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.