1. Winvian
City: Morris, CT
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (860) 567-9600
Address: 155 Alain White Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: The main house of Winvian is a 1776 white clapboard that looks like others you can find throughout the state (though we shouldn’t be so blasé about that fact). However, there are other lodging choices, like the Beaver Lodge cottage down by the pond, a tree-house cottage 35 feet in the air, and one called Secret Society, which is a mystery you’ll have to discover for yourself. There are 17 cottages total, and you’ll probably want to stay a night in each one. However, at these prices, that is unlikely. This is a resort steeped in opulence, but a simple, New England style of opulence that is comfortable rather than showy, with a stone hearth rather than a gilded fireplace. Don’t miss their spa, which offers a full range of massages and skin treatments. If you want to be treated like Connecticut royalty, Winvian will make you the king or queen.
2. Winvian
City: Morris, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (860) 567-9600
Address: 155 Alain White Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: Winvian’s chef, Chris Eddy, worked with world class chefs Alain Ducasse and Daniel Boulud, and you will find his New American fare right at the top of the food chain, so to speak. The menu is prix fixe, with little appetizers and in-between course tidbits that whet the appetite. The carte du jour changes here, but some of the wonders include parsnip soup, scallops in sunchoke puree, Long Island duck breast, and roast halibut. Though you will pay handsomely for the wonders that come to your plate, because the meal is prix fixe, you won’t pay as much as you might otherwise. Everyone who has been there agrees that Winvian is everything it is cracked up to be.
3. Bantam Lake
City: Morris, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 06763
Description: The largest natural lake in Connecticut (though much smaller than the dammed ones), Bantam Lake has been a popular fishing and boating destination since the Pootatuck tribe summered here centuries ago. The culture is mostly motorboating, and to launch, drive on Route 202 west from Litchfield, take a left on Alain White Road, then a right on East Shore Road, and just before the bend you’ll see the entrance to Sandy Beach. If you like freshwater fishing, this lake has northern pike and largemouth bass, as well as the more common perch. The northern end of the lake is a protected area, full of rare birds, part of the White Memorial Foundation. In the winter Bantam Lake is one of the prime ice-fishing and ice-boating spots in the state, and since 1958 has been home to the Bantam Lake Ski Club (www.bantamskiclub.com), who you might see practicing their amazing tricks on the water.