Have I told you lately that I enjoy the Connecticut coast?
It snowed on Saturday night. We didn’t let that stop us on Sunday. Sunday’s weather was perfect for a ride in the car to see what was going on down in Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Clinton, Madison Center, and Guilford Center. I really wanted to see what Branford Center looked like, but we were getting a little ahead of ourselves. We’ll have to visit that another day.
It’s so strange to see a totally different culture from what we’re used to around our house. I mean, it’s not totally different, but people along the coast seem to enjoy boating and golfing a bit more than we do. Also, if the number of restaurants is any indication, they enjoy eating too.
I’ll give you the 2 minute rundown of what I witnessed on our drive through these areas:
– Old Saybrook has a nice coast line. Too many people in that town for my taste. Utterly beautiful though.
– Westbrook has a few huge marinas, so if you are into boating, that’s your place to be. They also have the Water’s Edge Resort & Spa which looks very nice.
– Clinton was pretty cool. They had a huge nursery called Clinton Nurseries that appeared to hold a massive amount of compost behind a fence. When I say massive, I mean massive. The main street was tight and historic looking. Good for getting out of the car and walking around.
– Madison looked like it was the most wealthy of the towns we visited. There was some sort of a Santa gathering on Main Street and perhaps a parade. There were all sorts of people around who appeared to really love their town. If I were to live there, I would probably love it too. It’s really nice.
– Guilford Center was nice as well, but smaller than the rest. It’s a great looking town with a fairly large green. I bet I would like that during the summer.
Once we hit Guilford, we turned around to head back. As we were driving, my lady indicated that she would be interested in visiting a beach. Since I have always wanted to walk on a beach during winter, I thought it was a great idea.
The first beach type area we came across was Madison Beach. It was a lovely area was located right past Madison Country Club. We hung out for a while and took some pictures which I will post below. The funny thing about this beach was the wind. On shore, there was a bit of it, but not really all that much. When we walked out on a rocky area that jutted out about 100 feet into the water, we could hardly stand there because the wind was so strong. Strange. I’ll tell you, when it’s 37 degrees, the wind cuts right through you.
After that, we stopped off at Hammonasset Beach State Park. This was a gorgeous park. I didn’t even know that Connecticut had beaches like this. The park is huge and it even offers camping. I could totally see us walking up and down this beach for our daily exercise. Great sand, great water, and interesting features. I’ll post the pictures below.
After that, we stopped off at a diner in Old Saybrook and headed back. It was getting dark, so I figured our day out on the Connecticut shore was just about over. Enjoy the photos.
Hammonasset Beach State Park
Madison Center
Nice post. I like all the pictures. I’ve never been to Madison or Madison Center for that matter, but I have heard the Connecticut shore is beautiful. I live just south of the Berkshires in Salisbury, so I’m not too familiar with the southern part of the state. I do have a few questions for you, if you don’t mind.
Is the Madison area wealthy? I may want to visit and I’d like to know what I’m in store for. Do you think it’s worth visiting? Also, what’s Madison, Connecticut known for? Friends have whispered to me that it’s nice around there, but really, I have no idea. Finally, are there any hotels in Madison? If I do visit, I’ll likely stay in one nearby. Perhaps they’ll even allow my dog to stay as well. Thank you.
Hi Sarah – Thanks for the comment! I’m glad you’ve shown interest in Madison because it’s a great place. It really is. If you like small villages and sandy (as well as rocky) beaches, you’ll have a very good time in the area. There’s a lot to do for people like me, and possibly you. By the way – great questions. I’ll do my best to answer them.
First, yes, I would say that Madison, Connecticut is fairly wealthy. While you may already know that Fairfield County to the west has the most money because of its proximity to New York City, New Haven County isn’t far behind. Basically, any town or village that’s on the coast of Connecticut is going to have some money (Stonington, Old Lyme, Branford). From what I’ve seen, the towns are very well kept and the people truly do care about the areas in which they live. Also, there are many older folks in these locations, so I’m thinking it’s important for them that the towns maintain some sort of quality level and ambiance. More specifically, the per capita income in Madison is around $52,000, the median household income is around $107,000, and the median family income is around $138,000. While not a fantastic amount of money per household, it’s not bad either.
Is Madison worth visiting? I would say yes just for Hammonasset Beach State Park. I truly love that park. There’s something about it that’s moving, for lack of a better word. I’ve always loved the Long Island Sound though, so I may be partial to it. Watch some videos of the park if you can. The village of Madison Center is just as nice, as are the surrounding villages and towns. The whole area is quite relaxing.
If I had to say, I think Madison Center is best known for its location on the shore. Also, as I said above, the village is special and if someone with children wanted to move to the area, the schools are very good. And I mentioned the library (E.C. Scranton Memorial Library) in the post above. That was incredible. It may be the largest building of all. It’s the quintessential Connecticut village.
As for hotels, there are a few in the proximity of Madison. There’s the Madison Beach Hotel, which is right on the water and near the Madison Country Club, the Water’s Edge Resort & Spa, which is located a few miles away in Westbrook, as well as a few smaller inns and bed and breakfasts in the surrounding towns. These are the two largest though, I believe. You may actually like the Saybrook Point Resort & Marina in Old Saybrook to the east. You can also check out hotels in Essex and East Haddam (Boardman House). Both very interesting areas.