2022 VISION: OUTDOOR ADVENTURES IN CONNECTICUT

This past fall, things started to feel pretty close to normal around here. We were going to hockey games (with the comfort of knowing all guests were vaccinated), seeing friends, and even got to have a family party for June’s first birthday. So when Omicron came just in time to wreck everyone’s holiday fun, I was devastated. After a few days sulking and some R&R/hibernation over holiday break, it hit me. I cannot control what COVID will do in 2022. And no, this might not be the year that things go back to “normal.”

Sean and I are committed to doing what we can to stay healthy, but the idea of another winter trapped indoors was hard to swallow. And then it hit me: I am a born and bread New Englander. I’ve witnessed snowfall in May, stuffed warmers in my boots to go skiing in 10-degree weather, and put on my favorite Sorel’s over my going out clothes to attend parties in slushy Manhattan. To quote Frozen — “Cold never bothered me anyway.”

So this year, I am going to bundle up myself (and June) for a safe, outdoor adventure every week. So far, we’ve gone shopping at the outdoor Shakespeare Market and visited the animals at Sherwood Farm. It feels good to have something to look forward to and to get dressed for each week, and it’s an opportunity to see more places around the state. Here’s what’s on my bucket list, in no particular order:

• Gillette Castle

• Mystic Seaport

• Allegra Farm Horse & Carriage sleigh ride

• Beardsley Zoo

• Westport PAL Ice Rink

• Maple syrup farms

• Yale campus

• Comstock covered bridge

• Kent falls

• Hogan’s Cider Mill

• 
Chatfield Hollow State Park

I’ll be documenting my adventures on Instagram (and sometimes here), so be sure to pop over there to follow along. If you have any suggestions for my bucket list, please leave them below! Happy New Year!

xo, Annie