How to Spend the Day in New Haven, CT

    Okay, am I the only one who gets major Gilmore Girl vibes just talking about Connecticut? Being in the town that was referenced quite a lot in the show, took me back! For the second location of our anniversary roadtrip, we stayed at a beautiful Bed & Breakfast in Westbrook. But, a good portion of our time was spent in New Haven. Here’s what the day looked like:

1. Explore Yale 

    

    I’ll admit, I never got the hype of why people admired the grounds of this Ivy League school. But, seeing it in person made sense. As someone who admires architecture, it was absolutely beautiful to see all the details embedded into each building. It truly is breath-taking.

    2. Lunch at Hot Haven Chicken

   What better way to dine than with a delicious chicken sandwich in hand? We got the Tendie trio combo and the Tendie slider combo. They were absolutely DELICIOUS. This is definitely more of a grab and go place. So, do not expect to be wow-ed when you walk in. But, the food is 100% worth it. They do not have any seats inside to dine-in. However, there are some picnic style tables placed outside of the restaurant. 

    After selecting your food item, you then choose the intensity of the spice. We both got “hot” and realized they weren’t exaggerating the spice levels. If you don’t like spicy things, I suggest going for the “country” spice level.

3. Grab some bubble tea at Whale Tea

  This location is quite conveniently located just down the street from Haven Hot chicken. They feature a unique spin on ordering bubble tea as you can order right at a kiosk. Their whale-themed decorations are also very cute to look at while you wait for your drink. 

   Be careful when ordering though. They have both a fresh milk (consisting of only milk with flavoring) and actual milk teas. If you’re not into purchasing a cup of milk… do NOT buy the fresh milk tea. I made that mistake once and regretted it. 

4. Hang around Downtown

    

    Honestly, you won't find much of a “downtown” area in New Haven as everything is pretty much centered around Yale. But, if you walk the strips, you’ll find some cute scenery, places to eat and even the Yale University Art Gallery (completely free).

     We really enjoyed walking around and exploring the small shops as well. There was the cutest plant shop close to The Whale Tea and some other cute shops. If you're into eating and shopping in one trip, you'll love New Haven.

5. Relaxing picnic dinner at Lighthouse Point Park

   

    I’ll preface this by saying, parking is a steep $30. But the sunset view you’ll experience there is absolutely breathtaking and worth it. I suggest if you plan on visiting, bring your meal with you and set-up an evening picnic. Maybe bring your favorite book, music or tv show along and just hang out and relax. But, don’t forget to take it all in too! 

    There’s also a carousel that is open on the Saturdays & Sundays that only cost 50 cents per ride. You can also walk along the rocky shore! And of course, there's a historic lighthouse right on the beach as well. So, I'd say you can definitely get your money's worth when you go on the right day and time.