1. Goodwin College
City: East Hartford, CT
Category: Education
Telephone: (860) 528-4111
Address: 1 Riverside Dr.
Description: With recently renovated facilities next to the Connecticut River in East Hartford, Goodwin College enrolls about 2,800 students, both recent high school graduates and adult learners, with enrollment rising sharply since 1994. The nursing program is the second largest in Connecticut. Goodwin’s system of three semester per year is popular with working adults, and their 2+2 degree system allows students working toward a bachelor’s degree to also earn an associate’s degree in their first two years. Bachelor’s degrees are awarded in child study, health science, organizational study, and nursing. There are 13 associate’s degree programs and 16 certificate programs.
2. Capa Di Roma
City: East Hartford, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (860) 282-0298
Address: 358 Burnside Ave.
Description: Since 1982 the Capaccios have been serving Italian food at this family restaurant, but they made their reputation with some of the best pizza in Hartford County. Sure, you can try one of their Italian dishes here, and the homemade red sauce gets rave reviews, but the hand-tossed, brick-oven pizzas are fabulous. They put cornmeal on the bottom when they bake them so they don’t stick, and it adds something indefinable to this already great pizza. If you have a large party, get the 30-inch size (yes, you read that right), which has 40 pieces. Grab some of their sauce to take home; it’s also available at many local grocery stores.
3. Cabela’S Sporting Goods
City: East Hartford, CT
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (860) 290-6200
Address: 475 E. Hartford Blvd. North
Description: Sure, Cabela’s is a chain store, but it is a destination for any outdoorsman or woman in the state. Kids (including 60-year-old ones) love the animal dioramas throughout the store, the trout in tanks, and the nearly carnival atmosphere that pervades it. You can find everything and anything you are looking for to camp, boat, fish, hunt, hike, climb, and live outdoors. One note, GPS navigation to this place (hidden in an office park) is way off, and you won’t see a sign until you get close. Get off at the Silver Lane exit at Pratt and Whitney and head in on Airport Avenue, bearing left onto E. Hartford Boulevard North. Something so large shouldn’t be so hard to find, but it is. Nevertheless, you’ll be glad you made the effort, because the selection here is the best in Connecticut.
4. Nutmeg State Games
City: East Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (860) 528-4588
Address: 50 Flounders Plaza, Ste. 301
Description: The ShopRite Nutmeg State Games sponsors around 500 different team and individual matches every year in about 25 different sports. That’s right, 500 matches. You’ll find kids competing in baseball, cycling, basketball, fencing, fast-pitch softball, figure skating, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, gymnastics, jai alai, lacrosse, judo, shooting, swimming, rugby, wrestling, soccer, and track and field events. Done in tandem with the US Olympic committee, the Nutmeg Games are essentially the trials, where you can see the athletes of tomorrow training to compete against the world. If you’re my age, go to watch. But if you’re a young Connecticut resident, forget about watching the games. Instead, why not enter an event and show us what you’re made of?
5. Rentschler Field
City: East Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (860) 610-4700
Address: 615 Silver Ln.
Description: Rentschler Field was originally the name of the Pratt and Whitney airfield where the stadium is now located. Owned by the State of Connecticut and managed by Bushnell Management Services, this 40,000-seat stadium is primarily the home of the University of Connecticut Huskies football team. However, it is now also the home field for the Hartford Colonials, part of the United Football League, and also hosts big concerts, like Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones. There are about 16 concession stands and 3 ATMs, and the club level includes 2 bars. You can come 4 hours early and tailgate if you like, and you should, especially if you’re coming to see the Huskies.