Winter Getaway in West Haven, Connecticut
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This weekend, my boyfriend and I did a little staycation in West Haven, Connecticut. While we don’t live far, it’s not an area that we visit often because I don’t love driving south on I-95 (if you know, you know) and I’m not exactly a city person. When an Airbnb host reached out to me about a hosted stay at her beach cottage, I figured this would be a great way for me to do some exploring in the city while having a nice spot to mentally recharge close by.
Where We Stayed
We were hosted at a super cute cottage in West Haven, Connecticut that is walking distance from Prospect Beach. The cottage was super cozy and it had everything we needed! When I’m traveling in coastal towns, I love being close to the beach so I can basically roll out of bed in the morning and catch a sunrise with very little effort.
Check Availability: Cozy Seaside Cottage in West Haven, Connecticut
When I’m traveling, I prefer getting a rental like this instead of a hotel room because I really like to have space and privacy. Plus, rentals tend to feel a bit more like a home than just a place to sleep while on vacation.
My favorite feature in this house was the reading nook. I’m an avid reader and I love bringing my Kindle Fire with me to read during my downtime. The chair was honestly so comfortable, which is saying a lot coming from me. I usually have a hard time getting comfortable when I’m reading. I will probably get the same chair that they had in the Airbnb for the reading nook I’m planning to make at my house!
While I personally brought my own Kindle to read, this Airbnb actually had a bookshelf full of books to read! This is the first Airbnb I’ve come across that has a cozy reading nook equipped with books.
In addition to the cozy reading nook, there’s also living room with a sectional and two chairs. I personally didn’t spend much time in that space because I really just loved the reading nook so much.
This Airbnb featured three bedrooms, two full bathrooms and a half bathroom, a dining room, a living room, and even a patio. We didn’t use the patio unfortunately because it was just too cold, but I’m sure it’s great in the summer months. While we stayed as a couple in the winter, this Airbnb would be great for a family beach vacation rental due to being within walking distance to the beach and all of the space.
In true beach house fashion, there were coastal details throughout the house. In addition to the coastal touches, there were also a lot of plants throughout. It really just felt so homey.
We stayed in the master suite during our stay. It was spacious and it had a master bathroom, which was a bonus. I loved how light it was in this bedroom.
Below are the other two bedrooms that we didn’t stay in.
Our Stay
We spent three days in the New Haven area for this trip. While I live on the Connecticut shoreline only about an hour away, I really hadn’t spent much time truly exploring New Haven before this trip. I’m not a city person, so it’s not usually my first choice for places to go. By staying in West Haven, we were close enough to the city to go in for a bit to explore, while having the coastal cottage to recharge at.
Day 1
I arrived by myself on Friday while my boyfriend was at work. On my way up, I stopped at Lighthouse Point Park to get some snowy photos of the lighthouse. I’ve been here many times in the past, but this was my first time going to the park with snow on the ground. It was pretty cold, so I really didn’t stay out for too long.
After I left Lighthouse Point Park, I grabbed what we’ll call “brunch” at Cedarhurst Cafe. It was a cute spot in downtown New Haven that I happened to find while poking around on Google Maps. I dined in because I had the time.
Since it was super cold, I got myself a hot chocolate. I’m not even kidding when I say I couldn’t feel my fingers just from trying to get all of my information into the parking meter. It was well below freezing. I got a hot chocolate with a splash of vanilla, which is my go-to anywhere I go.
For food, I got a Belgian waffle with chocolate chips. Should I have gotten something with a little more protein? Maybe. But, it’s rare that I treat myself to a waffle when I go out. I usually go for an egg sandwich, but a waffle sounded like it would hit the spot.
After, I headed to the Airbnb. I had enough of driving around the city, especially because there was still some lingering snow that made driving pretty interesting in some areas. At the Airbnb, I snapped some photos and then sat back and relaxed in the reading nook with my Kindle. Then, I had to go back to my house and grab my boyfriend when he was done with work.
It might not make sense that I didn’t just wait for him, but I wanted to get the “work” part of the trip (photographing the Airbnb) out of the way without him so we could just enjoy the actual trip together. For lighting purposes and aesthetics, it also just made more sense to photograph it untouched earlier in the day and on the first day.
On the way back to West Haven, we stopped at BAR in New Haven to grab a pizza to take back to the Airbnb. It was a Friday night and we weren’t sure if there was going to be a long wait, so we figured it might just be easier to get takeout. I’m sure it’s better to dine in when getting pizza in New Haven, but honestly it was delicious even getting it to go.
Then, we spent the night in with pizza before heading to bed early. We spent a lot of time sitting in the reading nook chair because it fit us both. I think I managed to convince my boyfriend that we need the same chair. It was actually so comfortable that we both were falling asleep sitting in it. Or, maybe we were just tired.
Day 2
Day 2 started bright and early with a morning sunrise at the beach. Thankfully, I only had to wake up at 6:30am to be able to catch the 7:00am sunrise. I peeked out the window from the master suite and I was able to see the first glow over the water before the sun actually came up, so I knew it would be worth going out in the 6 degree Fahrenheit temperatures.
The Airbnb is only 450 feet from the water, but we decided to drive down to Bradley Point Park so we didn’t freeze before we got to the water. My boyfriend opted to stay in the car where it was warm while I braved the below freezing weather. I had ski pants I could have thrown on for extra insulation, but I stupidly left them in the car instead of pulling them on over my leggings. Very stupid mistake and my legs were freezing after 5 minutes. Don’t be like me.
I walked around the point and made it to the next parking lot down from where we parked. Since my legs were in pain, I called my boyfriend to come drive over to the parking lot I was at so I didn’t have to be out in the cold any longer than necessary. I am very glad he stayed in the car so I didn’t have to walk all the way back to the car.
Breakfast
Then we went back to the Airbnb to warm up and get dressed before heading to breakfast. I wanted to go to Prospect Beach House Deli and Market, which is up the road from the Airbnb, but unfortunately it seems to be temporality closed. Instead, we went to Water’s Edge Deli & Catering in Milford. It was still really close to the Airbnb, only a five minute drive. The breakfast sandwiches we got were delicious and the 4.8 star rating on Google Maps is definitely well-deserved.
After breakfast, we went back to the Airbnb to relax for a bit. I caught up on some emails in the cozy reading nook chair. Since it was really cold, we were waiting until 10am when things would start opening.
IT Adventure Ropes Course
First on our list of things to do was IT Adventure Ropes Course. I’ve driven by it so many times before, but I’d never actually been. It’s inside a Jordan’s Furniture store, of all places. When we got there, we weren’t exactly sure where to go. We went into the front entrance and it just looked like a regular furniture store. On the far back wall, you’ll find the entrance to the rope course.
IT Adventure Ropes Course is apparently the world’s largest indoor ropes course. I’d never done a ropes course before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m a bit afraid of heights, but I wanted to be able to check it off my list. Plus, it was way too cold to be doing anything outside, so this was something new to try indoors.
We didn’t buy tickets ahead of time, but it wasn’t an issue. The only annoying thing about not booking ahead of time was that we had to fill out a waiver on our phones before we could purchase the ticket. But, it wasn’t super busy since we went when they first opened so it was really quick. While it wasn’t a big deal not getting tickets ahead, I think getting tickets ahead would probably be easiest so your waiver and everything is all set.
We got tickets for two hours because we really weren’t sure how long it would take. We weren’t allowed to have our phones on us, so we ran them out to our car because we didn’t want to leave them in one of the cubbies. However, since we didn’t have our phones, it was hard to keep track of time while we were up there. I didn’t see any clocks as we were up in the rope course.
We only ended up being on the course for about an hour. Initially, I was terrified, but once I got the hang of things, I was totally fine. Once I got comfortable and realized I could truly trust the harness (after zip lining), I felt a lot more comfortable. I think my favorite part was zip lining. There was one zip line that went right over the water display on the ground level and the water actually hit me. I didn’t mind though because it was pretty hot in there.
Lunch
After the rope course, we popped back over to the Airbnb because I wanted to change into fresh clothes. I was dressed in a thick sherpa lined top that was way too much for the rope course. It was great for the cold weather outside, but not so much for a physical activity inside.
Once we changed, we headed to New Haven to check out Louis’ Lunch, which is the birthplace of the hamburger sandwich. I’d heard about this spot before, but I’d never been because I don’t frequent New Haven. And I’ll be honest, I’d never had any interest in having a burger before. I’ve always been a hot dog person. But, this spot definitely had me intrigued and I wanted to try this burger that is prepared the same way it always has been since 1895.
I ordered mine with cheese and onion and my boyfriend got his with cheese, tomato, and onion. Since I’ve never actually had a real burger before (only turkey burgers we’ve made at home), I didn’t have a baseline for what a burger should taste like. My boyfriend said for how simple it was, it was delicious. He said it was seasoned well and not dry. As someone who had never had a beef burger, all I knew was that it was delicious. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get a burger anywhere else now.
After we finished at Louis’ Lunch, we went to BAR across the street. While we had their pizza for takeout on the first night, we decided to go for drinks and we ended up getting a small pizza as well. The pizza is really thin, so we knew we’d be able to finish it. It was even better getting it fresh out of the oven while dining in.
Yale Art Gallery
After BAR, we walked over to Yale Art Gallery. Thankfully, it was a super short walk so we didn’t have to go and find more parking. Dealing with finding parking is one of my least favorite things about going into cities.
The building that the Yale Art Gallery is in is GORGEOUS. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I absolutely love historic buildings. Yale has gorgeous buildings at every turn, so it’s not shocking that the building that houses their art gallery is gorgeous. The building was actually what initially had me wanting to visit.
The museum is completely free to visit, which I think is great. It makes it so accessible. While I went for the building, I actually really enjoyed the art as well. We didn’t get to see everything since we only had an hour and a half before they closed.
My absolute favorite part of the museum was the section that had actual rooms from historic houses on display. I spend a lot of time touring and visiting historic homes in Connecticut and I never expected to see one, let alone two, inside an art museum. I completely geeked out.
The details in historic homes are so beautiful, so seeing the woodwork and designs on display in the Yale Art Gallery made me unbelievably happy. I was so excited that I grabbed the books with the information and I was reading them out loud to my boyfriend. I can only imagine what the other visitors thought.
While the literal historic house rooms were my favorite, the ancient art was definitely my second favorite. It’s so cool getting to see stuff that old in person. I also just really love history.
I was very upset that I didn’t make it up to the fourth floor where the photography was due to time. As a photographer, I really love looking at photography and seeing how different people’s perspectives are. It’s one of my favorite things about photography. I follow a lot of local photographers and it’s always so interesting to me to see how differently they capture places I know like the back of my hand. It’s so interesting seeing what catches someone’s eye.
Back To The Airbnb Before Dinner
We weren’t quite ready for dinner after the art gallery, so we decided to head back to the Airbnb to relax for a bit. I had noticed some coloring books and supplies on the bookshelf in the reading nook, so I decided to sit back and color. I don’t color often, but when I do, I get really into it.
I colored two different fashion coloring pages. I actually loved it so much, it made me want to get myself a coloring book. It brought me back to my days of coloring in my Barbie coloring books. I don’t do well with the super detailed geometric shape coloring books because they feel overwhelming. I was glad to see something of interest for me to color.
Dinner
For dinner, we decided to stay close to the Airbnb. While downtown New Haven wasn’t necessarily far, it was still about a 20-minute drive to get there and then we’d have to drive the 20 minutes back after. We ended up going to Dive Bar & Restaurant in West Haven. It was only about 5 minutes from the Airbnb, which was convenient.
Dive Bar & Restaurant definitely had a bar vibe, which makes sense since you had to be at least 21 to get in. It was casual, but it was far from an actual dive bar. The name comes from actual divers who dive in the ocean. There are great water views from the restaurant, but we didn’t get to enjoy them during our visit since it was nighttime.
On the menu, their specialities had a flag next to them. We both ordered something with a flag next to it. I got the mac and cheese and my boyfriend got a burger that was loaded with much more than the simple burger he had for lunch. He said his burger was good, but it wasn’t as good as the burger he had at Louis’ Lunch (although, I’m sure it’s hard for any burger to live up to the original hamburger).
My mac and cheese wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t horrible. It was cheesy and topped with Ritz crackers, but I wish it was seasoned a bit more. If I were to go again, I’d probably try something else.
Day 3
On our final morning at the Airbnb, we slept in and had a slow morning. After we packed up, we headed to Book Trader Cafe in New Haven to grab breakfast. Book Trader Cafe is an independent used bookstore and cafe that’s right by the Yale Art Gallery.
For breakfast, we both got egg sandwiches. I got a bacon, egg, and cheese and my boyfriend got a sausage, egg, and cheese. For a drink, I got a hot chocolate with a splash of vanilla and my boyfriend got a cappuccino. The food was awesome.
Back To The Yale Art Gallery
After breakfast, we headed back to the Yale Art Gallery since we were so close and didn’t get to see everything the day before. We headed right for the fourth floor where it said there was photography. I was pretty disappointed that there was only photography from one artist and I didn’t really enjoy the photos on display. However, I did really enjoy the other things on the fourth floor.
Then, we checked out the rest of the stuff we didn’t get to in the museum. We didn’t initially plan on going back to finish checking everything out, but I’m really glad we did because there was a lot of cool stuff we had missed. However, I still stand by my statement that the historic house rooms we saw on the initial visit were the coolest thing ever.
Yale University Libraries
I guess the theme for the day was books. Breakfast at a bookstore cafe and then we decided to check out the libraries on the Yale University campus. We started at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. We had walked by this a couple weeks ago after our visit to the Yale Peabody Museum, but we didn’t go in because I didn’t know we could. The building really stands out for its unique architecture that’s vastly different from the other Yale buildings around it.
When we stepped inside, I was absolutely blown away. I was in absolute awe of the giant collection of rare books in front of me. And not only were there so many cool books, but it was aesthetically pleasing as well. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the display of books in the center. There were also exhibits inside to check out.
After, we went to the Sterling Memorial Library. I’d photographed this building for the first time a couple weeks ago, but again, we didn’t go in because we didn’t know we could. That had been my first time ever stepping foot on the campus, so I didn’t really know what to do. This visit, I was more prepared.
Once I stepped inside, my jaw dropped. I knew it was going to be gorgeous inside, but it really exceeded the expectations I had. I’ll be honest, at every turn, I kept thinking to myself “I cannot believe people get to go to school here” because it’s really just that breathtaking. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
After the Sterling Memorial Library, we headed back home to southeastern Connecticut. We had considered getting pizza in Little Italy in New Haven at Sally’s or Modern, but we were all pizza-ed out. We’ll just have to make another trip to New Haven in the future.
Other Things To Do In The Area
We managed to do a lot this trip, but obviously we didn’t get to everything. Below are some other things I’ve done in the area in the past that are worth checking out.
The PEZ Visitor Center
This is pretty niche, but it’s a unique thing to do in Connecticut. It’s a museum at the PEZ factory that features hundreds of vintage PEZ candy dispensers and memorabilia exhibits. I personally love PEZ candy, so I really enjoyed my visit here. I left with a small bucket I filled with mixed PEZ candy of my choosing. This museum is in Orange, Connecticut and it’s only about 10 minutes from West Haven.
Learn more about visiting: PEZ Visitor Center
East Rock Park
East Rock Park is an awesome park to visit in New Haven and I really think it has a little something for everyone. When I visited, I hiked and did a large loop around the park that also took me to the top where the monument is. I was rewarded with so many great views on that hike. At the top, you get views of the city of New Haven and the harbor.
However, if you’re not looking to hike, you can drive to the top where the monument is seasonally. Another non-hiking activity in the park is the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop, which is is situated on the site of the Eli Whitney Armory, a significant part of early American industrial history. There’s also a replica covered bridge by the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop.
Yale Peabody Museum
The Peabody Museum is another great spot to check out on Yale’s campus. In the museum, you’ll find dinosaur fossils, artifacts, and even some live animals on the third floor. We went at the beginning of the year. My favorite thing was the ancient artifacts. Parking is very limited, but there are garages that you can park in if the lot is full. Their website has helpful parking information.
B&B Flower Farm
When I was on the search for the best ice cream spots in Connecticut, someone on TikTok recommended B&B Farms. This family owned and operated farm in West Haven serves up some seriously great ice cream in the warmer months. In addition to ice cream, they also have farm animals, produce, flowers, and a small shop with some very cute items inside like hand-painted items and wooden signs.
Wooster Square Park
Wooster Square Park is a must-visit if you’re in the area during the spring. The park is known for its cherry blossoms and it’s honestly so beautiful. I went for the first time last year and I loved walking through the park with all of the pink.
In addition to the cherry blossoms, the park is lined with stunning historic buildings. I highly recommend visiting the park in other seasons to see those if you’re interested in architecture and historic homes and buildings.
West Rock Ridge State Park
If you’re interested in hiking, West Rock Ridge State Park in New Haven is worth checking out. There are various great views along the six-mile-long ridge in the park. There are hikes for all skill levels in the park. You can check out the different trails on AllTrails.
Towns To Visit Nearby
If you’re doing an extended stay, I’d recommend exploring some of the surrounding towns if you have time! While there’s plenty to do in New Haven, it’s worth exploring the neighboring areas as well.
Milford, Connecticut
Milford, Connecticut is a great town to visit that’s right next door to West Haven. Milford is rich in history and there’s plenty to do whether you’re looking to spend time at the beach, go birding, or spend time in town shopping and dining. When I’m in Milford, I love birding at the Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center At Milford Point and grabbing ice cream at Walnut Beach Creamery.
Learn more about visiting: Things To Do In Milford, Connecticut
Stratford, Connecticut
A town over from Milford is Stratford, which is another coastal town that’s worth checking out. There are beaches, great dining options, and some unique things to do. If you’re into architecture, I’d highly recommend visiting Boothe Memorial Park. If you were to ask my boyfriend what to do in Stratford, he’d tell you to check out the Connecticut Air & Space Center, where you can get up close and personal with some pretty cool aircraft.
Learn more about visiting: Things To Do In Stratford, Connecticut
Guilford, Connecticut
Okay so this town isn’t right next door, but it’s under 30 minutes away. This town has so much historic charm and there are FIVE different historic museums that you can check out. In addition to that, there are some great restaurants and shops to check out in town. If you’re into hiking, North Guilford has a lot of wooded hiking areas and it’s a bit more rural than the southern coastal portion of town.
Learn more about visiting: Things To Do In Guilford, CT
