The Ren Faire has been a staple in CT for many years. The shows are great, the entry price is…read morereasonable, and everyone seems to have a great time. The food is priced according to the kind of event it is. There are people in costumes and people without. If you don't want to dress up you don't need to and they don't make you feel out of place for being in regular clothes. The faire is a great day of family fun doing something a little different from your ordinary festivals. I highly recommend this faire over "the other one" in Massachusetts.

This year was my first time attending the Connecticut Renaissance Faire in Lebanon, CT. The faire…read moreis open on the weekends from around September thru October, check their website for current info. Each weekend has a theme, we happen to go during the Roses & Romance weekend. It was a hike, about a 45min drive, to literally the middle of nowhere. Luckily, our GPS didn't steer us wrong and found the faire grounds. We arrived early and got a good parking spot. We were told that parking could get hectic because there is another lot that you would need to take a shuttle. I was very impressed with the selection of food, drinks, venders, activities, performers, and events. There were a lot of folks (guest and faire cast) that dressed up in medieval garb, role playing and spoke old English. From kings, queens, fairies, pirates, jesters, folks really got into it with extravagant costumes. There were stages throughout the grounds with many performances like singing, fire eating/dancing, jousting, and improv. It was so immersive and fun. You could also try archery and axe throwing for a small fee. My main mission at the faire was to find Steepy Hollow's booth, one of my favorite local tea venders. I'm happy to report that I came home with tea to replenish my stash. There were other great booths with handmade trinkets, leather goods, jewelry, clothing, baked goods, and so much more that fit perfectly in this renaissance world. We enjoyed a lot of refreshing drinks and treats like affogatos, dole whips, and mocktails. It was very hot the day we attended and stuck to items that would keep us cool. My favorite thing was the Applegato from the Buck o' Stars Café - Steamed apple juice over ice cream with caramel, sugar and spice. There were also neat bubbling, smoking, shimmering drinks too. A few venders did accept card, but I highly recommend bringing cash. I would next time dress up and look at what the weekend themes beforehand. This was a spur-of-the-moment trip for us and now we know what to expect next time.

Small event that is great for families and kids, good selection of food trucks and rides. Beer tent…read moreis always busy and everyone working is kind and helpful. Music can sometimes be very loud but what else would you expect from a music festival

"You are the apple of my eye Forever you'll stay in my…read moreheart" (Stevie Wonder) Wow, wow, wow!! Were we impressed by the Glastonbury Apple Harvest and Music Festival. The Festival grounds (located in Riverfront Park) was enormous. There was a big midway with amusement rides and games, plenty of food trucks, three stages of live music, craft and clothing vendors, a petting zoo, a pub, ice cream stands, apple pies and fritters, and even a 5k Road Race for tomorrow. We had such a fun time, just strolling the grounds, checking out all the food options. We eventually settled on a plate of Tofu Pad Thai and dumplings from Siam. We also picked up a 6-piece order of Apple Fritters and split that between three apple and three pumpkin. I also had a nice visit to the at the Pan De Oro booth and learned they make salsa and tortilla chips right in Hartford! Who knew? We parked at the high school and took a shuttle bus to the gate. Admission was $5 per person. Sure beats the crowded Southington Apple Festival in our opinion.

'Twas a fun and fantabulous time. With the rain looming, the crowds piled into the streets early,…read moreprobably at its peak at 7pm. There was plenty of seating - if you also include the benches and fountain - and great vendors to choose from. I appreciated the diversity, and it was great to be reminded - by smell and taste! - of the variety Glastonbury has to offer. For $7, the ribs at J. Gilbert's was a solid choice. They practically fell off the bone, and the sauce was complementary without being overwhelming. Some other items were a little pricey for the portions, though. There were only two beers to choose from - Sam Summer and Ten Penny - and a few more wines. I'm kind of surprised they charged $1 for the ID band. They don't even do that in NYC! A quintessential local event. It was very fun and tasty. Great people watching, as well.

This flower farm is bursting with vibrant dahlias in shades of pink, orange, and plum, along with…read morecheerful sunflowers and colorful zinnias. You can pack a picnic and enjoy a peaceful evening surrounded by nature, with an incredible view of rolling hills. As the sun begins to set, the landscape covered in golden light, and if you walk to the top of the hill, you can catch a glimpse of Hartford twinkling in the distance. The combination of beautiful flowers and the tranquil atmosphere makes it the perfect spot to relax and unwind in one of their colorful adirondack chairs. The owners are friendly and helpful. Finally pricing is fair with two sizes- small and large mason jars. If you're looking for a unique and peaceful escape, this place is a must-visit. The views alone are worth the trip, but the added bonus of the flowers and the sunset make it truly magical.

The Lebanon Fair brings great selection of food vendors to enjoy as you walk around or sit & relax…read morewhile you watch the band perform, local dance performers or join in on the fun with rides & games. A true country fair with cattle showing competition, chickens of all breeds, bunnies, pigs, oh my gosh the goats! (So cute)! Cows and more cows! Demolishing derby was thrilling! Routing for our favorite driver. Many activities thru the weekend to keep us busy while supporting local. Arts & crafts by local artists are on display, judged and awarded ribbons. A nice selection of garden vegetables & quilts as well. Favorite food Lions lemonade, homemade pierogi with kielbasa & FFA milkshakes! Plenty of vendors to see without feeling pressured to purchase anything. Fireworks were fantastic, didn't expect such a great show! Looking forward to new season.

Who doesn't love a rural country fair? This fair is fun while still focusing on the community by…read morehaving many booths hosted by local organizations and clubs. It is always fun to see the animals in the barns, enjoy the different competitions, look at the submissions in the exhibition building, see the demolition derby and enjoy all of the fair food and interesting things to bring home. I also love that this fair is a Lions Club fair which means that the funds raised go back into the community.

We had hope to buy some maple products at the Hebron Maple Festival, but there was hardly anything…read moremaple! So we found this place- beautiful setting/home. The owner met us at the door and showed us to their "sales floor"- the 3rd bay of their garage. She had GREAT stories and information for us, as well as products. It was so great to buy local from a local with a great history! Thanks!

From the owner: We do BEE & TREES - Life is good as long as you keep it simple. Jim started working bees around…read more1960 and making maple syrup was done by his family in northern New Hampshire. Today, our bee yards are in the "last green valley" of Eastern CT, as are the tap lines and buckets for our syrup. Call ahead if you plan to visit.

When looking up fall activities to due with kids, Old Cider Mill popped up in multiple…read morerecommendations on social and on the web. Folks it isn't just another farm where you can snag a pumpkin. Old Cider Mill is one of the OLDEST operating cider mill in the U.S. Yes, in the entire U.S, opening operations in the 1870s. This cider mill is situated on a cute little farm called Riverview Farms. Its important to know that if you are looking for a large farm where you can all day "pick your own", corn mazes, and more, this place isn't it. But I found this place a cute destination that has a few things to do with my toddler for 1-2 hrs. When you pull in to the farm, the old building is literally the first thing you see from the road with gords, pumpkins, apples and more spread out to purchase. Very similar to an open layout farmers market. A lot of the fruits they have for purchase aren't grown by them but are locally grown from the Glastonbury area. The parking is up the side and in the back. There is plenty of parking. Parking is on a wide dirt road with pull in parking on the left and right. I had no issues getting in and leaving. They make FRESH apple fritters and of course apple cider. I got hot apple cider from the food truck they have but id recommend just buying their cold apple cider inside the barn (if you dont want it warm) and BYOC to drink it with the apple fritters from the truck. For me, I wish I did because my daughter did better with drink it from a sippy cup. Where you will spend the bulk of your time and which I thoroughly enjoyed was the petting zoo. The cost to get a cup of animal feed is only a $1 or $2. They also give you a feeding stick to put the feed on so your children do not need to put their hands near the animals mouths. You will NEED cash to do this activity since its so cheap. You can pay at the entrance of petting zoo. If you dont have cash, you can still get tickets/tokens (dont remember what it was) inside their general store found inside the old barn building in the front but you need to purchase other stuff (I think there was a card minimum). There was no ATMs. I planned to purchase homemade stuff inside the store anyways. The petting zoo has all your standard farm animals (chickens, roosters, sheep, goats and more). There is plenty of space inside to move around, so even if its busy, you wont have to wait to feed the animals. The general store is bigger than it looks from the outside as they have like half level room (kind of like a basement that you can go down into with old gift shop stuff). They have hand made crafts, nice decorative stuff, locally made dressings, jams, picked stuff, salsa, and of course, apple based products like donuts (made at another farm), apple cider and more. I'd go here again if I'm on the area as its an easy and cute place to bring your children for a quick 1-2 hrs if you don't want or can invest an entire day to a fall activity. Check out of your Connecticut historical destinations and visit Old Cider Mill.

The Old Cider Mill is one of those old historical places located in South Glastonbury"been there…read moreforever" which I actually was able to go to back in my grammar school days 50 years ago with my brownie troop to see the actual cider mill press in operation, making fresh apple cider. It's no longer in operation and now the apple cider is brought in from Riverview Farms and sold alongside the famous apple fritters which is not the same. Also there is huge displays of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes along with white pumpkins and gourds available and sold along with scare crows and corn stacks.They draw in a huge crowds on weekends and warned that in addition to the throngs of people clamoring for their Fall fix and Autumn photo opportunity. The traffic congestion goes along with the location. A lot of out of state cars of visitors that come on the weekends for the month of October. Don't be turned off as it's a great place to visit.

The greatest car show in the entire country! People come from across the country to see it. I…read morehighly recommend coming. It is held annual every August. It is an experience you will never forget!

Visited this market today while spending the weekend with my daughter who lives in the area. She…read moreand her husband are big fans and I can see why. It is a nice collection of farmers, craftspeople and prepared food.

This is the largest farmers market in Connecticut. It's very big and very popular. It's busy. It's…read moreopen on Sundays from June to October at the Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry. They have so many vendors, prepared foods, food trucks. There's a winter market at the high school.

Loved this orchard!! Visited on a super hot day, so will have to return when it's not scorching…read more Food from the little market/kitchen is so tasty, cannot wait to go back this summer!

A lovely farm with so much to offer. You'll likely leave with more than you expected--in the best…read moreway possible.