If you search 'Best things to do in Connecticut', there are 10 names that will come up on every list: Mystic Aquarium, Seaport, and Pizza, Mark Twain House, Dinosaur State Park, Gillette Castle, Yale University, Thimble Islands, and Foxwoods/Mohegan. If you just came across this while you searched, here's the attractions that are worth the visit, in my opinion.

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When someone asks you if you've ever had Mystic Pizza, do you groan? Everyone in the world has seen that movie, and they associate Connecticut with Mystic Pizza. Honestly, it's adequate. The real Mystic Pizza is not the charming little shop on the quiet shoreline, with horny fishermen ogling the waitresses from the dock. It's impossible to find parking anywhere near the joint some days. Mystic Seaport is charming, but your children will be bored within minutes, teens in seconds. Mystic Aquarium should be your Mystic destination, it's not Orlando, Florida/Disney/Universal-level, but they've done a wonderful job at updating the place to convey the incredible conservation efforts that go on behind the scenes of the jellyfish tank.

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Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill should be a pass, even more so when Yale University's Peabody Museum reopens sometime in the next few months. We lasted 20 minutes at Dinosaur State Park, and then downtown Rocky Hill looked more exciting. Yale University? I wouldn't send an out-of-stater to go stroll the campus. Go to the Yale University Museum of Art, or the Peabody when it reopens. Don't plan a campus stroll. Same with the Thimble Islands, you may be able to see a few from the shore, but good luck finding a tour guide. Foxwoods/Mohegan Sun Casino? Absolutely worth the trip.

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If you are a museum lover, Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art should be your first stop. I was stunned to find masterpieces from Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Dali, Warhol, Klimt, Chagall, and Pollock in such a beautiful setting.

These Connecticut Homes are For Sale For Under 50,000 Dollars

Conneticut is an exceptionally expensive place to live and the real estate is off the charts. The cost of things had me wondering if it was even possible to find homes for $50K or less. My hypothesis was I would find a few parcels of land but that is about it. Let's see excatly what I was able to find using Redfin.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Three Locally-Made Hot Drinks Make Winter In Connecticut Bearable

Are you obsessed with hot chocolate? Live for Hot Toddies? Warm apple cider? I love hot drinks when it's below freezing in Connecticut. Here are three of my favorite hot drinks, all locally-made, that my wife and I have been loving this Winter.

Gallery Credit: Large Dave/Google

A $600,000 New Build in Connecticut, or Texas? The Sad Truth

If you have $600,000, and you want to buy a brand-new house, what would you get for your money in Connecticut compared to Texas? I searched Zillow and found a new house in Newington, Connecticut, and a new house in Frisco, Texas. Let's compare

Gallery Credit: William Raveis/Village on Main Street via Zillow

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