There are destinations with consistent year-round weather, where the seasonal shifts are subtle, such as San Diego, which promises sunshine on nearly every day of the year. And then there are places that, weather-wise, are a bit more intriguing, conjuring images of springtime fairs, summers at the shore, spectacular autumn foliage and white Christmases.
New England might be at the top of the list of the country’s four-season charmers, Connecticut included.
Planners who book events in the Constitution State, an ever-evolving Northeast meetings magnet that welcomes groups any month of the year, are encouraged to tap into the varying events and recreational pursuits that highlight each of its seasons.
Winter Wonderland
Even with lower temperatures, CVB representatives insist that winter is a fine time to hold an event in Connecticut.
Hartford, according to H. Scott Phelps, president and CEO of the Greater Hartford CVB, sports scenic and recreational appeal all year long.
"Hartford is less than an hour from the sandy beaches of the Long Island Sound and an hour from the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains," he says. "Hartford is the gateway to New England with popular fall foliage viewing, wonderful summer excursions and fantastic skiing."
For outdoorsy groups, there are skiing opportunities nearby Hartford and beyond, including Mohawk Mountain Ski Area in Cornwall and Ski Sundown in New Hartford, according to Janet L. Serra, director of the Northwest Connecticut CVB.
During the holidays, groups might enjoy touring popular areas that are decorated in keeping with the season.
"Many historic sites are beautifully decked out for the holidays, including the Governor’s Mansion, the Wadsworth Atheneum of Arts’ annual Festival of Trees, the Old State House and Constitution Plaza’s Festival of Lights," Phelps says, adding many decorated historic sites are available for off-site events.
New Haven also gets into the spirit of the holiday season. According to Ginny Kozlowski, executive director of the Greater New Haven CVB/Regional Growth Partnership, New Haven annually hosts the Easter Seals’ Fantasy of Lights from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. Mini buses can visit for $25 and coach buses for $50.
"Drive through an enchanted land of spectacular, sparkling holiday light displays at Lighthouse Point Park," Kozlowski says. "Around every bend, Fantasy of Lights will delight all ages."
Annually in February, Kozlowski adds, Middlefield, Conn.-based Lyman Orchards hosts a Winterfest & Food Expo, featuring an ice sculpture show, all-you-can-eat samples of Lyman’s fresh-made products and horse-drawn wagon rides.
In Southeast Connecticut, also known as Mystic Country, is the annual wine and food show touted as Connecticut’s largest, the Sun WineFest at Mohegan Sun Casino. According to Janice B. Putnam, marketing and sales manager at the Mystic Country Connecticut/Eastern Regional Tourism District, the festival features celebrity chefs, and more than 1,000 fine wines and specialty ales provided by international wineries and breweries.
"Relaxing by the fireside at one of the region’s fine inns or restaurants is by far a most popular winter activity," Putnam adds.
Throughout Fairfield County there are entertaining indoor options that are perfect for wintertime team-building outings, such as Barnum Recreation Duckpin Bowling Lanes in Stratford; Go Vertical Indoor Rock Climbing in Stamford; and Shelton, Conn.-based SportsCenter of Connecticut, complete with a weather-protected golf driving range, 18-hole miniature golf course, jungle-themed Lazer Tag arena and double-decker ice-skating arena.
Step Into Spring
When spring—the favorite season of many Connecticut natives—has sprung, planners might like to arrange walking tours and other outdoor activities for groups.
On the Fairfield County CVB’s website, for starters, planners will find mapped-out walking tours of Greenwich, Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford that include the architectural gems, parks and museums of each destination.
New Haven, long known as the "Cultural Capital of Connecticut," according to the Greater New Haven CVB’s Kozlowski, is home to several world-class museums, including the Knights of Columbus Museum, Yale University Art Gallery, Yale Center for British Art and Yale Peabody Museum. In short, it’s a wonderful place to take a long and informative stroll.
"The Knights of Columbus Museum exhibits religious art and artifacts rarely seen outside of Vatican City," Kozlowski says, adding the Shubert Theater, which produces Broadway shows, is also located in downtown New Haven.
New Haven Restaurant Week, held in April and also in November, invites foodies to sample eateries throughout the city for a fraction of the cost. The epicurean celebration features prix fixe menus for lunch ($16.38—the year New Haven was founded) and dinner ($29) at a variety of New Haven’s finest dining establishments.
"In addition to the spectacular meals, there is a culinary tour through the downtown area that can be scheduled for groups," Kozlowski adds.
In the Hartford area, "golfing at one of the more than 30 excellently groomed courses" is a popular option for groups in spring, according to the Greater Hartford CVB’s Phelps.
Every June, as spring transitions into summer, Phelps says thousands of people visit Hartford for the nationally renowned Elizabeth Park Rose Weekend, featuring more than 15,000 blooming rose bushes with 900 varieties of award-winning roses, perennial and annual gardens, and rock and herb gardens.
Art and historic gardens come together at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, says Mystic Country Connecticut’s Putnam. This National Historic Landmark, which makes for a lovely spring group outing, is located on 11 acres along the Lieutenant River and boasts more than 1,500 unique heirloom perennials and several different specimens of trees, all of which inspired the works of Childe Hassam, William Chadwick and other impressionist painters who were part of the original Lyme Art Colony.
The Northwest Connecticut CVB’s Serra recommends springtime visits to the Sharon Audubon Center and the New England Carousel Museum.
Summertime, and the Livin’ is Easy
Once the temperature is kicked up a notch, group attendees will enjoy waterborne and other activities that are reminiscent of summer, including outings to Bristol’s Lake Compounce, a theme park complete with roller coasters and water slides, and Lakeville’s Lime Rock Park, which features NASCAR and other events, according to Serra.
In Southeast Connecticut, a true four-season destination that showcases coastal and country options, according to Mystic Country Connecticut’s Putnam, groups love getting out onto the water.
"There are a number of options, such as Mystic Seaport’s Sabino, the oldest wooden coal-fired steamboat still in operation," she says. "Or the schooner Mystic Whaler, which offers a variety of sailing adventures, including a lobster dinner cruise along the scenic Mystic River and Long Island Sound."
Additionally, there are special events held throughout the summer, Putnam adds, such as the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival and the WoodenBoat Show at Mystic Seaport. The Greater Hartford CVB’s Phelps says that when convening in Hartford, groups enjoy taking advantage of the Connecticut River and local waterways.
"Riverboat cruises and a variety of outdoor riverfront arts festivals are on the water, with people participating in or watching the popular annual Dragon Boat races," he says, adding: "The Jaycees Community Boathouse on the river is a perfect site for sunset cocktail parties and New England clambakes."
Also, the annual Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz in Hartford’s Bushnell Park attracts music lovers from near and far.
Festivals are abundant in New Haven during the summer months as well, according to the Greater New Haven CVB’s Kozlowski. A standout option in June is the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, held around the historical New Haven green. The festival invites visitors to experience international theater; classical, jazz and popular music; visual arts; poetry; and tours of historic spaces.
In August, New Haven hosts the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament, an Olympus U.S. Open Series event, at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale. The Pilot Pen, Kozlowski says, is the first-ever combined men’s and women’s summer tournament leading into the U.S. Open.
Fairfield County has many beaches to visit during summer, including the Long Island Sound coastline. The Fairfield Kayak Company offers kayak and canoe rentals for groups wishing to explore the Sound.
Fabulous Fall
Autumn may be the most anticipated season of the year, for with it comes glorious foliage hues, Halloween and Thanksgiving, pumpkins and apple cider.
According to the Greater Hartford CVB’s Phelps, fall foliage leaf-peeping and hiking opportunities in Connecticut and farther north in New England attract visitors from all over when sweater-weather arrives.
"We can provide brochures with self-guided tours or schedule bus trips," he says. "There are lots of outdoor autumn activities, including numerous farms to pick your own apples and pumpkins, hayrides and special Halloween events."
Halloween is also celebrated in Mystic. According to Mystic Country Connecticut’s Putnam, Nautical Nightmares at Mystic Seaport, featuring things that go bump in the night, is a fun tradition.
"Eerie ghost tales and spirits guiding you through a darkened village are a couple of the ghostly goings-on you will encounter during this annual fall production," she says.
Visiting Connecticut’s wineries, such as the Northwest region’s Miranda Vineyard and Jerram Winery, and the Southeast region’s Jonathan Edwards Winery and Stonington Vineyards, is an increasingly requested group outing.
"Connecticut has a long and late leaf-peeping season, and visiting wineries located on a National Scenic Byway, Route 169, has become a most popular autumn activity," Putnam says.
Fairfield County and Greater New Haven are both home to artist studios and workshops. In October, the City-Wide Open Studios weekend highlights more than 500 artists, who open their doors to the public to show off their work and provide a glimpse into the creative process.
—Connecticut native and San Francisco resident Carolyn Blackburn misses seasons.
