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Connecticut > New Haven South Central > Things to Do and See > Great Things To Do in CT

Great Things To Do - Greater New Haven & the Central CT Coast

If you are traveling to the greater New Haven region of Connecticut, we have some fun recommendations for things to do. If you are looking for some adventure, check out the IT Adventure Ropes Course in New Haven, CT, with adventurous activities for visitors of all ages to explore and try something new. After working up an appetite, get a “Taste of New Haven”, with themed food and drink tours to various eateries and city gems. Visit The Owl Shop after a day out and about, a cigar lounge and coffee bar perfect for relaxation and camaraderie – with late night snacks and live music twice a week. If you are visiting the Essex, CT area, visit the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat, with train rides and cruises along the Connecticut River while experiencing vintage luxury. Keep reading below for more things to do in the New Haven/South Central Connecticut area.

Evening Lights - Bishop's Orchards - Guilford, CT
Bishop's Orchards

1355 Boston Post Road Guilford, CT, 06437 Phone: 203-453-2338

Food, fruit wines and fun: At this popular farm and orchard, they serve up all three

Once you visit Bishop’s Orchards, you’ll want to make it a regular stop on your things-to-do-list. There’s the pick-your-own season, which starts with sweet, juicy strawberries in June and goes through to pumpkins at Halloween. There are activities for kids, from hay mazes to book clubs. There are wine tastings and trivia nights and live music nights at the Little Red Bar(n), where you can also enjoy charcuterie boards and house-made barbecue from the BBQ Shed. Take your glass of farm-made fruit wine or hard cider out to the patio or sit under the sail-cloth tents. There’s the Creamery (three words: Sea Salt Caramel), open year-round. And then there is the year-round farm market, with a huge selection of fresh produce, prepared foods and world-famous pies.
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Full View - IT Adventures Rope Course - New Haven, CT
IT Adventure Ropes Course

40 Sargent Drive New Haven, CT, 06511 Phone: 203-812-9981

The perfect adventure is waiting for you at world’s largest indoor ropes course

Adventurers of all ages will find their perfect thrill-providing attraction at the It Adventure Ropes Course inside Jordan’s Furniture in New Haven, CT. The state-of-the-art fun facility — the largest indoor ropes course in the world — lets kids and adults soar through the air on integrated zip rails, conquer cargo nets and zigzag swinging beams and navigate more than 100 obstacles guaranteed to get your adrenaline pumping. There is no set path: You can follow your own route and directions. There’s also a separate climbing feature, with four unique walls to try: Astroball, Amazing, Hexed and Big Cheese. At the Little It ropes course, even the littlest thrill-seekers can try out their skills on platforms just three feet off the ground, with adults able to pitch in as needed. Group rates are available for birthday parties, field trips, private functions, and corporate retreats.
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Taste of New Haven Tours - Great Things To Do
Get a Taste of New Haven

Gather with friends to soak in the tastes, sights, and sounds of New Haven. On Taste of New Haven themed food and drink tours, guides lead guests through the buzzing city and into its finest eateries, with fun stops at cultural spots along the way. Tours are food-themed (New Haven pizza, sushi) or neighborhood-based (Canal Quarter, Wooster Square), and timed to warm you up for a night at the theater. Tours run year-round for 1.5-4 hours in rain or shine, and your departure point is revealed when you register. 888-975-8664.
owl shop in new haven
For Late-Night Camaraderie, Try the Owl Shop

The Owl Shop at 268 College Street in New Haven has a long pedigree. It was opened in 1934 on Wall Street as a bookstore by Greek immigrants. The proprietor was also mixing his own tobacco blends, for sale. A second store opened on College Street in 1937. Today, this history has created a convivial cigar lounge and coffee bar frequented by Yale and New Haven people for relaxation and camaraderie. You can buy light snacks and enjoy live jazz on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Happy hour, needless to say, happens nightly. Open daily, past midnight. 203-624-3250.
Explore Ice Castles in North Woodstock, NH! Click here to explore.
R. J. Julia Bookstore - Madison CT
A Bookstore With a Serious Love of Reading

R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison opened two decades ago as an independent bookstore whose mission was, and is, to be a place where words matter and where writers meet readers. The store hosts more than 200 events a year. Authors from all over the country visit the store to inspire, educate, and entertain. A knowledgeable staff, opinionated book selections with shelf-talker tags help book lovers find books that are just right for them. Open daily.
Chocolate Geeks in Essex CT
Knock Back Some Truffle Shots

Chocolate Geeks, located in The Barn at Griswold Square, 49 Main Street in Essex, is a business founded on a single product: truffle shots. (If you go gaga for chocolate truffles, these are up your alley.) Now they also sell bean-to-bar craft chocolate, artisan baking chocolate, tasting classes, chocolate chip cookies, and more. Open Wednesday – Saturday, noon – 5 p.m., or by appointment.
Prime Climb - Wallingford, CT
Go Climb a Rock

During the chilly seasons or on rainy days, are you and your kids climbing the walls? Come of the place where this activity is a fun, challenging indoor sport (for all ages)! Prime Climb is an indoor rock-climbing gym at 340 Quinnipiac Street in Silversmith Park in Wallingford, next to Walco Park. For fun and physical training, rock climbing is the next big thing, and indoor clubs are springing up everywhere. Good for children, teens, and adults. Prime Climb offers specials and kid-oriented activities.
The Shops at Yale - New Haven, CT - Great Things To Do
The Shops at Yale Are Just the Start of Your Exploration

With more than 50 unique boutiques and shops in Chapel Street Historic District and Broadway, Shops at Yale at 255 Crown Street in New Haven has the perfect mix of browsing, shopping, dining and people-watching to fill a weekend. The Shops at Yale are rich with boutiques alongside national retailers like Apple, J. Crew, and Urban Outfitters; bluestone sidewalks and beautifully restored architecture; award-winning restaurants and theaters; and world-renowned museums. Near at hand are public spaces that host lots of fun cultural events (one example among many is the sidewalk chalk art festival in August). Mix your pleasures with a visit to ancient beauty at the Yale Center for British Art, the Peabody Museum, Yale School of Architecture Gallery, and the historic Shubert Theater.
Taste of New Haven Food and Drink Tours - Great Things To Do
Find Food Adventure with New Haven Food Tours

Most of us know that New Haven is famous for its original and authentic pizza, but there is so much more for your palate to enjoy there. Taste of New Haven Food & Drink Tours hosts culinary walking culinary tours of this delightful, historic city. Experienced tour guides lead guests on tours with names and themes like Theater District, Canal Quarter, Goatville, Wooster Square, Pizza and Pints Bike, New Haven Symphony, Latin American Tapas, Pizza Lovers, Live To Eat, Theater District, Latin American Tapas, and On 9. Tours usually last 3 to 4 hours, although the Pizza Lovers Tour and the Pizza & Pints Bike Tour are 6 to 7 hours. Gift certificate available for a unique present. You also may book a private tour! Call and check the website for 203-710-3710.