CONNECTICUT - New Haven/South Central

Set aside a day to drive part of the shoreline of Greater New Haven. This strip of land along Route 1 contains historic homes, stylish restaurants, nature preserves -- all within a few miles of the Long Island Sound. Start on Route 1 in Branford's elegant downtown. Walk around the Green or veer off onto the many hiking or bird watching trails. The scenic Route 146 takes you into Stony Creek, a tiny former fishing village. The Thimble Islands are visible from Stony Creek's harbor. Next up, Guilford has a truly grand town Green, a lengthy, well-shaded block that's lined with charming storefronts. Madison's quiet, walkable downtown includes the much-loved R.J. Julia Booksellers and many other small shops. Outside of town is Hammonasset Beach State Park, Connecticut's largest shoreline park.

Browsing beautiful handmade artwork from all parts of the world is a fun way to find a special gift. Ten Thousand Villages store at 1054 Chapel Street in New Haven presents fair-trade folk art, ceramics, textiles, baskets, jewelry, wall hangings, pillows, rugs, mirrors, vases, incense, candleholders, and furniture by artists in developing world. Each product reflects the traditions of its maker. Enjoy the international music, smell the gourmet coffee, and taste rich chocolate. Your fair trade purchase helps improve the lives of thousands of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Phone: 203-776-0854.

The Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop at 915 Whitney Avenue in Hamden honors the inventor of the cotton gin. The museum is an experimental learning workshop for students, teachers, and families. Visitors may take part in experiments that are the roots of design and invention. The museum includes a historic site based on a manufacturing village that Eli Whitney designed. It now includes a covered bridge, a forge, a barn, an armory, a water lab, a factory model, and a gun collection. A fascinating walk through the fundamentals of invention. Open to walk-in guests Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Phone: 203-777-1833.

For the folks at Gouveia Vineyards in Wallingford, producing first-rate wines is clearly a labor of love. Joe and Lucy Gouveia planted their first vines ten years ago and to today visitors can sample wines made from the eight different types of grapes that thrive there. Set on top of a hill overlooking the vineyard, the Winery Building boasts a large stone fireplace, panoramic views, woodlands, and sunsets. Guests are invited to bring their own picnic lunch to enjoy as they sip on Gouveia’s award-winning Stone House Red, Whirlwind Rose, or Oaked Chardonnay. Open Friday to Sundays. Live music Saturday evenings. Phone: 203-265-5526.

The Coastal Center at Milford Point in Milford, operated by the Connecticut Audubon Society, provides hands-on environmental education and outdoor adventures. The center is located on a barrier beach and next to the Charles Wheeler Salt Marsh at the mouth of the Housatonic River. The Coastal Center also provides easy access to Long Island Sound and its tidal salt marshes, barrier beaches, tide pools, and coastal dunes. The center is one of the best spots on the East Coast for bird-watching: 315 species have been seen here. The center has a boardwalk and observation platform and a 70-foot-tall observation tower for panoramic vistas. The Nature Center is open daily except Mondays. Phone: 203-878-7440.

R.J. Julia Booksellers at 768 Boston Post Road in Madison opened two decades ago as an independent bookstore whose mission was, and is, to be a place where words matter and where writers meet readers. The store hosts more than 200 events a year. Authors from all over the country visit the store to inspire, educate, and entertain. A knowledgeable staff, opinionated book selections with shelf-talker tags help book lovers find books that are just right for them. Open daily, Phone: 203-245-3959.

The heart of New Haven’s downtown gets a lot of its soul from the popular and plentiful outdoor food vendors that cluster up on weekdays in the streets and intersections near Yale-New Haven Hospital, the New Haven Green, and Yale University. The cuisine from the food stands spans the globe and it is easy to eat from one hand during a time-out from office or classroom. Favorites include the Caseus Cheese Truck (Depalma Court), the Tijuana Taco Company (Crown Street); Hayama Cart or the Lalibela Cart (Prospect and Sachem streets); the Peking Edo Cart or Jung’s Kimchi Corner or the Ay! Salsa Cart (Cedar and York streets). Along with cumin and chili peppers, variety gives the spice to life. Keep your ears sharp for live music in the warm seasons.

The hiking committee of the Sleeping Giant State Park Association has devised a series of guided hikes through this magnificent park throughout 2011. Themes of the hikes are identified, such as Winter Tree Identification Hike, Spring Hikers' Hike (warning: strenuous!), History-of-the-Giant Hike, Spring Earth Day Ceremony and Hike, Spring Wildflower Hike, Early Bird Watchers' Hike, First Annual Beginners' Hike, Geology-of-the-Giant Hike, Fall Foliage Hike, and Holiday Hike and Social. The public is welcome to all hikes. The entrance to Sleeping Giant State Park is opposite Quinnipiac University on Mount Carmel Avenue about one-half mile east of Whitney Avenue (Route 10) in northern Hamden.

Firehouse 12 in New Haven is many things – a recording studio, a full-service bar, a performance space of intimate dimensions (75 seats). And it is loaded with the gritty history of a former city fire house located in the city’s historic Ninth Square District. The performance space is the recording studio - and all performances happen in an acoustically balanced space with stage lighting systems. Live music happens year-round. The bar is the perfect relaxed setting for conversation and a cocktail before or after a trip to one of the excellent restaurants in the neighborhood, or after a live performance. Coming up February 23: Predictable Heart: The Music of Justin Rugg.

The city of New Haven, along with its ivy encampment, Yale University, wants to make it easy for visitors to enjoy the wide variety of public art and fine architecture in the city. A self-guided walking tourof art on the Yale campus is available, stopping at works by Maya Lin, Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein, and others. Also, the Yale Visitor Center at 149 Elm Street leads free group walking tours of public art at Yale by request; call the Visitor Center (203-432-2300) a week before the requested date. An walking tour of New Haven architecture includes part of the Yale campus, along with Science Hill and the Yale Medical Center. The tour visits buildings by Louis I. Kahn, Paul Rudolph, Cesar Pelli, and Eero Saarinen. On the tour, you can soak in a wide range of architectural styles and see how those styles mesh to create a distinctive city.

Here is a project that can keep you busy year-round: explore the 15 world-class museums and historic sites that comprise the Connecticut Art Trail. The trail meanders among historic sites, bucolic farms, art studios and artists' houses to grand and modern art museums in vibrant downtowns. Discover diverse, quality collections rich in history and heritage, including European masterpieces, American Impressionism, ancient art and contemporary culture. The trail includes a feature called Trail Getaways that presents recommended itineraries along with helpful suggestions for nearby places to visit and dine. In the Greater New Haven region the trail includes the Yale Center for British Art and the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven.

Winter's cold brings dozens of bald eagles down the Connecticut River from Canada in search of ice-free fishing. The Audubon Shop at 907 Boston Post Road in Madison leads popular winter Eagle Watches on the Connecticut River in January and February. Leader Jerry Connolly of The Audubon Shop will help participants spot eagles from a variety of locations on this land-based trip along the shore of the river and will discuss the bird's natural history. Guests will also spot a large variety of wintering birds in addition to the eagles. Dates for Eagle Watch trips in 2012 are scheduled for Saturdays from January 28 to march 3. The watches include lunch at Oliver's Tavern in Essex. Pre-registration is required. Information: 203-245-9056.

Pez – who hasn’t met this underdog of the candy world? Now you can visit the world of Pez and learn everything about it at the Pez Visitor Center attached to the company’s candy-making facility at 35 Prindle Hill Road in Orange. Four thousand feet of display space is dedicated to all things PEZ! See the most comprehensive collection of PEZ memorabilia on public display in the world, a PEZ motorcycle built by Orange County Choppers, the world's largest PEZ dispenser, the PEZ production area, PEZ trivia game, factory store, and more. Open daily to the public, but call ahead, hours may vary seasonally. Visits are self guided. PEZ provides viewing windows into the production floor, but production is typically not underway during weekends. What a hoot. Phone: 203-298-0201.

A new (as of May 2011) addition to the Connecticut Wine Trail is the aptly named Paradise Hill Vineyard & Winery at 15 Wind Swept Hill Road in Wallingford. Set among rolling hills and hay fields, Paradise Hill is a small family-owned and -operated vineyard and winery. Its the intimate Tuscan-styled tasting room, with its hand crafted copper bar, decorative chandeliers, and mahogany tables, with views of rolling green hills, is a lovely setting for relaxing and enjoying a fine glass of wine. Featured wines are Cayuga White, Chardonnay, President's Choise, and Vino Blanco de Paradiso. Whether you are spending a day or a weekend on the Wine Trail, or just looking for a afternoon of pleasant tasting, stop here and welcome the new kid on the block. Hours: Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday, 11a.m.-6 p.m. Phone: 203-284-0123.