Hidden Gems Of Connecticut

CONNECTICUT — The latest march to a Hidden Gem commemorates one of the most historically significant military movements in American history.

The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route is a National Historic Trail that commemorates the march of the Continental Army under the command of George Washington and allied French troops commanded by Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau.

State archives show us that, in the summer of 1780, a total of 5,800 French troops were dispatched from France to Newport, RI. The following year, Rochambeau's troops crossed through Connecticut en route to meeting Washington’s army near White Plains, NY.

The two armies continued to Virginia and won the pivotal battle of Yorktown and eventually the Revolutionary War.

In 1782, state archives tell us, the French army returned to Connecticut on its way to Boston and the Caribbean.

In 2009, Congress declared the 600-mile route from Newport and Boston to Yorktown the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail (W3R-NHT).

Several markers in Connecticut commemorate the march:

• Scotland
• Lebanon
• Bolton/Andover
• East Hartford
• Wethersfield
• Southington
• Newtown
• Danbury
• Ridgefield

See the state route here.

See more about the trail from Connecticut historians here.

Connecticut makes up one-fifth of the route, more than any other state, and is a testament to the critical role "The Provision State" played in the success of the march, state historians tell us.

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The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Connecticut.
Columns in this series in 2022 include:

• The Rein's Reuben
• Frontier Airlines at Bradley
• Munson's Chocolates
• Connecticut River Valley Wildlife Museum
• LobsterCraft
• Center Springs Park
• MLK Monuments
• The Connecticut Historical Society

Columns in this series from 2021 include:

• The First Decorated Christmas Tree
• Bolton Notch Trail Bridge
• Civil War Drum
• Civil War Powder Keg
• Mile 4, Manchester Road Race
• The West Hartford Armory
• The Capitol's Nooks and Crannies
• Wickham Park Aviary
• 55 West Main, New Britain
• Fox Hopyard Golf Course
• The Dodd Center For Human Rights at UConn
• Manchester Ropes Challenge Course
• 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm
• Fuego Picante Food Truck
• The Amistad
• 9/11 memorials
• Club Champion Golf Fitters
• New England Civil War Museum and Research Center
• Avery's Soda
• Salt 2.0 Restaurant
• The Grave of Jonathan, The Original Husky
• Golden Gavel Auction House
• Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut
• The Cogswell Temperance Fountain
• The Old State House
• BouNom Bakery
• Union Pond Park/Jay Howroyd Fitness Trail
• The Submarine Force Museum/USS Nautilus
• The UConn Dairy Bar
• Grove Hill Cemetery, Vernon
• Backwoods Smokin' BBQ
• The Ranch House
• Connecticut State Police Museum
• Berlin Historic District
• Connecticut Parachutists Skydiving Club
• Tail Winds Ice Cream Shop
• The MLK Mural
• The Hilltop Restaurant and Bar
• Fork & Fire
• Lena's Italian Kitchen
• The Benedict Arnold Trail
• Swank Pearce
• Vernon Depot Historic Park
• Farr's Sporting Goods
• Robs Drivin Diner