2 CT Spots Make List Of Region's Best Small Coastal Towns

STONINGTON, CT — Stonington and Niantic have been named among the best small coastal towns in New England by Travel + Leisure.

The list comes as the summer season begins and travelers head for the coastline. While Newport, Rhode Island, Provincetown, Massachusetts, and Kennebunkport, Maine, are well-known favorites, the magazine asks, "why not take a proverbial left turn?"

Some of the under-the-radar towns with "their own unique charms and draws" include York, Maine, and Little Compton, Rhode Island. In Connecticut, Stonington and Niantic made the list.

Here's some of what the magazine had to say about Stonington:

"Just a shell's throw away from the bustling town of Mystic is the antithesis of a tourist magnet. Connecticut's oldest village, Stonington, is a robust agricultural borough with a wee historic village that stretches down a peninsula and ends at duBois Beach."

The publication also praised the town's restaurants, antique shops and Lighthouse Museum.

Nearby Niantic, a village in East Lyme, also made the list. Travel + Leisure said Niantic "buzzes with local energy," mentioning events like the Niantic Bay Oyster Festival in September and East Lyme Day in July.

The publication also praised the village's "charming Main Street" and the Niantic Children's Museum.

>>> See the full article at Travel + Leisure.