New Haven was once a thriving seaport, and the colonial merchants who amassed great fortunes endowed Yale University in 1714. Although the city as a whole has suffered economic decline, Yale's sprawling campus is still vibrant and architecturally stimulating.
We suggest you start your visit with a walking tour of the Green, the town square that's surrounded by historic buildings. Next, take a look around the campus and make time to visit the university's superior array of museums. The University Art Gallery a must-see because of its enormous and wide-ranging collection. The Mellon Center for British Art is impressive, and the Collection of Musical Instruments has a strong collection of string and keyboard instruments. You might also consider visiting Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History, an excellent museum with a variety of exhibits, including detailed dioramas, a reconstructed dinosaur skeleton and the huge murals, The Age of Reptiles and The Age of Mammals. The university's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, clad in translucent marble panels, displays rare and beautiful books, including a Guttenberg Bible.
While in New Haven, be sure to see one of the area's many theatrical performances. For many years, the city was one of the towns where producers tested and retooled plays before they hit Broadway (Joseph Heller even wrote a Vietnam-era antiwar play called We Bombed in New Haven). The pre-Broadway development of plays no longer plays a role, but New Haven still offers playgoers an abundance of choices. Area theaters include the Yale Repertory Theatre and the Long Wharf Theater (both in New Haven) and the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, which specializes in musicals, both new and revivals.
New Haven has two parks worth a visit: Lighthouse Point Park, a recreation area and nature preserve, and West Rock Ridge State Park, a high promontory of purplish-red basalt north of the city. (You can also make a nice day trip to Madison, home to Hammonasset Beach, the state's largest beach park.) If you have a full day, drive to Stony Creek, south of Interstate 95, and take a cruise around the Thimble Islands, the small islands off the coast that were once the domain of Captain Kidd.
When you're hungry, go for some pizza—New Haven's pies are said to be some of the best in the country. Try Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana or Sally's. Or order a hamburger: New Haven stakes a claim to being the birthplace of the all-American classic.
If you're a history or film buff, you may want to inquire whether the schooner Amistad is in port. New Haven is the home port of the historic slave ship that was the subject of a Steven Spielberg film. The Amistad travels much of the year, but when you find her in town, which is most likely during the summer, you can take a tour or go for a sail. New Haven is 40 mi/65 km southwest of Hartford.
