[JayCT]

I think it would be wise to start out in Middletown. There are a lot of rental there particularly in the West Lake Drive area. This area is right off I-91 in the Westfield section of the city and is VERY convenient to Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury and Fairfield County. I use to live there and easy access to just about everywhere was the reason.

East Haddam is VERY scenic. It is rolling wooded hills and sweeping vistas of the Connecticut River. The center of East Haddam is located on a bluff overlooking the river and is the location of the historic Goodspeed Opera House. Very charming. Also in East Haddam is Gillette's Castle (now a State Park) with its beautiful old stone "castle" overlooking the river. It was built by William Gillette a famous New York actor who was known for playing Sherlock Holmes on Broadway. There are beuatiful grounds to walk around and a miniture train that you can ride.

I am not sure why you characterize Connecticut beaches as "disgusting" and "unenterable". Our beaches are used by a LOT of people every day and I doubt they would be using them if they were that bad. Because most of our coast is along Long Island Sound, the water is not a pristine as the open ocean is, but it is not disgusting or unenterable. I should note that the beaches east of New Haven tend to have better water conditions than to the west because the shoreline is less developed but the beaches are still pretty good. Tow really nice State beaches are Hammonasett State Park in Madison and Rocky Neck in East Lyme.

As for boating, there are hundreds of places along the shore to go. There are many marinas and ferries in the area that offer things to do. It is particularly nice to catch a ferry to one of the islands (Block Island or Long Island) and spend a day walking around there. As for Whale Watching, there might be boats out of New London that specifically do this. I am not sure. The real popular ones are from Woods hole on the Cape. Jay

[dnbnv]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I am not sure why you characterize Connecticut beaches as "disgusting" and "unenterable". Our beaches are used by a LOT of people every day and I doubt they would be using them if they were that bad. Because most of our coast is along Long Island Sound, the water is not a pristine as the open ocean is, but it is not disgusting or unenterable. I should note that the beaches east of New Haven tend to have better water conditions than to the west because the shoreline is less developed but the beaches are still pretty good. Tow really nice State beaches are Hammonasett State Park in Madison and Rocky Neck in East Lyme. Jay

Sorry for the negative characterization of CT beaches; I did not mean to sound offensive. I have just heard (when we were vacationing there a year ago from a local) that CT beaches were few and far between and that even if there were many, you wouldn't want to get into the water. I guess because it isn't open ocean and with the LI Sound boat traffic. I think I've seen posts on here too regarding this. Again, I apologize if I came across offensive...didn't mean to.

Otherwise, my main focus is trying to find the best place in the vicinity to raise my kids. We want to make the move to CT to be near the ocean...so that is why I ask about the beaches. We have also considered NH, MA, NY and NJ in our 'future' home search. Due to our search criteria, CT in many ways matched what we were looking for...now we are trying to find the ideal town/community. We are not ones to move multiple times and really don't look forward to the physical move and hope to not do it again...therefore, we want to find the ideal place to reset our roots for good!!

I should add that we have spent our last 3 vacations on the East Coast and we LOVE it. There seems to be a lot of pride in the history, culture, land etc. by the residents.

[skytrekker]

dnbnv

As Jay has said- and myself- I think you will enjoy Connecticut immensely-
Most of CT shoreline is on LI Sound- near New London and east; Block Island sound and the Atlantic- rest assured you will be happy here.

[JayCT]

One of the nice things about Connecticut is that if you buy a home in one of the shoreline communities, they usually have a beach for just town residents. That can be nice in the summer when there are a lot of people heading for the beach and parking is at a premium at State beaches. Many towns have private beach associations you can join as well. And the beaches tend to be less crowded than other states. Jay

[POAlover]

If you are going to be working in Middletown, I'd stay west of the CT. River.
East Haddam is nice, but quite expansive and rural. If you're way on the east side of East Haddam it could be a long commute on the back roads and worse yet, if you hit the summer time traffic (which include boats) you can be waiting for a long time for the swing bridge to open and close by the Goodspeed Opera House.

I'd look for something in Haddam/Killingworth.

[dnbnv]

POAlover - thank you for the information! I didn't think to ask what type of bridge crossed the river...that will make a difference if we are commuting.

I checked out Killingworth and like what I see so far. If you have any similar recommendations...let me know.

Thank you everyone again for all you assistance and information. I hope to receive more recommendations and first hand experiences.

If anyone has additional information about the schools in these areas (besides what I can find online) I'd like to hear about that too. This is a very important issue for us.

[wavehunter007]

dnbnv,

Just a few points from a avid beachcomber on the East Coast -

First, as others have noted above (skytrekker, Seaver41) the beaches of Connecticut may be small, but I don't know where you would get the idea the are dirty or unswimable. In fact, Long Island Sound east of New Haven (toward the open sea) is much cleaner than other estuarys like Delaware Bay or the Cheasapeak Bay.

Also, being from the mid-West, I'am sure you have not been to many beaches (lol), but if you looking for the typical crashing surf of an open ocean beach in Connecticut - you'll have to go to Rhode Island. This is no big deal, ten's of thousands of CT people do each year. The beachs along the Rhode Island coast are among the best on the East Coast - clear, crashing surf, and no cities to pollute them. If you like to swim in the ocean I would not go north of Rhode Island, the waters off Mass and New Hampshire are very cold (brrrrr).

Also, if your considering southeast Connecticut and are a mid-West snow fan you will be dissapointed big time, snowfall is light, and melts quick.

No more feet of mid-West snow.

Good Luck.

[twiggy]

Wow, CT sounds great. I was eves dropping and I might want to reconsider my move from MA to CT. Thanks

[jeremeyk482]

Originally Posted by JayCT

One of the nice things about Connecticut is that if you buy a home in one of the shoreline communities, they usually have a beach for just town residents. That can be nice in the summer when there are a lot of people heading for the beach and parking is at a premium at State beaches. Many towns have private beach associations you can join as well. And the beaches tend to be less crowded than other states. Jay

Jay-

A few years ago the supreme court ruled that it was unconstitutional for communities to restrict access to their beaches (the Greenwich beach battle). Since then, out of towners usually have to pay a fee but are still allowed in.

[JayCT]

That is true to a point. They can not restrict access but that does not apply to parking. Also, fees for out-of-towners is usually so high that it is not worth it. Jay