Accommodations: Bailey’s By the Pond Bed & Breakfast, Brooklyn (tel. 860-774¬3003) “City folks gone country.” Pub and house dog on premises.
Chickadee Cottage, Pomfret – “Classic New England without kitsch” per The New York Times.
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Plainfield – For the non-B&B type.
Day 1
Eagle Rider of Excaliber, Plainfield (tel. 860.564-7079) – Cruise the open, scenic roads on a rental motorcycle. Take pastoral 169 up & scenic 44 back.
Silver Bicycle, Putnam or take an organized trip with Cycle New England. Rtes, 14, 97, 164 and 169 offer scenic cycling.
Lunch: Bidwell Tavern, Coventry (860-742-6978) – Best wings around.
Willimantic Brewing Co., Willimantic for a tour and taste or after you drop off your bikes.
Dinner: The Harvest, Pomfret – Connecticut Magazine voted “Best” – any style, any sauce steak.
Other options: Laurel House Restaurant, Killingly – Fine dining at affordable prices, pleasant, extensive menu -Connecticut Magazine awarded.
Day 2
Skungamaug River Golf Club, Coventry – Voted 5th Best Public Golf Course in CT.
Twin Hills Golf Club, Coventry – Picturesque with stonewalls, covered bridge and stone bridge.
Putnam Country Club, Putnam. 18 holes, club rentals with restaurant, beer and wine.
Lunch: The Altnaveigh, Storrs – Well prepared American cuisine in a charming setting. More casual option, Cozy Corner Restaurant, Brooklyn (tel. 860-774-2629), favored by locals.
Westford Hill Distillers, Ashford – Producing aged brandies flavored by pears from their rare orchards. Tour and taste. Call first for hours.
OR
Fun Skydiving, Danielson for adrenaline. Book jumps a few weeks in advance.
Dinner
Still River Café, Eastford – An important restaurant, using only local products, including the organic ones they farm – award-winning.
Other option: 85 Main Street, Putnam – A modern, sleek counterpoint – American fusion cuisine artfully presented.
Day 3
Ken Bouchard’s Driving School at Thompson International Speedway, Thompson – Pro, street and modified stock car racing. Learn to drive school.
Lunch possibility: Stoggy Hollow General Store and Restaurant, Woodstock Valley, (tel. 860-974-2889) a classic, hearty sandwiches, pies and other assorted fare.
Quinebaug Lake State Park, Killingly. Beautiful, clear water stocked with bass, yellow perch, trout and pickerel.
Other option: Nickerson Campground, Chaplin for trophy-sized trout or Quinebaug Valley Trout Hatchery, Plainfield -one of the largest hatcheries in the East. Take some fresh fish home for a souvenir either way! The following telephone number will get you to info on both Quinebaug parks: 860.928.6121.
Note: You need a license to fish in Connecticut. Get one online before you go at: https://ct.outdoorcentral.net/InternetSales/ The state has a helpful fishing site at www.ct.gov.