Exploring the CT Grown Trail for Autumn Agricultural Tourism

By Joe O’Leary

October 12 @ 5:00 am

As temperatures fall, leaves turn colors and autumn fully arrives in Connecticut, CT Grown, a division of the state Department of Agriculture, is working to support state farms and wineries.

The organization, which supports and promotes agriculture and aquaculture, recently created the CT Grown Trail, meant to highlight some of Connecticut’s many farms, orchards, vineyards, wineries and more.

The CT Grown Trail, available at www.ctgrown.org, offers three separate trails for visitors to utilize depending on their location, with different paths focused on the western, central and eastern parts of the state.

Specifically designed to support day trips that can take people around the state and home – or back to their home state or hotel – in one day, the trail is designed to encourage exploration to find businesses with unique and well-known offerings.

On the Central trail, for instance, someone could start with breakfast at restaurants recommended Granby, New Haven or Middletown, before heading to Glastonbury for pick-your-own produce and lunch, or farm visits in Orange, Bethany or Durham before taking a trip to wineries in Simsbury, Wallingford or Clinton. Such a trip, depending on someone’s location, could end with dinner in Simsbury, Branford or Chester.

Similar trails for the East recommend restaurants in Mansfield or Mystic, farms in Canterbury and Preston, a Stonington oyster farm and dinner in Putnam, while the western trail can start with breakfast in Goshen or Westport, lunch in Bantam or Ridgefield, and dinner in New Preston, Stratford or Norwalk.

With autumn in full swing, CT Grown’s trails are perfect for fall tourism, with orchards represented – not only for apple picking, but apple cider and apple cider donuts – and pumpkin patches and farm stands receiving new attention.

The trails also draw attention to Connecticut’s farm wineries, which offer special fall events and pairings, and the farmyards that host corn mazes, which are perfect for fall family fun.

These trails are just one way to plan a trip around the state; CT Grown’s website also features sections dedicated to agritourism, with specific focuses on fruit, vegetables and animal products, a feature of Connecticut Wine Country’s best offerings, and a list of events being held around the state.