What to do in Hartford, CT or Springfield MA

[Anonymous]

We are picking someone up at the Hartford airport in August and spending one day/night in the area before driving to Vermont. We are trying to figure out where to stay and focus out time. Advice? There will be 4 of us (me, husband, 1 teen and 1 tween). We like little towns to walk around, nice restaurant options. Maybe a short hike. We will be there for one full afternoon, overnight, and one morning.

[Anonymous]

What route do you take to Vermont? Anything like Northampton, Lenox or Sturbridge is going to be a nicer stopover than Hartford or Springfield. If you must do hartfford, West Hartford is an UMC suburb with some decent restaurants.

[Anonymous]

If you wanted to stay around Hartford, you could go hike at the West Hartford Reservoir, then walk around Blue Back Square for dinner. Maybe go to a diner for breakfast (there are a couple popular ones) and then head north.

[Anonymous]

You'll be north of Hartford anyway, at the airport, so might as well drive up to Northhampton and bypass Springfield.

[Anonymous]

The basketball hall of fame is in Springfield.

[Anonymous]

What's the final destination?

Northampton or Brattleboro would probably work.

There are short hikes and trails all over Western Mass and every part of VT. Just put "trail" into google maps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the final destination?

Northampton or Brattleboro would probably work.

There are short hikes and trails all over Western Mass and every part of VT. Just put "trail" into google maps.

Final destination is Burlington.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for basketball hall of fame if you are interested

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: If you wanted to stay around Hartford, you could go hike at the West Hartford Reservoir, then walk around Blue Back Square for dinner. Maybe go to a diner for breakfast (there are a couple popular ones) and then head north.

+1 on Blue and Black Square in West Hartford. A number of cute stores and restaurants there.

[Anonymous]

Stay in one of the college towns in the Pioneer Valley and take advantage and visit a few of the campuses of the Five Colleges. Even if your teen is young or not particularly interested in any of those schools, you'll be there anyhow so it could be a good start to the process. You've got giant, sprawling, brutalist-style UMass right down the road from quaint, insular Amherst. Another twenty minute drive away you can see beautiful, straight-out-of-a-movie Mount Holyoke. Preppy women's college not quite your teen's vibe? Drive another 20 minutes to see Smith, its funkier, kinda goth sister.

They're all such contrasts you can get a general idea of your kid's tastes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another vote for basketball hall of fame if you are interested

+1 and go to Northampton too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the final destination?

Northampton or Brattleboro would probably work.

There are short hikes and trails all over Western Mass and every part of VT. Just put "trail" into google maps.

Final destination is Burlington.

Then definitely no need to backtrack from the airport and explore Hartford.

[Anonymous]

Go to Northampton or Brattleboro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What route do you take to Vermont? Anything like Northampton, Lenox or Sturbridge is going to be a nicer stopover than Hartford or Springfield. If you must do hartfford, West Hartford is an UMC suburb with some decent restaurants.

Sturbridge? Hahahaha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What route do you take to Vermont? Anything like Northampton, Lenox or Sturbridge is going to be a nicer stopover than Hartford or Springfield. If you must do hartfford, West Hartford is an UMC suburb with some decent restaurants.

Sturbridge? Hahahaha

+1

Basic geography is so often disrespected on dcum.