Scenic Foliage Drives →
Connecticut Foliage Driving Tour
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To get to Woodstock, take Route 171 west. The town, settled in 1686 by emigres from Roxbury, Massachusetts, presents a tidy face of clapboard houses and trim lawns. By the mid-1800s, northeastern Connecticut was crisscrossed with railroad lines; some brought Manhattanites looking for summer retreats, one being local-boy-made-good Henry C. Bowen, who built his Roseland Cottage here in 1846. The dramatically pink Gothic Revival house retains its custom-made furniture, and it presents a taste of the good life of a Victorian summertime, from its stained-glass windows and private bowling alley to a series of tea parties and evening concerts.
Tourist attractions are minimal: There are no strips of T-shirt shops and gift shops in the Corner. When farming declined and manufacturing ascended in the early 1800s, perhaps those who had once dubbed Woodstock and Pomfret "inland Newports" found the area too industrialized. The region boasts no big old hotels. Overnight choices tend toward small B&Bs with only a handful of rooms.
Dining is limited, too, along this corridor. There is the Inn at Woodstock Hill, former estate of a gentleman farmer, which serves ambitious lunch and dinner menus on its deck and inside its formal dining room. Farther down the road, in Brooklyn, you'll find the venerable and enjoyable Golden Lamb Buttery. Celebrating its 44th year, this 1,000-acre farm has a legion of loyal fans, including a few high-profile customers such as the Baldwin brothers and Roger Clemens. (Be sure to reserve ahead.)
The next stop on our journey is Brooklyn. Retrace your steps from Woodstock to Pomfret. From there, follow signs for the village. Agriculture is still important to the town of Brooklyn; its fairgrounds have been in use since 1852. So it's no surprise to see cows grazing behind the old stone walls of a farm off Creamery Brook Road. What is surprising is the small shaggy herd of American buffalo -- or, more accurately, bison -- their tails and long ears twitching at flies on a Connecticut ridge. At Austin and Deborah Tanner's Creamery Brook Bison farm, you can buy various cuts of bison meat and hear about its healthful virtues. If you've never tried this lean red meat before, take their suggestion and start with the hamburgers. (To get there, follow Route 169 south out of Brooklyn, staying left where the road splits to pick up Route 205 south. After two miles, turn left onto Allen Hill Road -- the road marker is difficult to see, so keep your eyes peeled for signs for the Public Golf Course. After half a mile, turn left onto Creamery Burke Road, then left onto Purvis Road. The farm will be on your right.)
Just a little to the east, take a detour to Logee's Greenhouses in Danielson: From Brooklyn, take Route 6 east to Route 12 (Main Street, in Danielson) to North Street; turn left at the third light. Logee's is four-tenths of a mile on the left. Eight greenhouses nurture more than 1,500 plants. Their specialties include flowering plants, begonias, passion flowers, gesneriads, scented geraniums, and herbs. Since 1892 the Logee-Martin family has been growing and selling over a thousand varieties of tropical and subtropical plants. The fragrance from a walk here is guaranteed to make your heart soar.
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