A town with a…read more history from the sea The town of Clinton, Connecticut was founded in 1663 and is located about 25 miles east of New Haven. It's one of the smallest towns in all of Connecticut in terms of size and once contain the area of Killingworth to the north. Clinton is very much still a beach town and the population of around 15,000 more than doubles in size during the summer months with the influx of tourists. Clinton's history is closely connected to the sea. Shipbuilding, fishing and tourism has long been a part of Clinton. The shipbuilding and fishing have pretty much disappeared but tourism is still the main source of income. Even though it takes only about a minute to drive from one end to the other, you will see a fair number of antique shops and nice restaurants on Main Street. One the interesting things about Clinton is the absolutely huge variety of houses. For such a small area you can find multi million dollar mansions on the beach, cool old historic houses on Main Street, modest ranches in the north and even a couple of trailer parks. It seems every single house in Clinton is different. One of the things that you won't find unless you look very hard is the water. They keep that a secret and that is one of the problems. There is a town beach but that's in the harbor but it's frequently more mud than water. The real beach is on Shore Road and that is very private. Being private is fine but most other states in New England have some public access to the water, in Connecticut it's frequently difficult to even get a glimpse of it. I lived in Clinton for 15 years and over that time I have seen many changes. The street where we lived used to be a community, we had block parties, had a little grocery store and had people walking along the beach all the time. Everyone knew each other. Now the store is gone, the social events have stopped and people have become even more possessive of the water. Walls and fences, even through illegal, extend down from the beaches into the water. No trespassing signs have appeared. Many of the smaller homes and cottages along the beach have been replaced by huge, looming and impersonal homes. Quite a few were built during the housing boom and now have for sale signs. The arrow to time moves forward, you can never go back. Places have to change and frequently the changes aren't particularly pleasant. But I still have a modicum of hope that shoreline Clinton can go back and recapture the sense of community and closeness that it once had. We shall see. I have added old postcards of Clinton many years ago instead of any contemporary photos.

The new Henry on Main is amazing! Great use of space, wonderful selection of books to purchase, and…read moreyou can read and drink a coffee from cafe Nola in the back. Exactly what Clinton has needed for a long time. We are so glad to be residents who can walk over.

I love libraries. HCH is modern, light, clean and spacious. Librarians are helpful and considerate,…read morebut then I love librarians as well. I can't imagine anyone looking at Yelp to choose a library but I was here and they asked. BTW- I have seen a few weak libraries in my time- HCH IS NOT THAT.

After a day of shopping we love stopping by Chamard for lunch or dinner! The food is delicious!…read moreWhile most people think to come for a wine tasting (and you should) don't over look the incredible restaurant and delicious food! Service is incredible, The staff is knowledgeable and make great recommendations! My favorites include the French Onion Soup and the burger is a must! There are a variety of items that are seasonal which are always a pleasant surprise. Grab a glass or a bottle of their wine while eating and don't, skip on dessert, it's incredible! During the summer enjoy the beautiful vineyards and the scenary, in the winter snuggle up inside and be in awe of the beautiful artwork on the walls in the restaurants! Truly always a wonderful time!

Romantic and warm . Menu is varied and interesting !…read more Don't DONT ! Skip dessert !! The wait staff was wonderfully chatty and knowlagable

This was a nice shell beach and there was even a walkable maze. We spent about an hour here…read moreenjoying the beautiful view of the ocean on one side and the lagoon on the other.

Lots to learn! Very interesting experience for all ages. Awesome learning experience about the…read morewildlife and nature in our own state! Variety of animals and pictures to inform yourself about wildlife and how to preserve our planet

Hammonasset Beach State Park is located in Madison, CT. We arrived here on a cloudy, but sunny day,…read moreso the beach area wasn't super busy. For Connecticut residents admission is free. For non residents it can be as high as $22, per day depending on time of arrival and the day of the week. They had a substantial amount of campers and tents on the park side of the beach! They also have restrooms and showers. You can also find a snack and ice cream bar here. The walk to the beach from the parking was pretty short, since there's no boardwalk here. I found the sand to be pretty soft, the shells were the most prominent and the most aggressive the closer to the water. Unfortunately due to the wind and the cloudy sky, it was too cold for a swim. We used an SPF 70, and still walked away with a red back! The beach was clean and the water was clean. There were lifeguards on duty. I would return here again.

I love coming to this beach. It's close and convenient. The only downside is there are no waves…read more It's compared to that of a still lake. My favorite beach thus far has been West Beach with the pavilions due to the amount of parties and get-togethers I'm able to have in this area. Middle beach I rarely visit while Meigs point is more of a popular spot with the nature center.

This was an awesome fun experience. It was great since there was only four of us. The guide was…read moreawesome and gave plenty of history of Guilford. Zipping around on the Segway was totally fun. I'll do it again. Very, very, very easy to learn the Segway. I recommend this tour

Excellent experience. Rich is a great teacher. I never rode a Segway before. At first I was…read morestiff and nervous. By the end of the training, I was comfortable and relaxed. Really fun. I highly recommend Shoreline Segway !

Aquila's Nest is absolutely worth a visit. We sat in one of their cozy geodesic dome igloos which…read moremakes it such a fun and relaxed experience. The wine flight did not disappoint -- we tried the red, white & a combination, all solid pours. The cheese box is necessary if you're trying the flight ( or you can bring your own food). Highly recommend booking an igloo and making a night of it!

I saw this place on social media, and since I've been to vineyards before, I wanted to try it in…read morethe Fall. My friend and I booked an igloo (thankfully--we'll get to that). Aquila's gives a 30-minute grace period, which helped since the area gets very dark at night and the roads are narrow. I knew ahead of time there would be a lobster food truck and a live salsa band. When you arrive, you check in with the hostess, though there's no clear hostess stand since she's stationed at the end of the bar. The inside was crowded with no available seats, but we weren't there for the band anyway. Our igloo had a heater, but two would've been ideal. They recommend bringing a blanket, which I forgot, but it wasn't too cold--around the high 40s. We tried the "Sweet Wine Flight," which included Sparkling Rosé, Moscato, and white and red wine slushies. The white wine slushy was my favorite. It started raining while we were there, and everyone with fire pits cleared out, so I was extra glad we chose an igloo. They offered a cheese box, but it looked too small, so we stuck to drinks. Our server was polite and brought everything out quickly. Reservations give you two hours, and we had a great time. I like the variety of reservation options they offer. For suggestions: it would be nice to have a real charcuterie board instead of tiny cheese and veggie boxes. The indoor space could also be larger, especially for people coming for the live band, and there are no seats around the bar. Overall, though, it's a cozy spot, and I enjoyed the experience.

Living on Long Island definitely has its perks. We went on a seal tour this past Saturday and we…read moreloved it! It was a gorgeous Winter day especially for end of January. We got to observe so many beautiful seals in their natural habitat. I don't like seeing any animals in captivity. The Captain and crew were great. The captain knew exactly where to find these beauties and observe them without being an imposition. The cabin inside is heated and they offer coffee, hot chocolate, sodas, hotdogs and lots of snacks. You can also bring your own. The whole experience was 2 hours. Would definitely go back in the summer for the whale watching which I was told is 4 hours long.

Booked this 4 hour tour cause it was one more hour than the one we all know that did not go so…read morewell....just kidding! We headed out and the scenery was really great. The boat seems a bit old but solid. I will echo what many have said about the food onboard. We didn't have any. Also no drinks for us. It was rough seas so not sure how they would settle. We did not see one whale in 4 hours. I know it is not the guys on the boat's fault but it was a bummer. Riding around on the boat for 4 hours hot old after the first 2. We left a little disappointed.