New Release From Globe Pequot Offers—

Where To Look For Family Fun In Connecticut

By Shannon Hicks

It’s that time of season. These are the days during summer vacation when parents start to really dread hearing those two terrible words: “I’m bored.”

By mid to late summer vacation, the ease of entertaining kids with a visit to the town pool (not that this summer has even been conducive for many of those trips…) or a trip to the local ice cream shop is once again history. While both of these diversions continue to feel like summer events, now it’s time to be a little more creative.

Parents need to put on their thinking caps and find ways to not only avoid hearing that dreaded two-word phrase find its way past the lips of their cherished young offspring, but to give kids — and themselves — something to look forward to, then enjoy, and then look back on with fond memories. It’s time to get out the spices and shake up these dog days of summer we are heading into.

Fortunately, The Globe Pequot Press, a book publisher and distributor based in Guilford, has come up with a handy answer in its 356-page softcover release, Fun With The Family™ in Connecticut. Connecticut native Doe Boyle suggests family trips throughout The Nutmeg State that run the gamut from boat, train, and trolley rides to amusement parks, carousel rides, museums, and historic sites. Ms Boyle is also the author of Guide to the Connecticut Shore, another Globe Pequot publication.

More than 400 attractions and events, most of which were recently visited by the author and her family and/or friends, are included in the new book. The social phenomenon that is the day trip, the author explains, is an outing comprised of one or two adults who “headily depart for an outing with an assemblage of children, a map, a travel guide, maybe a camera, a jugful of lemonade, a six-pack of sandwiches, and an abundance of high expectations for fun.” While the book’s title says family, the book’s offerings can be just as effective for a few adult friends and a small gaggle of children.

Fun With The Family is definitely a book for the parents who are doing the planning, and not the already-bored kids. Readers are going to find all the pertinent information they need without the glossy color photos that cover the majority of most locations’ tourism brochures. This is a good reference source, not necessarily an airy summer read.

Author Boyle encourages parents to be creative. In the preface, she tells readers to “…urge each other toward new experiences. Challenge yourselves to explore what you have not yet discovered. Learn more about a topic you have never been taught. Open your eyes to sights you have never before paused to consider. Most importantly, use this guide to nurture the curiosity, the playfulness, and the imagination of every member of your family.”

Fun With The Family is actually an ongoing series Globe Pequot has been developing for a few years. The July 2000 release of the Connecticut guide is the third edition for the state; the series works on a two-year revision cycle so that readers have the most up-to-date information available. Regardless of that cycle, it is still a good idea to double-check any plans with a quick call to any destination.

Among the newest features to the series this year are additional restaurant and lodging listings for each town; suggested age ranges for each attraction; the addition of icons for quick reference to attractions; and an appendix that contains a fairly comprehensive list of annual events. Fun With The Family is also published for northern California, southern California, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah and Virginia.

Fun With The Family in Connecticut is arranged by county, and then each chapter is broken down by town, moving west to east. Not only does each chapter open with a page or so of information concerning each county about to be covered, but each town also receives an introduction. Chapters also open with lists offering Top Picks for Fun, with ten or so selections per list.

The book is an easy read. It’s meant to be read quickly, so that parents can be inspired to pick up the phone, make a few plans, and hit the road with the family.

Whether you are a longtime resident or new to the area, Fun With The Family in Connecticut is a terrific resource. By thumbing through it from time to time for ideas or looking for something specific to plan a day around, the book is a life saver for parents.