[miwaniec]

Michigan Native, will be spending a month in Willimantic, CT, taking care of a 90 year old aunt who is recovering from hip surgery. I will be there from Nov 15.2009 to Dec 15, 2009. What is there to do for someone physically active, ie hiking, running, fitness centers? library? how about wireless service?, places to eat?

[RiceCake]

I'm new in the area, but these are some things I've enjoyed...

Food:
Nina's - Polish breakfast spot
Tony's Pizza - Best pizza in the world

Outdoors:
Check out Mansfield Hollow, walk the Lebanon Green, hike along the Natchaug River (State Forest). There are also a lot of conservation/preserve lands that aren't typically marked well, but provide tons of hiking opportunities.

[JayCT]

Check out the Airline Trail. Very pretty for walks/jogs/biking. Jay

Airline Rail Trail - about

[adamz]

Willimantic itself does not have too much going on, and it is a little run down in sections. Eastern Connecticut State University is located in Willimantic, and they have things going on:

Eastern Connecticut State University

UConn is about 6 miles north, and we have things going on:

University of Connecticut

Willimantic has a library that offers wireless access. I bet your Aunt has a library card, or you could speak to them about your situation, and I'm sure you could arrange to get a card.

Willimantic Public Library

Regarding dining, this part of the state is kind of sparse. I have heard good things about the polish restaurant (I think it's "Nita's", BTW). Willi Brew (the Willimantic Brewing Co.) was rated the best brew pub in CT by CT Magazine this year. I like that they do not rely on the standard Cisco Systems menu that most places seem to use, and their beers are tasty. I've also heard good things about 5 de Mayo, but never been there. If you have a car, we have one 4-star restaurant- the Stillwater Cafe- in Eastford, about 30 minutes away.

In terms of recreation, at this time of year hiking is going to be where it's at. There are a lot of trails around here. JayCT suggested the Airline trail, and there is supposed to be a limb of it that terminates in Willlimantic. I looked for it, but couldn't find it. The Nipmuck trail is the other extensive trail that traverses this area, and there are some really nice stretches for hiking. Here's a link to a detailed trail map

Nipmuck Trail Map

The town of Mansfield has a lot of parks, and they have trails, many of which intersect the Nipmuck

http://www.mansfieldct.org/town/depa...s/brochure.pdf

I don't know much about fitness centers, except that I found this:

fitness center willimantic CT - Google Search

Also, while Willimantic is pretty much the middle of nowhere, we are fairly close to the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun Casinos if you're into that, we're about an hour from New Haven, 40 minutes from Hartford, and 2.5 hrs. from NYC.

Hope that helps!

[RiceCake]

ooops. NITA'S... either way you say it... it is serious good.

[diane2]

The best place to eat/drink is the Willimantic Brewery on Main St. I think Willi opened it's first wireless cafe right across the street from the Brewery. There is a great Cuban bakery on Main Street, A few miles out of town is the Mansfield Damn for walking on pavemnet, and about 10 miles out in Hampton/Chaplin/ is the third largest state forest in CT, with marked hiking trails. Eastern CT State Univ is in Willi, and UConn is only 10 miles away , I'm pretty sure the bus runs to UConn from Willimantic. The campus has plenty of joggers, etc. The airline trail starts in Windham(Willimantic is part of wINDHAM) its a great place for hiking, bking, horses, it runs about 20 miles throught several towns, it follows old railroad tracks. If you have a car, there is a place in Hampton called the Edwin Teale sanctuary, the home of a deceased Pulitzer prize winner from NY, thye have quite a few outdoors activities, and so does the Goodwin Forest, like nightime hikes, owl watches, birding, etc. You should be able to find websites for the Airline Trail, the Willimantic brewerey. If you've never been here the towns, are very small, I live in Chaplin 2000, people, and Windham is small too. I'd bre happy to answer other questions.
DS