Wyoming alumnus here

[BoukofJames]

You'll have better luck further north, down here they usually don't peak until mid October. Northern New England may be in peak by that time.

Accommodations: If you're looking to walk for meals/entertainment, then Delamar in WH is very nice, and within walking distance of everything you'd need. If you're driving everywhere and just looking for cheapish accommodations there are plenty of places to pick from in East Hartford, Glastonbury, Windsor, Windsor Locks that are convenient. Where you stay really depends on how you're travelling, and what you'd like to do while here. Traffic here is nothing like DC, so I wouldn't be concerned with staying as close to the stadium as possible.

LOTS of food options:
Mexican/Spanish - bartaco, Barcelona
Seafood - Max's Oyster
Burgers - Max's Burger
Mediterranean - Zahara
Steakhouse - Fleming's
Italian - Treva, Bricco
Thai - Blue Elephant

Bars/Drinks:
Vinted (if you're into wine tasting)
The Place 2 Be
World of Beer
Elbow Room

Tailgating:
Highly recommend the parking lot on Silver Lane across from the stadium (Pratt & Whitney owned softball fields), the rules are more lax with respect to tailgating, and the walk is much shorter than the red lot (gameday/non season-pass parking). Address: 544 Silver Ln #568, East Hartford. Also try googling "tailgating at softball fields east hartford ct"

The Place 2 Be is awesome boozy brunch spot. Only recently discovered it (the downtown Hartford location) and had a blast — never knew Hartford had places like that. Looking forward to blue back location opening

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Thanks! My friends and I are going to make a week of it after the game and hit RI, MA, ME, NH, and VT before we drive back to Virginia. Hopefully the Fall colors will be starting to peak then.

You’ll have to go pretty far north to see good fall colors on September 25th.

If you’re a beer guy you have to go to Tree House, widely regarded as the best brewery in the world. Bit of hike but a lot beer to drink up in Vermont. You’ll get good color up there too.

 

[CL82]

You’ll have to go pretty far north to see good fall colors on September 25th. View attachment 67560 If you’re a beer guy you have to go to Tree House, widely regarded as the best brewery in the world. Bit of hike but a lot beer to drink up in Vermont. You’ll get good color up there too.

FWIW, the "X" in that picture marks Syracuse University.

 

[HCCForever]

Here is a link showing the normal times for peak leaf viewing in Maine. In late September, I agree with others that you will need to visit Northern New England. I prefer either Vermont due to the brilliant red colors of the sugar maples or Maine. Maine is the best option for that time IMO and could be combined with some great lobster and blueberry pie. We went to a place called Union River Lobster Pot in Ellsworth Maine and had great lobster and pie and the wife had a blueberry martini. We also camped which made the trip inexpensive.

Maine Fall Foliage - When and Where to Visit - Maine DACF

 

[Adios]

Maine is a gift to it's own residents. How it could have such a low population and be such a beautiful state is a nice situation.

Connecticut may have more residents in Fairfield County now after this pandemic. The once quiet town of Fairfield seems to be aiming to become a party town. Sacred Heart has taken over the art deco entrance Community Theater downtown. Now they can put their dominating us in hockey into a cimematic presentation.

 

[Bongo Fury]

Here is a link showing the normal times for peak leaf viewing in Maine. In late September, I agree with others that you will need to visit Northern New England. I prefer either Vermont due to the brilliant red colors of the sugar maples or Maine. Maine is the best option for that time IMO and could be combined with some great lobster and blueberry pie. We went to a place called Union River Lobster Pot in Ellsworth Maine and had great lobster and pie and the wife had a blueberry martini. We also camped which made the trip inexpensive.

Maine Fall Foliage - When and Where to Visit - Maine DACF

I was conceived accidentally on a beach in Lubec so I have been told.

 

[RSTuthill]

Here is a link showing the normal times for peak leaf viewing in Maine. In late September, I agree with others that you will need to visit Northern New England. I prefer either Vermont due to the brilliant red colors of the sugar maples or Maine. Maine is the best option for that time IMO and could be combined with some great lobster and blueberry pie. We went to a place called Union River Lobster Pot in Ellsworth Maine and had great lobster and pie and the wife had a blueberry martini. We also camped which made the trip inexpensive.

Maine Fall Foliage - When and Where to Visit - Maine DACF

Agree with most of this except the misspelling of the word lobstah. Oh, and be aware that in Maine lobstah rolls are cold and in CT they are piping hot. The places to go in CT for this delicacy are Fords, Abbotts, or Costello's in Noank, Lobstah Landing in Clinton, and many other places that board members here may recommend.

 

[HCCForever]

Agree with most of this except the misspelling of the word lobstah. Oh, and be aware that in Maine lobstah rolls are cold and in CT they are piping hot. The places to go in CT for this delicacy are Fords, Abbotts, or Costello's in Noank, Lobstah Landing in Clinton, and many other places that board members here may recommend.

No matter how you spell it, they are delicious. I'll eat them either Maine style or CT style but prefer them CT style. I have been to the Landing in Clinton many times and always good. Abbotts was good as well. One of the best lobstah dinners I ever had was from the Menemsha Fish Market on the Vineyard. Nothing fancy as we ate off wooden spool tables but the seafood was as fresh as it could be. Honorable mention to Cousin Maine's Lobster truck. I was not aware of their Shark Tank start but I had their roll at a firework display in Orange Ct and was very impressed.

 

[WestHartHusk]

There are some amazingly scenic lobster roll spots in Maine. But the roll itself pales to a CT roll.

 

[Pudge]

as someone who has never lived in Connecticut except 4 years of UCONN, telling someone from Wyoming to go visit West Hartford or New Haven is ... braindead.

What is New England?

If its a car full of young men ... YES ... Foxwood or Mohegan Sun. But the flavor of your state is more found in Shore towns or Litchfield County. On game night ... its too far to direct someone to West Hartford or New Haven. Hartford will be the best

 

[BlueMAB]

as someone who has never lived in Connecticut except 4 years of UCONN, telling someone from Wyoming to go visit West Hartford or New Haven is ... braindead.

What is New England?

If its a car full of young men ... YES ... Foxwood or Mohegan Sun. But the flavor of your state is more found in Shore towns or Litchfield County. On game night ... its too far to direct someone to West Hartford or New Haven. Hartford will be the best

It's almost like you have no idea how close East Hartford, West Hartford, and Hartford are.

You'd think the names would give it away.

 

[Waquoit]

It's almost like you have no idea how close East Hartford, West Hartford, and Hartford are.

You'd think the names would give it away.

But screw West Hartford, it's generic affluent white suburb. You can get that anywhere in VA

 

[BlueMAB]

But screw West Hartford, it's generic affluent white suburb. You can get that anywhere in VA

I'm sure nothing in Litchfield county would remind them of Virginia.

 

[Exit 4]

Nautilus/Mystic and clam shacks, that's what a CT visit should be about.

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Is this Cowboy ever coming back to the thread?

 

[Pudge]

It's almost like you have no idea how close East Hartford, West Hartford, and Hartford are.

You'd think the names would give it away.

you're advising a bunch of guys from Wyoming ... to go to New Haven. or West Hartford. My eyes are rolling.


Tailgate ... maybe meet some locals. But they have never been to New England. Why a upscale suburb? or a city 45 miles away.

 

[Pudge]

I'm sure nothing in Litchfield county would remind them of Virginia.

did your parents take you on long drives when you were a kid?

I 84 exit to the Storrs campus is more foreign to Wyoming than any upscale white suburb in VA. I drove cross country from Boston to LA with my UConn bff. We raced through SD and entered Wyo on the way to Jackson Hole and the tip of Idaho/Utah.
trust me: there's nothing that looks like a New England seacoast, Litchfield County, Vermont, Western Mass, in that flat barren state with mountains. Cows. There is a West Hartford in most every eastern state.

 

[UCSouth]

did your parents take you on long drives when you were a kid?

I 84 exit to the Storrs campus is more foreign to Wyoming than any upscale white suburb in VA. I drove cross country from Boston to LA with my UConn bff. We raced through SD and entered Wyo on the way to Jackson Hole and the tip of Idaho/Utah.
trust me: there's nothing that looks like a New England seacoast, Litchfield County, Vermont, Western Mass, in that flat barren state with mountains. Cows. There is a West Hartford in most every eastern state.

You really should read all of the posts... especially the first one in any thread. You'd probably realize that they are from VA.

 

[Waquoit]

you're advising a bunch of guys from Wyoming ... to go to New Haven. or West Hartford. My eyes are rolling.
Tailgate ... maybe meet some locals. But they have never been to New England. Why a upscale suburb? or a city 45 miles away.

It's the Boneyard, Jake

 

[Hoophound]

West Hartford Center is 20 minutes to the stadium tops and offers a plethora of eating, drinking and entertainment options for the night before or after the game, all in walking distance. Saying it is a bad idea is like telling someone going to NYC that they shouldn’t stay near Times Square because they are going to a Yankee game one day.

Once the game is over and they head out to other parts of New England they can do other things. Hartford has options too, but West Hartford won’t disappoint most adults. It is nice, safe and offers lots of options. Acting like West Hartford is far away from the the Rent is just silly.

 

[BlueMAB]

did your parents take you on long drives when you were a kid?

I 84 exit to the Storrs campus is more foreign to Wyoming than any upscale white suburb in VA. I drove cross country from Boston to LA with my UConn bff. We raced through SD and entered Wyo on the way to Jackson Hole and the tip of Idaho/Utah.
trust me: there's nothing that looks like a New England seacoast, Litchfield County, Vermont, Western Mass, in that flat barren state with mountains. Cows. There is a West Hartford in most every eastern state.

Read the OP….this is what he asked for.

A couple of friends and I are driving up from Virginia to see the Cowboys play the Huskies in September. Any advice regarding accommodations, dining, and tailgating?

I gave him what he asked for.

This interaction has reminded me why I stopped posting. Thank you for that.

 

[BlueMAB]

you're advising a bunch of guys from Wyoming ... to go to New Haven. or West Hartford. My eyes are rolling.


Tailgate ... maybe meet some locals. But they have never been to New England. Why a upscale suburb? or a city 45 miles away.

I didn’t advise them to go to new Haven. My eyes are also rolling.

I didn’t advise them on sight seeing. He didn’t ask about that. And we only know they are driving up from Virginia. We don’t know that any of them are from Wyoming.

Richard.

 

[BlueMAB]

You really should read all of the posts... especially the first one in any thread. You'd probably realize that they are from VA.

Why bother to understand the context to a post when you can jump in the middle of a thread and criticize a posters for not suggesting better sights to visit when they didn’t post anything about sightseeing??

The Poke alum asked about dining, tailgating, and accommodations and @Pudge throws out Litchfield county.

Nothing better than the Cornwall Bridge on game day!!

@Pudge if you want to argue with the places people suggested, quote them, not me.

 

[BlueMAB]

But screw West Hartford, it's generic affluent white suburb. You can get that anywhere in VA

Fine, stay in Hartford and see what a dying New England city looks like.
I didn’t post about sight seeing, he didn’t ask.

 

[formerlurker]

A couple of friends and I are driving up from Virginia to see the Cowboys play the Huskies in September. Any advice regarding accommodations, dining, and tailgating?

I hope you and your friends have a great trip and enjoy your time in CT @DCPoke

I googled UConn and University of Wyoming and ended up down a wormhole that led me to discovering UCon, Idaho. Not too far from Laramie. Grab me a t-shirt next time you get out that way.

 

[ktuck911]

That is A LOT to try to pack into a week, and I don't really think you'll get any sense for any of those places. I'd just pick 1 and commit...cant really go wrong with any IMO.

A lot indeed, but think about how big a state like Wyoming is alone, or along with its surrounding states. The entire New England area they're traveling probably fits one state... We live in a much faster pace life around these parts than folks that have hung out in those parts.

@DCPoke - Enjoy the ride and sights with your buddies. Safe travels. Lots of nut jobs riding on these roads lately.