1. The Inn Keeper’S Place
City: Stafford, CT
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (860) 458-9047
Address: 111 Stafford St.
Description: This 18th-century house is part 1732 saltbox and part 1778 Federal brick style, and is a great place to spend a night. Once it was a tavern and meetinghouse, and you can see the history in the wide plank floors, hand-carved molding, and barreled ceilings. There are 2 guest rooms and a larger suite to stay in. Next door is a 200-acre wildlife refuge that you can walk into from the backyard. In the morning, Angelina Fleury will make you a hearty country breakfast with gourmet butters and breads, cinnamon French toast, eggs Benedict, or Finnish pancakes. In the winter, expect hot mulled cider and gourmet cocoa to relax with in the evening or to get you ready for a day exploring northeastern Connecticut.
2. Willimantic River
City: Stafford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: This is the most ignored of the great trout streams in Connecticut, and if you’re willing and able to put in a little work, it will be the most rewarding. The Trout Management Area in West Willington does get a lot of action, but upstream from that all the way to Stafford Springs, this river has fine water and great, fat trout. That section is easily accessed from the side of Route 32. However, if you go south from West Willington toward Mansfield Depot, you’ll find even more ignored water. The only explanation for this is that small amounts of walking are needed to access good areas (which may change with the proposed Willimantic Greenway). Some people drive across a bridge, peer at overhanging banks and deep-looking water, and give up. Don’t make that mistake; there are great, easy-flowing areas to fish here.