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Connecticut - New Haven/South Central

Ten Great Things To Do in New Haven/South Central Connecticut

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All You Need Now Is a Shove Off the Sofa  All You Need Now Is a Shove Off the Sofa

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The hiking committee of the Sleeping Giant State Park Association has devised a series of guided hikes through this magnificent park throughout 2010. 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.



Art Museum Trail Focuses on Yale <br>in the New Haven Region  Art Museum Trail Focuses on Yale
in the New Haven Region


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.



Astroids Are Just the Opening Act <br>at Leitner Family Observatory  Astroids Are Just the Opening Act
at Leitner Family Observatory


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Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium at Yale University opened in early 2009 to the delight of star lovers and planet chasers in New England. Located at 355 Prospect Street, the observatory and planetarium is open to the general public on Tuesday nights (October-March at 6 p.m.; April-September at 8 p.m.). The shows will include a live presentation highlighting planets and constellations visible in the night sky, as projected onto the planetarium's 30-foot dome, followed by Passport to the Universe, a digitally projected tour through the solar system, galaxy and beyond. Shows will last approximately 35-40 minutes and, weather permitting; telescopes will be set up for observing afterwards. Phone: 203-285-8840.



Barns, Books, and Time for Browsing  Barns, Books, and Time for Browsing

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Old books, old maps, old postcards. People who can browse for hours among this type of treasure should beat a path to Whitlock's Book Barn on Sperry Road in Bethany. The business is, in fact, a barn and a former turkey house stuffed with many thousands of used books, maps, and prints. Much of the material comes from estate sales and people reducing their libraries. The business has been operating since 1948, receiving a steady stream of buyers and sellers of books, maps, and ephemera. Fans of maps will savor the selection of maps from the 1800s, including hundreds of maps by town and by county from 21 states. The collection includes maps by Mitchell, Colton, Tilden & Baker, and the Beers family. There also is a selection of international maps. The barns are open Tuesdays through Sundays. Phone: 203-393-1240.



Burger Was Born Here, at a Moment’s Notice  Burger Was Born Here, at a Moment’s Notice

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Louis' Lunch on Crown Street in New Haven could be a holy shrine for many Americans: it is the place where the hamburger was invented. According to legend, one day in the year 1900 a man dashed into a small New Haven luncheonette and asked for a quick meal that he could eat on the run. Louis Lassen, the establishment's owner, hurriedly stuffed a broiled beef patty between two slices of bread and sent the customer on his way, so the story goes, with America's first hamburger. If you want to visit Louis' for the first time, yet not appear to be a novice, you may want to learn a little of Louis' Lingo, such as " two cheese works, a californian, a salad, and a birch" [two original hamburgers with cheese, tomato and onion, cooked medium rare and served on toast, a hot dog with cheese, relish and onion, an order of potato salad, and a birch beer.” Get it? Got it? Good! Phone: 203-562-5507



Cats and Dogs Need Vacation Mementos, Too  Cats and Dogs Need Vacation Mementos, Too

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You may be on vacation, but you still may be carrying thoughts of your furry companions back home. Stop by Paws on the Green on Water Street in Guilford for dog and cat luxuries. With the motto “Dogs are not our whole life but they make our lives whole” (we will allow the same sentiment for cats, too). Paws by the Green sells all-natural dog and cat food, a colorful selection of dog and cat bowls, a rainbow selection of ribbon collars and leads, pooch wear and comfy and tasteful beds, and much more. You can also commission a portrait for your pet. Phone: 203-458-7298



Drive New Haven’s Charmed Shoreline  Drive New Haven’s Charmed Shoreline

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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 and its countless opportunities for swimming, boating or casting a few lines. 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, precious 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. The town's history is remarkably well-preserved: there are several open historic homes. 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, which has excellent facilities for swimming, camping and boating. There's a wonderful year-round nature center, too.



Educational Walk  Educational Walk

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For the sake of architecture, history, of the love of academia, a walking tour of Yale University on elm Street in the city of New Haven will inspire and enlighten. Visitors on the tour will hear about Yale's rich 300-year history and see the Gothic Sterling Memorial Library and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, which is home to a preeminent collection of rare materials, including a Gutenberg Bible. Guided tours, self-guided tours, and even an MP3 tour are offered. Phone: 203-432-2300



Paleontology Place  Paleontology Place

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The Yale Peabody Museum at Whitney Avenue and Sachem Street in New Haven was founded in 1866 under the direction of O.C. Marsh, the first professor of paleontology in North America. Marsh built many of the Peabody’s great collections, and today you can see some of his most famous finds — the dinosaurs he named Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Brontosaurus — in the museum’s Great Hall. The museum is also home to Rudolph F. Zallinger’s murals The Age of Reptiles and The Age of Mammals. You can step into the world’s cultures in the Hall of Native American Cultures and Daily Life in Ancient Egypt, learn the story of human evolution in Fossil Fragments: The Riddle of Human Origins, and explore the solar system in the new Hall of Minerals, Earth, and Space. Phone: 203-432-5050.



Shubert Is the Threshold to Broadway Hits  Shubert Is the Threshold to Broadway Hits

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Opened in 1914, the Shubert Theater on College Street in New Haven earned the title Birthplace of the Nation's Greatest Hits, by staging more than 300 shows that later opened in New York. Best known for its Broadway presentations, the Shubert also hosts artists of ballet, opera, classical music, jazz, big bands and popular solo artists. From Ladysmith Black Mambazo to the Moscow Festival Ballet, the Schubert covers the arts around the globe. Among the 2010 shows are Bill Maheer, "Chicago," "Annie," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Wedding Singer," "Beauty and the Beast," and more. Phone: 203-624-1825



“The Philadelphia Story” -- Ivoryton
Now through March 28, 2010
The Celtic Tenors-- Norfolk
March 11, 2010
Riverdance Farewell Tour – Wallingford
March 11, 2010 to March 14, 2010
Chinese Cooking Class -- West Hartford
March 12, 2010
Mystic Irish Dinner -- Mystic
March 12, 2010
Cara -- Norfolk
March 13, 2010
Hebron Maple Festival -- Hebron
March 13, 2010 to March 14, 2010
Connecticut Spring Antiques Show -- Hartford
March 13, 2010 to March 14, 2010
Alicia Keys Concert -- Ledyard
March 13, 2010 to March 14, 2010
Greater Hartford St. Patrick's Day Parade 2010
March 13, 2010
New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2010
March 14, 2010
Tao: The Martial Art of Drumming – Storrs
March 16, 2010
St Patrick’s Day Beer Tasting and Lunch -- Litchfield
March 17, 2010
New London Saint Patrick's Day Parade 2010
March 17, 2010
Jane Monheit -- Norfolk
March 19, 2010
Dublin City Ramblers concert -- Mystic
March 19, 2010
Harlem Globetrotters Magical Memories Tour -- Hartford
March 19, 2010
Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy -- Storrs
March 19, 2010 to March 20, 2010
Maple Sugaring Festival -- Washington
March 20, 2010
Planetarium Show on Black Holes – West Hartford
March 20, 2010
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy-- Norfolk
March 21, 2010
"I" Squared Tenors Sing Irish and Italian Songs -- Norwalk
March 21, 2010
Mystic Irish Parade 2010
March 21, 2010
Greenwich Saint Patrick's Parade 2010
March 21, 2010
Maple Sugar Demonstration -- Glastonbury
March 21, 2010
Soul Sound Revue-- Norfolk
March 26, 2010
Tags & Treasures Sale -- Old Wethersfield
March 26, 2010 to March 28, 2010
Jane Condon and Friends -- Old Greenwich
March 26, 2010
Maura O'Connell -- Norfolk
March 27, 2010
Brookfield Film Festival
March 27, 2010
Spring Benefit Dance -- Wethersfield
March 27, 2010
Sea Music/Folk Concert -- Centerbrook
March 27, 2010
James Cotton-- Norfolk
April 1, 2010
Wild Egg Hunt –Mystic
April 2, 2010
Graham Parker-- Norfolk
April 3, 2010
Easter Egg Hunt – Stamford
April 3, 2010
Easter Egg Hunt – Brooklyn
April 3, 2010
Average White Band -- Norfolk
April 10, 2010
Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years – Ledyard
April 10, 2010
Latin Dance Fest 2010 – Storrs
April 10, 2010
Straight No Chaser -- Hartford
April 15, 2010
The Rat Pack Is Back – Storrs
April 16, 2010 to April 17, 2010
Rocks Rock – Manchester
April 18, 2010
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet –Storrs
April 29, 2010
Butterfly Pavilion and Plant Sale -- Norwich
May 6, 2010 to May 9, 2010
Farm Day -- Scotland
May 15, 2010
The New Kids on the Block – Ledyard
May 21, 2010
Click here for a full list of events.

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