CT Open House Day 2015: A Food and Drink Guide to Free Events and Tastings

We’re very excited to share some fun news with all our awesome readers: we’ve been invited by the Connecticut Office of Tourism to share all things food and drink around the Nutmeg State as official CT Correspondents for their Visit Connecticut program. And to kick it off, we have the deets on their much anticipated yearly CT Open House Day experience. Here’s how it works:

On June 13, you, your friends, and/or your family can check out an amazing variety of participating places throughout the state at no cost at all. Of course, we’re just featuring the participating food and drink places below, but this Open House event includes businesses throughout the state from museums like The Aldrich and Stepping Stones, to interactive parks like Dinosaur State Park, to historic homesteads like Nathan Hale Homestead, so no matter what your thing is, you’re sure to find it as part of this awesome event. You can check out their website for more info too!

Up first, we have have a scenic four stop trip for you to take:

• Stop #1 Bishop’s Orchards – Visit the fresh farm market, winery and bakery and delight in the start of the Pick Your Own season by stopping by the strawberry fields.
  • Open House Day Offering: Open from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., offering complimentary Bishop’s Orchards’ apple cider donuts and Bishop’s balloons for children.
  • Address for your GPS: 1355 Boston Post Road, Guilford, CT 06437

• Stop #2 Fascia’s Chocolates is family owned and operated by the originating members and continuing generation of the Fascia Family. They make all products in-house and in small batches to ensure the highest quality and freshness possible.
  • Open House Day Offering: Free tours every hour from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tours include behind-the-scenes look at the factory and background on their history.
  • Address for your GPS: 44 Chase River Rd, Waterbury, CT 06704
  • Distance from stop #1: 55 minutes

• Stop #3: Jerram Winery currently offers 11 wines, including several award winners. Their vineyards grow many varieties of grapes including Marechal Foch, Seyval Blanc and Vignoles.
  • Open House Day Offering: Open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., offering the first 25 visitors a free wine tasting.
  • Address for your GPS: 535 Town Hill Road (Rte 219), New Hartford, CT 06057
  • Distance from stop #2: 30 minutes

• Stop #4: Sunset Meadows Vineyard is a family owned and operated vineyard located in the Litchfield Hills. Their vineyards overlook the picturesque sunsets and extravagant scenery of the beautiful Western Connecticut Highlands.
  • Open House Day Offering: Open 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., offering complimentary tours and visitors can receive 15% off case prices.
  • Address for your GPS: 599 Old Middle Street, Route 63, Goshen, CT 06756
  • Distance from stop #3: 30 minutes

In addition, there are some other great food and drink related spots to check out:

• Westford Hill Distillers
  • Open House Day Offering: Free guided tours to this distillery, which is not generally open to the public, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Also, visitors get to watch distilling demonstrations. State law prohibits sales and tastings from distillers.
  • Address for your GPS: 196 Chatey Rd., Ashford, CT

• Goshen Farmer’s Market @ Miranda Vineyard
  • Open House Day Offering: Open from 10 a.m. until 1p.m., offering visitors a free cup of coffee and free samplings of products, including goat milk soaps.
  • Address for your GPS: 42 Ives St., Goshen, CT

• Cork & Brew
  • Open House Day Offering: From 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., enjoy complimentary wine tasting and leave with a Cork & Brew wine glass.
  • Address for your GPS: 35 North Main St., Southington, CT

• Taylor Brooke Winery
  • Open House Day Offering: Open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., visitors enjoy free guided tours of the vineyard throughout the day and Connecticut specialty food tastings.
  • Address for your GPS: 848 Rte. 171, Woodstock, CT

• Sweet Emotions Candy
  • Open House Day Offering: Open from 11 a.m. until 12 a.m.., offering complimentary kettle corn samples, and name the town in Connecticut where PEZ candies are manufactured and receive 10 percent off your store purchase.
  • Address for your GPS:  Storrs Center, 9 Dog Lane, Suite 106B, Storrs, CT