convention & Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 968, Litchfield CT 06759-0968, 800-663-1273, or check the Internet at www.northwestct.com

Jerram Winery, 535 Town Hill Road (Route 219), New Hartford, 860-379-8749, 860-379-8749; www.jerramwinery.com

Haight Vineyard, 29 Chestnut Hill Road (off Route 118), Litchfield, 860-567-4045; www.haightvineyards.com

Hopkins Vineyard, 25 Hopkins Road (off Route 45), New Preston, 860-868-7954; www.hopkinsvineyard.com

White Silo Farm & Winery, 32 Route 37 East, (off Route 7) Sherman, 860-355-0271; www.whitesilowinery.com

DeGrazia Vineyards, 131 Tower Rd., Brookfield, (203) 775-1616; www.digrazia.com

McLaughlin Vineyards, Albert's Hill Road, (exit 10 off I-84) Sandy Hook (Newtown) 203-426 -1533; www.mclaughlinvineyards.com.


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Things to do in Litchfield Hills CT, Sightseeing and Litchfield Hills CT Tourism