Road trip! Water, antiques and history in the New Haven, Conn., area

Old time charm meets newfangled recreation when you take a road trip near New Haven along the Long Island Sound in lower Connecticut.

Many folks think of Yale University when they think of New Haven, and rightly so – it takes up the western edge of town and is a fun tour (free, visit the site for more info). But there’s a lot more to this architecture-laden place that started as a colony in 1638: churches, art galleries, libraries and museums are tidily interspersed around well-manicured squares.

If it’s a nice day for a picnic, Lighthouse Point Park is suitable for swimming, and has a cool old carousel. Stony Creek is just southeast of Branford and a destination for those looking to take a cruise around TheThimbles, tiny islands with their own weird and unique histories. Just east of this is Hammonasset Beach State Park, two miles of soft, clean sand with amenities such as restrooms, showers and picnic areas.

Start driving east along Interstate 95 into the Lower Connecticut River Valley for a series of picturesque towns with plenty of antiques shopping and views out over the Sound. Towns such as Westbrook, Old Saybrook  and Old Lyme are charming, and the latter is famous as the onetime mecca for the American Impressionists such as Childe Hassam and William Chadwick. They met at the home of Florence Griswold, which is now a museum worth visiting. Old Saybrook is home to the impressive collection at Old Saybrook Antiques Center.

Also in this area: the popular Gillette Castle State Park, lined by mountains and possessing an actual, medieval-looking castle, with the Connecticut River running alongside. It takes you away from the Sound, but there are other interesting towns to explore along the way, as well, including Essex, Chester and East Haddam, all following along Highway 9 and Highway 82.

A couple of terrific places to eat along the way: Bill's Seafood Restaurant in Westbrook (548 Boston Post Road, 860-399-7224) fries the living daylights out of anything, but especially clams and calamari. Great place for kids, right on the water. Also the Griswold Inn in Essex (36 Main St., 860-767-1776), which was built in 1776 and takes its Colonial-ness very seriously, as well as (weirdly) its tapas, served in the wine bar (the regular food is just so-so). And, finally, check out the Bee and Thistle Inn in Old Lyme (100 Lyme St., 860-434-1667) for a romantic, upscale meal with strolling musicians on Fridays and Saturdays.

For a good night's sleep en route, some top campgrounds include Totoket Valley RV Park in North Branford; Riverdale Farm Campsites in Clinton; Little City Campground in Higganum; Wolf's Den Campground in East Haddam; Salem Farms Campground in Salem; and Aces High RV Park in East Lyme.

For more options, including several near Gillette Castle State Park, visit Go Camping America's Park Finder.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

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Tips for first-time RVers

So you're going to do it – you're going to drive a vehicle the size of your first apartment to some cool part of the country, maybe with kids in tow, and there's a chance you're a little bit nervous about that. And understandably so...RVs are large, a bit more complicated than your car and come with a lot of bells and whistles.

Here are a few handy hints that may help the first time out.

Rent the right RV for your trip type and group size Talk with the folks at the place where you’re renting about how many people you are taking, what you plan to do on the trip (such as whether you’ll be hauling bikes or other toys) and where you’re headed (for instance, will you be driving on a lot of narrow roads?).
Try to avoid the common pitfall of renting too large an RV for your needs. It’s fun to have space, but the truth is, you don’t spend as much time moving around in it as you think – when you’re driving, you’re sitting, and when you’re parked, you’re sleeping the majority of the time. Slide-outs are the big must-have if you can get them; they add space when you’re sitting still.

Know your dimensions at all times They’re usually posted somewhere so the driver can reference it, but if not, put it on a Post-it. But also be checking before every bridge, tunnel, gas station overhang to see if you will fit. It’s easy to get so used to driving that you forget.

Have someone spot you when you park Make sure they’re well out of the way and you can see them (being able to hear them is nice, too) and agree on hand signals ahead. RV parks are famous for friendly folks who are willing to help, as well.

Side mirrors rule Because you can’t see out the back (except when you use the rear-vision camera, if your vehicle has one), your side mirrors are indispensible. Check them daily to make sure they are where you need them to be. While you’re driving, not only will they show you where other traffic is positioned, but they will keep you in the lanes, because if you can see the painted lines, you’re good. The camera is nice to check periodically, too, by the way, to see if anyone is all up in your backside.

Speaking of your backside…It swings way out when you turn, requiring a bit of a pull forward first. It’s nice if you can practice that a couple of times before pulling out of the lot.

And the best advice I ever received: Don’t drive down any road, alley or parking lot where you don’t know that there’s a way out. A friend of mine once had to unhitch a Jeep and drive backward an entire mile in a 31-foot motorhome after accidentally going down what turned out to be an unmarked no-exit alley.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

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Discounts on overnight camping, RV rentals

If there’s anything better than camping, it’s saving money while doing it, and you can start today by printing out the e-coupon available here, good for 20 percent off overnight stays at the more than 3,300 campgrounds, resorts and private RV parks that make up the Go Camping America family.  Coupons valid for use, June 1 - June 25.  So 'Get Outdoors & Go Camping America...It's Easy!'

The discount is a great way to celebrate the month of June, which is National Great Outdoors Month. The coupon is good at participating campgrounds from June 1-25.

Not only that, Coleman.com , Camping World and El Monte RV will be offering discounts during the month, as well.  Plus, enter for your chance to win the Not Bummer Summer Go Camping America Video Contest sponsored by El Monte RV Rentals.  You could win a Grand-Prize camping getaway - a 7 day/6 night GoCampingAmerica.com Park Stay & 7 day El Monte RV Rental!   Visit: www.gocampingamerica.com/promotions

If you’re waffling on why camping instead of another kind of vacation in June, think about these reasons:

1.       Camping is a great way to bond with family and friends, because it requires teamwork, tolerance and patience.

2.      Car camping is almost always cheaper than staying in hotels, and RV trips come out cheaper or about even, depending on the type of trip, with their own rewards built in.

3.      You can take your own food, which means meals can be as healthy or not as you want, cooked the way you want, when you want.

4.      It allows you to have schedule and itinerary flexibility.

5.      You get more immediate access to the outdoors.

6.      High safety factor – kids are able to move around freely in a campground setting, meet other kids and play.

7.      There’s usually something for everyone; you can choose an area where the group can divide up and find the activities that interest them, often in the same campground or resort.

8.      Campgrounds, RV parks and resorts are famous for being friendly and helpful.

9.      There is a campground near pretty much every major attraction in the country.

10.   Camping itself is flexible – you can camp in a tent, a cabin, an RV, a yurt, for a night or two weeks.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.

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