Central Connecticut Drive, Ferry, Train, Castle AND a Show!

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A two-day drive through south-central Connecticut can fill a late summer or fall foliage weekend.

Use this itinerary as a guide to create two separate day trips, or find lodging along the Connecticut shore and make the trip into a loop for a full weekend.  

Speaking of the shore, here are two phrases for blending in with the locals:

• Refer to Southern Connecticut as the "shore" rather than the "coast" or the "beach"
• When you order a long sandwich that people in other parts refer to as a submarine, ask for a "grinder"

Advance Planning

See if the Goodspeed Opera House has tickets available for an afternoon matinee or evening performance.

Day 1

Driving south along Route 17 in Glastonbury you will pass the Old Cider Mill and several farm stands worth a stop.  If you need a great coffee fix try So. G Coffee Roasters before heading to the Rocky Hill Glastonbury ferry.  

Take the ferry across the Connecticut River.  The cost is $5 per car on weekdays and $6 on weekends. 

The ferry itself is a large, car-holding raft which is pushed across the river by a tug boat.  Watching the captain maneuver the ferry away from one landing and onto the other is impressive.

From the Rocky Hill ferry landing, drive a short ways to Dinosaur State Park.  Displayed under a giant dome are hundreds of actual dinosaur tracks unearthed in the 1960s and preserved.  The accompanying exhibit is fascinating for all ages— you may learn how a track can be identified as a swimming track or why tracks and fossilized bones are highly unlikely to be co-located.  In addition there are nature trails and picnic tables if you want to bring along a picnic lunch.

Continue south to The Goodspeed Opera house. If you chose not to picnic at Dinosaur State Park, enjoy lunch on the deck at the Gelston House next to the Goodspeed before your matinee.

Day 2

Continue your exploration of multiple forms of transportation with a train/ferry combination trip encompassing Gillett's castle and the Essex Steam Train.  You can start with a tour of the castle at Gillette Castle State Park where you will learn about William Gillette, an actor, who created the phrase, “Elementary, my dear Watson”.   Then follow your State Park visit with a steam engine ride on the Essex Steam Train.

Alternatively, if you’re looking to get in a short hike , try the Essex Train Gillette Castle Connection.  Passengers take a train, walk to a ferry landing, ride the ferry and hike up the hill to Gillette Castle and tour before heading back and reversing the process.  Check their website for details on timing as the connection is only offered twice a day during the summer and into early fall.

Additional Stops

Two great additions on either end of this trip are a visit to Mystic Seaport on the Connecticut shore and Applefest in Glastonbury, which is held annually in mid-October.  The festival this year is October 17-19, 2014. 

Seattle and Olympic National Park with Teens

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From city-life to Olympic National Park, there's plenty to keep kids of all ages occupied in the far northwest.  This loop can be done in 4 or 5 days with plenty of time to find your own diversions along the way.

Advance Planning

Campsites and hotels need to be booked in advance for Olympic National Park. During peak seasons many non-camping accommodations require two-night-or-more minimum stays.

Take your rain gear!  You may have sunshine, but plenty of storms funnel through.

Pack a cooler. If you are flying into the region, purchase a collapsable cooler and some Ziploc bags for ice along the way.  The food choices are minimal in and near Olympic National Park and it's helpful to have some picnic lunches when hiking.

A small daypack as well is great to have for hikes in Olympic National Park.

Days 1-2 in Seattle

Seattle is very straight-forward to navigate on foot, so no need to get a rental car while you are in the city.  Highlights to visit:

• Seattle Space Needle:  Go before 9:30 for reduced ticket prices and, more importantly, reduced lines even on a clear day.
• Pike Place: While locals will stay away when multiple cruise ships are in port, it's still a great place to wander with plenty of places to buy snacks along the way.
• Underground Seattle officially Bill Speidel's Underground Tour: A colorful, and likely somewhat accurate, tour beneath the streets of Seattle.  Just enough walking to keep kids interested without getting too tired.

Days 3-5 in Olympic National Park

Drive from Seattle to Olympic National Park.  Taking the Bainbridge Island Ferry is the most direct route.  Stop at Sunny Farms in Sequim where there are plenty of healthful snacks, sandwiches, drinks and prepared foods to store in your cooler for the next 3 days.  .

Read about Olympic National Park in advance.  There are many great places to explore and options to camp in and near the park, some moderate-cost options outside of the park and two pricey, though very nice lodges, Lake Crescent Lodge and Lake Quinalt Lodge.  If you want to stay at either lodge, call and book directly as there are fees associated with booking online and you can also reserve a dinner reservation at a table by the window in either lodge.

Here is a sample itinerary for in the park:

• Drive up to Hurricane Ridge and take a moderate and very rewarding hike up Hurricane Hill.
  
• Spend the night in or near the park.
• On the next full day check out Second Beach if the tide is low, or Rialto Beach.
• Visit the Hoh Rain Forest and take a ranger tour.
• Stop at Ruby Beach.
• Spend the night camping near Ruby Beach or at Lake Quinalt Lodge.
• In the morning walk the 4 mile loop along Lake Quinalt and through the woods or take a shorter hike to one of the many waterfalls in the area.

You can extend your trip down to the Oregon coast and through Portland, or simply head back to Seattle.