1. Thomas Hooker Brewery
City: Bloomfield, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (860) 242-3111
Address: 16 Tobey Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: Named for the ministerial founder of the Connecticut Colony, Thomas Hooker brews beer that is distributed throughout the Northeast, and you’ll probably find it at the pubs and restaurants you visit here. However, why not head to Bloomfield to see where it is made? Every Sat from noon to 5 p.m. you can visit the brewery for tastings, and every other Fri they have open houses from 5 to 8 p.m. (more like parties than open houses). The beers range up and down the scale, from American Pale Ale to Liberator Doppelbock. The Imperial Porter is dark, sweet, and lovely, while the Munich Style Lager is refreshing and malty. Talk to them about the brilliant Connecticut Beer Trail (http://ctbeertrail.net), and pick up a growler full of Irish Red on your way out. You’ll be the hero of the next party.
2. Wintonbury Hills
City: Bloomfield, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (860) 242-1401
Address: 206 Terry Plains Rd.
Description: Golf Week magazine called this the best municipal golf course in New England, and once you play it, you’ll probably agree. Set above the Tunxis reservoir, the course was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 2005 with a 6,711-yard, par 70 layout, with 4 sets of tees. There are 125 bunkers framing this course, with some holes open and some surrounded by trees. The greens use bent grass. The challenging hole 9 is set among bunkers like a patch of uneaten grass amid a beautifully manicured rabbit warren. There’s a driving range, a putting green, and chipping areas to brush up your skills. The Tap Inn restaurant at the clubhouse is a great place to get a burger after a tough morning on the links, and the pro shop offers all the apparel and equipment you’ll need.
3. Contours Spa & Wellness
City: Bloomfield, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (860) 243-0340
Address: 2 Bestor Ln.
Description: This salon and spa combination north of Hartford has a full menu of options for pampering. One thing that distinguishes the spa is its huge selection of facials, including the Rose Quartz and the Liftosome. The massage menu has all the greats, and the body treatments will make you feel like you have shed your skin and are born anew. Try the Chinese herbology treatment, which involves exfoliation, a coating of alpha hydroxy oil and herbs, and a blanket wrap to promote deep penetration, leaving your skin soft, repaired, and well nourished. For those of you who want to learn the trade, Contours also runs a school for cosmetology.