City: Chester, CT

Category: Getting Here, Getting Around

Telephone: (860) 443-3856

Address: 06412

Description: A wonderful way to reach Gillette Castle State Park, this ferry crosses the Connecticut River and connects the towns of Chester and Hadlyme at Route 148, where salt and fresh water meet. Ferry service along this passage began in 1769, and the ferry was used to transport goods during the Revolutionary War. Steam-powered barge service began in 1879, and the name was changed to Chester–Hadlyme in 1882 when it was operated by the town of Chester. The ferry slip on the east side, a small red barn, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can ride the Selden III Apr through Nov (closed Thanksgiving), Mon through Fri from 7 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., weekends from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fares are $3 per car and $1 for walk-ons and bicycles. There is a special commuter rate of $2, but prepurchased coupons are required. Discount books are also available for frequent users.

City: Chester, CT

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (860) 526-9417

Address: 23 Main St.

Description: This fairly new restaurant has already made waves in the Connecticut restaurant scene. With its orange and blue, Sol LeWitt design, the dining room, tavern bar, and outdoor cafe are stylish but welcoming, with views of either the open kitchen or Pattaconk Brook. Chef Jonathan Rapp keeps the menu short, allowing seasonal changes and daily specials to take the focus. They literally change the menu with the seasons, so it is impossible to predict what you’ll find. In the past, Stonington lobster crepes with leeks and lemon cream was a top choice. You might find handmade pasta dishes, spicy lamb sandwiches, or a parsnip soup. They offer a large selection of wines, with some interesting appellations and varietals. The River Tavern also participates in Dinners at the Farm programs with Barberry Hill and White Gate Farms. This focus on farm-fresh meals is growing throughout America, and we can hope it means a greater connection to the land for all of us.

City: Chester, CT

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (860) 526-5301

Address: 59 Main St.

Insider Pick:

Description: For 30 years this was the Restaurant du Village, consistently rated one of the best in the state. The current owners come from Nantucket, where they ran the exclusive American Seasons restaurant, and have continued and possibly improved it. As soon as the bread comes, you know you’re in for a treat. The menu is absolutely sinful, with crepes of rabbit confit and wild mushroom, truffle-dusted sweetbreads, braised Berkshire pork cheeks, fresh Wellfleet oysters—and these are just the appetizers. For dinner, the skate wings in wild ramp butter with braised pork belly and the oven-roasted quail with fig-almond bread stuffing are both unbelievable in their delicate flavors. In season, they have shad from the Connecticut River, and always have a great selection of wines. The cool tables in the courtyard are perfect for the summer, and if you choose to sit inside at the clean white tables by the French doors, you can stop regretting the missed trip to Paris.

City: Chester, CT

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (860) 526-5575

Address: 5 W. Main St.

Description: This shop above the old mill sluiceway in Chester is an artists’ co-op, which requires a juried process to join. You’ll find locally made handcrafted and painted pottery, jewelry, handbags, and more here, as well as a nice selection of fine paintings and prints. There is a changing gallery exhibit in the back. They share their building with Mystic Sisters antiques and the Belle Design Studio, both worth a look themselves. Next door is Helene Johnson’s sculpture gallery in an unusual 1913 building, and the rest of the town is simply swamped with studios and galleries of all sorts. If you’re here on a weekend in the summer, stop at the Chester Museum at the Mill run by the local historical society. Park on Main Street and walk around the corner.