The 10 Most Charming Main Streets in Connecticut
The website onlyinyourstate.com recently came out with their list of the best Main Streets in Connecticut towns, and the greater Danbury area kicked butt!
I grew up in the Village of Fairport, NY which is a suburb of Rochester, an idyllic little town built along the Erie Canal. It was a welcoming friendly place to grow up with small shops where everything you needed was within walking distance. Right in the center of town was the Fairport Erie Canal Liftbridge, which is considered an engineering marvel!
My picturesque home town of Fairport is about a 5 1/2 hour drive from Main Street in Danbury. Let's take a look at onlyinyourstate.com's 10 towns in Connecticut with the best, most lively main streets. With each Main Street mention, I'll give you the reasons that I think this list is perfectly spot on.
- Main Street Ridgefield - Google Instant street View
Main Street Ridgefield - Google Instant street View 1Ridgefield
It's easy to see why Ridgefield was named the liveliest Main Street in Connecticut. Any main street where you can find a gourmet hot dog cart, rules. Chez Lenard's Sidewalk Cafe got its start in 1978. Add the upscale shops and restaurants and Main Street, Ridgefield is an excellent Saturday or Sunday destination.
- Main St. Middletown - Google Instant Street View
Main St. Middletown - Google Instant Street View 2Middletown
Middletown is located in the central part of Connecticut on the CT River about 16 miles south of Hartford. With Wesleyan University nearby, the Main Street is filled with great shops, unique restaurants, and some quality night life.
- Old Saybrook Main St. - Google Instant Street View
Old Saybrook Main St. - Google Instant Street View 3Old Saybrook
Old Saybrook is where the Connecticut River meets the Sound. It's filled with history, beautiful shores, marinas, and an eclectic array of shops and restaurants on Main Street.
- Main St. in Essex CT. - Google Instant Street vView
Main St. in Essex CT. - Google Instant Street vView 4Essex
You gotta love a small town that hosts a Groundhog Day parade every year, not to mention that Essex was named The Perfect Small American Town in 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Add in The Griswold Inn and the Connecticut River Museum, and you rate #4 in The Best Main Streets in Connecticut!
- Main St. New Canaan - Google Instant Street View
Main St. New Canaan - Google Instant Street View 5New Canaan
New Canaan is one of CT's wealthiest communities and is known for their superior school systems, architecture, stately mansions, and a signature town center with unique boutiques and a stunning holiday lighting display.
- Main St. Essex - Google Instant Street View
Main St. Essex - Google Instant Street View 6Niantic
Niantic is a cozy friendly seaside village only 20 minutes from Mystic. Main Street runs parallel to Long Island Sound and features a famed movie theatre, unique restaurants and pubs, a one-of-a-kind book store, and a town beach all within walking distance.
- Hartford CT - Google Instant Streetview
Hartford CT - Google Instant Streetview 7Hartford
Hartford, known as the insurance capital of the world is steeped in history. There are so many things to see and do like Bushnell Park, restaurants from hot dog shacks to Max Downtown and the Capital Grille. You've got the Mark Twain House and Museum, the Hartford Stage, and the Connecticut Science Center.
- Downtown Westport - Google Instant Streetview
Downtown Westport - Google Instant Streetview 8Westport
Westport sits alongside Long Island Sound on the Gold Coast of Connecticut. It's known for its two beautiful beaches, Compo and Sherwood Island. You can attend community theatre at its very best at the Westport Country Playhouse and shop till you drop in downtown Westport. Make sure to stop in at Gold's Deli and order a pastrami sandwich that could feed a neighborhood.
- Bank Street in New Milford - Google Instant Street View
Bank Street in New Milford - Google Instant Street View 9New Milford
New Milford is a cozy little town complete with a signature New England feel which includes a beautiful town green, shopping and eclectic restaurants on Bank and Railroad Streets, along with one of the best take a load off, come in and sit down coffee houses in New England, the Bank Street Coffeehouse.
- Main Street Danbuey - Google Instant Streetview
Main Street Danbuey - Google Instant Streetview 10Danbury
Recently named the best Renaissance City in Connecticut, Danbury is beginning to come into its own. Because of all of the different nationalities that live in the city, excellent ethnic restaurants have popped up all over. The Danbury Green hosts free concerts all summer long and you can take in a minor league pro hockey game featuring the Danbury Titans at the Danbury Ice Arena.
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