Kayaking on the Farmington River - Collinsville, Conn.

Ahhhh. Sun, warmth, and water.
This is what summer is all about.

Have you been taking advantage of this amazing summer weather???

Perhaps you've been to the beach, attended a few picnics, or maybe even gone hiking. 

All very well and good. Here's one more suggestion: A fantastic few hours spent kayaking on the Farmington River. 

Don't own a kayak? No problemo; neither do we. Simply head to Collinsville Canoe & Kayak - set in a lovely spot by the river in a quaint, adorable little town in central Connecticut - and rent one. 

Rental costs are very reasonable, but vary depending on how many people you want in your kayak - and for how long (see costs outlined below). 

My husband and I each opted for our own kayak - just $12 for one hour, and that includes the life jacket and your paddle. If you are really enjoing yourself in the water and go beyond the hour, they'll charge you a few dollars extra for each additional 15 minutes. 

It was pretty much the perfect day. The weather was fantastic, the sun wasn't too hot, and the water was calm and an ideally refreshing temperature. 

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

My husband eyeing the paddleboards.

• What You'll Find: Kayaking on the Farmington River - a most amazingly refreshing day in the outdoors. 
• Where You'll Find It: Collinsville Canoe & Kayak, 41 Bridge Street, Collinsville, Conn.
• When to Go: The season starts around May 1 and runs through to around October. Rental hours are M-W & F from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sat. 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sun. 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (FYI: If you're headed there on a summer weekend, it's usually wise to make a reservation. I called the morning of and was fine.)
• What It'll Cost: $12 for a solo kayak for one hour. Tandem (two-person) kayaks are $20 per hour. These prices include the life jacket and paddle. You can also opt for daylong (3 hours or more) on-site rentals (solo kayaks = $40 per day; tandems = $50 per day). There is even an option, for an extra charge, to take the kayak for up to 24 hours off-site. 
• By the Way: You can rent other things here, too. Namely, bicycles for the nearby Farmington River Bike Trail, which overlooks the river, or paddleboards. As I learned today, Collinsville Canoe & Kayak occasionally offers paddleboard yoga! I hear it's a great core workout. Might have to try that next...

Storming Gillette Castle - East Haddam, Conn.

It's not your imagination; that's a castle! Gillette Castle,
a beautiful and totally unique 24-room mansion,
found on the Connecticut River.

Beautiful, cloudless Sundays in July are a rare commodity here in New England - and the perfect excuse for spending the day by the water or breaking in a new pair of hiking boots.

Seeking to accomplish both of these things (whilst continuing on my never-ending quest to soak in my fair share of Vitamin D), I headed out on the first glorious day of July to Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, Conn.

I'm rather ashamed to admit that I'd never before set foot in this place. It's one of those landmarks my friends had all seemed to frequent on their grammar school field trips, but for whatever reason, I'd never had the pleasure.

Let's just say it was worth the wait.

Here, on 184 acres of what was once the estate of a famous stage actor named William Gillette, you'll find hiking trails galore, fantastic views of the Connecticut River, picnic areas, a campground, and lots of enchanting little stone-lined bridges and paths. There's even a visitors' center shop and a grill serving food and ice cream in case you're starved by the end of your trip.

But the real star attraction is the 24-room stone castle, a mansion designed ingeniously by Gillette himself.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

Boarding the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry.

• What You'll Find: An honest-to-goodness stone castle (no, really!), perched above the Connecticut River, surrounded by plenty of hiking trails and scenic views. Located in Gillette Castle State Park, 67 River Road in East Haddam, Conn.
• When to Go: The grounds are open year-round, while the castle itself is open from Memorial Day through Columbus Day, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with a special Christmastime season). If you'd like to take the Chester-Hadlyme ferry to get here, it runs from late April through November.
• What It'll Cost: The park itself is free. Roam the trails, picnic by the lily-padded ponds, or longingly watch the boats and jet-skis speed by on the Connecticut River. For the self-guided tour of the castle, it's $6 per person and $2 for kids ages 6-12, with no charge for kids under 5. The ferry, should you choose to take it, is $3 per car (bring cash).
• By the Way: Reportedly, the castle is a sight to see during the winter season, when it's decorated for the holidays. 

Lots of (mostly light) trails to choose from;
check out the park's hiking map here.

Gillette, a playwright and actor who back in the day was best known for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage, was clearly a very cool guy with a flair for more than just acting.

No stranger to drama, he designed his home (where he lived from 1919 until his death in 1937) to feature all the wacky things you'd picture in mystery novels - including secret passageways and hidden mirrors through which he could covertly observe his guests from afar without them knowing it.

At the same time, this place is a museum and a true work of art. Every wooden door and latch is carved with an ornate design (no two doors in the place are exactly alike). Artifacts and correspondence from Gillette's lifetime grace the various rooms - down to the "cat bell" that summoned Gillette's 15 cats for dinner every evening. (Love it!) Tour guides stationed throughout will happily share entertaining anecdotes with you. There's an art gallery. Even the light switches are funky little artistic creations.

And, um, it's a castle.

Tourists on motorcycles
enjoyed the park, too.

The day I visited, the place was bustling with activity. People of all ages were strolling around - young couples, families with baby strollers, even tough-looking motorcycle dudes in muscle T-shirts, who I caught attentively snapping photos of the castle's stone walls and the surrounding flowerbeds.

There were also rehearsals going on the park's small outdoor stage, where actors from a local theater troupe were practicing for an upcoming production - about, what else, Sherlock Holmes. (If you want more detes on this, you can find them here.)

So if you're up for a little fairy tale of an adventure, you can find it - no matter what your age - right here in the heart of Connecticut.

Fantastic views of the Connecticut River
from Gillette's estate, also known as the Seventh Sister.

Enjoy a picnic by the one of the park's lovely lily ponds.

London: Where I Died and Went to Heaven

Just across the pond, you can, in fact,
enter heaven on Earth.

My husband and I recently returned from 10 days away, in Europe, with my in-laws. Along with my brother-in-law, his wife, and their 3-year-old. And yes, we no doubt resembled this bunch. Except there were more of us.

By some miracle of God, we did not all gouge one another's eyes out, as I may have initially expected.

Thankfully, my husband and I enjoyed some alone time here and there, separate from the fam (as so wisely prescribed in this recent TravelDudes blog entry.) And so all in all, it turned out to be a very lovely trip.

I am lucky enough to have a friend in London named Brian (known to many of us back home as Stu), whom I hadn't seen in nearly 10 years. Nowadays, Stu is happily basking in the historic beauty of London, no doubt drinking pints upon pints of delicious local beer on a regular basis, taking in the sights, and generally enjoying the heck out of this ridiculously fabulous city with his wife and newborn daughter. 

We couldn't wait to take full advantage of our alone time to meet up with this lucky bastard and have him show us around.

Eat anything this man recommends.

Stu did not disappoint. In fact, I am fairly certain he may have missed his calling as a tour guide. With the aid of his meticulous directions, provided along with his cell phone number just in case, we found our way to London's Borough Market. 

There, outside the Market Porter, a popular pub, where droves of British businessmen gathered outside during their Friday lunch hour to chat amiably over freshly draught pints of beer (seriously, what bastards!), we were reunited.

After catching up over an ale or two, we followed Stu into what, for foodies, has got to be the center of the universe.

Freakishly large rabbit, no?

Borough Market is an outdoor food market overflowing with fresh, um, everything - vegetables, meats, seafood, baked goods, cheeses, breads, and the list goes on and on. The variety is dizzying. A local guide (a la Stu) comes in very handy.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: Foodie Nirvana.
• Where You'll Find it: Borough Market, London, England. Check out the map for the layout of the various stands.
• When to Go: Open Thursdays, 11-5; Fridays, 12-6; and Saturdays, 8-5.
• What It'll Cost: Whatever you like. Go nuts, or just indulge in the Greatest Grilled Cheese Known to Man for a few measly British pounds. Bring cash. Probably easier that way.

Stu offered up a number of options. We couldn't make up our minds on what sounded best to eat, so we told him to bring us to all of them. 

And eat we did.

I won't bore you with all the details. But I will tell you the facts in a nutshell: where to go, what to eat, and why.

My Pilgrimage to Fine Food, Wine, and More - Plymouth, Mass.

The Mayflower II, a replica of the 17th-century vessel that
brought those courageous pilgrims to this side of the pond,
adds to the picturesque Plymouth Bay.

A lifelong New Englander, I'm rather ashamed to admit that it was not until this past week that I made the trek to Plymouth, Mass., which, as it turns out, is one cute seaside town that has more to offer than its famed little granite rock.

Courtesy of my mother, who purchased a one-night stay at a local inn for my birthday (thanks, Mom!), my husband and I enjoyed a pleasant night away, checking out some of the historic sites, doing a bit of shopping, and spending a solid couple of hours tasting just about everything on the menu in a fabulous wine, tapas, and dessert bar.

Best of all, it was just two hours from our home base of Glastonbury, Conn.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: A quaint seaside town perfect for a relaxing night or two away.
• Where You'll Find it: Plymouth, Mass. (Take note, The Wine Cellar - a fab wine, tapas, and dessert bar, can be found at 690 State Road in Plymouth. Visit their website for more info.)
• When to Go: Anytime! It looks like it'd be especially lovely in the summer, but we spent a night away in January, and it was still enjoyable. Note that some of the historic exhibits are open only seasonally.

3 Things You Need to Do in San Diego

San Diego beckons.

For those of you living in New England, you are more than likely aware of the craziness that was this year's so-called "Snowtober," a snowstorm that slammed us in October, dumping several inches of snow on our poor little pumpkin patches, downing tree limbs and power lines, and spoiling Halloween for countless kids (and adults - myself included, damn it).

Not to mention the week spent without power ... and heat ... and, for some, water. If you'd seen my most recent post, you may have some inkling of how excited I was for the Halloween party of the year at the Wadsworth Mansion. Alas, the party was canceled, marking my first un-Halloween. Sniff.

Where to go when your backyard looks like this,
and it's not yet even Halloween?  Fly south. Pronto.

As it is, I'm not a big fan of the autumn months, so sans power and heat, and with Halloween erased from the calendar altogether, I ask you, what was I supposed to do? Um, fly to Southern California, that's what.

I swear I'm not that much of a prima donna. It just so happened that I'd planned my vacation with uncannily perfect timing - on the Thursday that we were scheduled to depart for San Diego, it was Day Six of no electricity. Otherwise known as Time to Get the Hell Out of Here.

OK, so San Diego. If you haven't been, I recommend it to anyone who hopes to escape the winter doldrums. It's the perfect getaway for the non-snow bunnies among us, like moi.

In addition to the heavenly weather, there are oodles of things to do there - from the San Diego Zoo to the beaches to Tijuana (just 15 minutes away), you can spend numerous vacations there, as I have, and not see everything. But there are at least three things I do recommend you do once you've arrived.

How Art Can Turn into Action - Storrs, Conn.

Last week, I stopped during my lunch break into the Benton Museum on the University of Connecticut Storrs campus, where several UConn faculty are showing their work in a special exhibition running through Oct. 16. (FYI, the museum is FREE.)

The work of one of the faculty professors - Frank Noelker, an associate professor of art at the university, was the first to catch my eye. His photographic portraits of sheep and goats - all of which were rescued from horrendously abusive living conditions by an organization called Farm Sanctuary - prompted me to do a bit of research.

Happily, it turned out that Farm Sanctuary was hosting a fundraising walk in my area this coming weekend, on Sunday, Oct. 9, in Windsor, Conn., to help raise money that will go toward saving the many other farm animals suffering from grievous abuse across the country.

If you'd like to support the organization itself or my participation in the walk, please do so here or via the link below!

Even if you're not an animal fanatic like me, the Benton Museum still has plenty of other cool stuff in their current exhibitions. The museum is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sunday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free, though donations are welcome.

Just 7 More Days of Lobster Rolls - Noank, Conn.

Once upon a time, I hated lobster. I know, completely asinine. But apparently taste buds really do change, because just a few years ago I finally gave into peer pressure and decided to give lobster one last shot. Don't ask me why, but I suddenly loved it. And so naturally, I've been trying to make up for all those long-lost years of lobsterlessness.

Mr. Lobster and I get along
swimmingly nowadays.

Enter Abbott's Lobster in the Rough, an unassuming little place right on Long Island Sound that's known for its fresh, buttery lobster rolls. My doctor recommended it, so it can't be all bad, right? If you're a lobster fanatic, there are just a few days left in 2011 to get a hold of these babies before they close up shop for the season.

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: Fresh lobster rolls and other fresh seafood
• Where You'll Find it: Abbott's Lobster in the Rough, Noank, Conn.
• When to Go: This Columbus Day weekend, Fri-Monday, from noon to 7 p.m. (or you'll have to wait and try again, come Memorial Day Weekend)

The Big E: A New England Institution

Come and hang with the alpacas!
(or the cows, goats, pigs, chickens, llamas, sheep ...)

The Big E is one of those must-do's for any New Englander. Haven’t been? 

My guest blogger this week is the Super Awesome Dr. Christine Buckley - my friend, former coworker, and own personal restaurant advisor (see her wise Paul's Pasta Shop recommendation here). She was so kind as to brave fried Oreos, farm animals, and, well, foot massagers (read on) for some serious investigative reporting, so that she could tell you exactly why you need to make your way there this weekend. Many thanks, Christine! 

The Big E is a New England institution so great that it doesn’t even need a name anymore – just a letter. 

Begun in 1968, the Eastern States Exposition is the official state fair for the six New England states, and touts itself as the sixth largest agricultural fair in the country. Most New Englanders know all about the madness that is the Big E. But for those of you who live in a box, here’s a quick description:

Works of Art, Inside and Out

The ridiculously beautiful Branford House, where you'll
find the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art.

Groton, Conn., a seaside town in southeastern Connecticut, is known by most people around here as the home of Electric Boat, which has built submarines for the U.S. Navy for more than a few decades. Not quite what you might imagine would make for a beautiful or romantic setting. Yet as it turns out, Groton will surprise you. Hidden away on its shores are amazing views of Long Island Sound and a historic mansion that hosts free art shows and even weddings, which must be spectacularly scenic (though probably far from free).

Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: A free art show (Keep reading for details on where you can score some fresh pasta - and even deep-fried chocolate chip cookie dough - after the show.)
• Where You'll Find it: The Branford House, at UConn's Avery Point Campus in Groton, Conn.
• What It'll Cost: Nada, although you're invited to donate a few dollars.
• When to Go: Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. (although you can stroll the campus just about anytime)

Taking the Plunge at Brownstone Discovery Park

If you're a Connecticut native like me, you'd likely never imagine that a cool place like Brownstone Discovery Park would be hiding anywhere near this neck of the woods.

Who knew gigantic inflatable
floating toys were this much fun?

This Labor Day weekend, I spent a day with friends and family at Brownstone - located in the very centrally located town of Portland, Conn., on a random backroad by the Connecticut River - and had a total blast.

If you have kids and are looking for an all-family activity - and even if you don't have kids (because I don't), you would be amazed by the fun you'll have here.


Today's Stefcations Highlights:

• What You'll Find: Adventure water sports galore. Seriously awesome fun for all ages.
• Where You'll Find it: Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park, 161 Brownstone Ave., Portland, CT
• When to Go: Memorial Day Weekend - October. Check their site for specific hours.
• What It'll Cost: $18 apiece for the daily swimming pass. Or, spend $28 a person for access to all of the adventure sports. I assure you, it's far more fun than you've had in a while.

Hang with the Champs at the New Haven Open

My very first guest blogger, features editor Marisa Nadolny at The Day - a daily newspaper based in New London, Conn. - is taking the reins today here at Stefcations. She was lucky enough to check out the New Haven Open earlier this week, a tennis tournament held every August in - you guessed it - New Haven, Conn. Interested in tickets? The tournament runs through this Saturday if you still want in.

Be sure to check Marisa out via her blog, "Fear No Recipe," or on Twitter @TheMDesk. A smart and fabulous writer by day, she's also my own personal Twitter guru and, by night, harbors a secret talent as a ridiculously good RockBand drummer. She does not disappoint!

Unlike my colleague Stef, I’m what nice people would call a homebody and what mean people call a shut-in. My Hobbit-like tendency to prefer a quiet evening at home with Netflix is only trumped by truly spectacular food and fun.

Watch the pros from surprisingly good seats
at this week's New Haven Open.
(Photo by Marisa Nadolny.)

The New Haven Open (Pilot Pen, once upon a time; the Volvo-something-or-other even further back) is one of those spectacular events that gets me off my duff. World-class tennis players come to the always-fab city of New Haven for two weeks at a delightfully intimate venue at Yale.

This is no exhibition. These players are on their way to the U.S. Open, and they are most definitely in it to win it.

Where You Can Get Real Beer

Earlier this year, The New York Times ran a fab story about the ever-growing number of beer gardens of NYC. It made me pine for my old stomping grounds of Astoria, Queens, where I used to live, and where I often frequented the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden. Ahhh, drinking a large, lovely glass of pilsner at a picnic table under the stars, surrounded by mammoth sycamore trees and other fun-loving New Yorkers … (Sniff.)

Lots of fun, foreign beer on tap
at the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden.

So when one of my old friends suggested we get together for a ladies’ weekend at her place just outside of the city and take a trip out to the beer garden, I and another one of my beer garden-loving comrades took to the road.

Buffalo ... in Brooklyn?

If you're in Connecticut and have never been up close and personal with a buffalo, well, now you have no excuse.

Heading out to the pastures in the tractor.

And I'm not talking about eating a bison burger, although those are ridiculously tasty.

At Creamery Brook Bison, a buffalo farm in Brooklyn, Conn., you and your family (kids, too) can get a wagon tour out to the fields, right to where the buffalo roam.

Cripple Creek Cabin

The "green" cabin (built more recently).
Up the road is the "blue" cabin.

Looking for some time away, where you can unplug and decompress for a few days? Check out Cripple Creek Cabins in Middleburgh, N.Y.

My husband and I - along with one of our dogs - spent a long weekend here without Internet access, cell phone service, or television. (OK, we may have brought along a Redbox movie to watch on our laptop ... So sue us.) Instead, we enjoyed some time hiking, cooking fabulous meals, and sipping wine or our morning coffee while hanging out on the wrap-around porch with our books (me), cigars (him), and treats (the dog).