Check out Mapkin guided driving tours across Massachusetts and Connecticut on the Old Connecticut Path Driving Tours web page (click link).Get the Mapkin app for iPhone here http://mapkin.co/NEW DRIVING TOUR:

Old Connecticut Path: Tolland to Windsor - Connecticut NEW (11/1/13)! Click the link (left) to go directly to the new driving tour on EveryTrail.com

More information about the Tolland to Windsor driving tour with overview maps can be found further below.

INTRODUCTION

Early pioneers along the Old Connecticut Path, John Oldham and the Adventurers going to Wethersfield, Rev. John Wareham and the Trek to Windsor, and Rev. Thomas Hooker's congregation migrating to Hartford between 1633-1636 followed Indian foot paths. They had to rely on guides who could show them the way. The many pages and videos developed for the Old Connecticut Path web site retrace the route of the Path across Massachusetts and Connecticut. Many of the places shown are "off the beaten path". Some of the places are open to the public to walk. Many travel through forests and lands that would be difficult for most to discover.

In response to many requests and interests, Old Connecticut Path Driving Tours are designed to provide a way to guide visitors to routes along quieter roads that link historic places along the Old Connecticut Path. Visitors to Massachusetts and Connecticut who would like to rediscover parts of the Old Connecticut Path for themselves will find the tours leading through small towns, scenic vistas, historic sites, and forest greenways. The pace of travel is slower allowing time to enjoy the beauty of the land through which the Path travels. Links to places where you can get out and walk along the Old Connecticut Path are provided for those who wish to get a taste of the world the early pioneers traveled through.

The Old Connecticut Path Driving Tours use GPS and cell phone technologies to provide a way to guide visitors along the roads that most closely parallel the Old Connecticut Path. The routes are mapped with additional photos and descriptions using EveryTrail, an iPhone/Android app that is available in a free version. The tours are posted to the EveryTrail web site. The tours can be viewed at the EveryTrail web site and can be viewed on your iPhone/Android phone using the EveryTrail app. For more information on EveryTrail, visit their web site at http://www.everytrail.com/, or visit the iPhone App Store or Google Play for reviews and downloads.

The EveryTrail app provides GPS tracking while following the tour AND provides a link to the Google Maps app to get turn-by-turn directions to the starting point of each tour. You can also use EveryTrail record your own tour adding your own pictures and videos.

NOTE: EveryTrail photo slide show does not display the pictures in order along the route of the tour. Picture order is based on the date when the picture was taken rather than the order of the tour. To see the pictures in their proper order, click on each dot shown along the tour map.

NEW VOICE GUIDED TOUR WITH SPOKEN TURN-BY-TURN DIRECTIONS!

New for iPhone users, driving tours along the route of the Old Connecticut Path with spoken turn-by-turn directions and additional points of interest are now being added. The free Mapkin app http://mapkin.co/ opens new possibilities for exploring places along the corridor of the Old Connecticut Path. The driving tours will also include directions for the historical societies and libraries along the Path where family history resources may be found. Also included will be places to walk along or near the corridor of the Connecticut Path. Target date for completion is spring 2014. The driving tours will be available as stand-alone guides in Mapkin AND as an accessory within the tours developed for the EveryTrail app.

The 12 mile driving tour from Hopkinton MA travels through Westborough to reach Grafton Center. The driving tour route follows lightly traveled country roads passing places of significance in the history of the Old Connecticut Path and the towns. The overview map (left - click on to enlarge) shows the relationship of the Path (purple line) with the driving tours (red line). The route of the Old Connecticut Path was likely to have been more direct than the modern roads. Construction of Interstate highways (I-90, I-495) cut the route of the Path requiring a more round-about route. The Hopkinton to Grafton driving tour begins at the intersection of West Main Street and West Elm Street in Hopkinton MA. From I-495, take the exit 21 for West Main Street. The tour can be completed in under 1 hour with no stops. Take your time along the way to enjoy the scenery and historic sites. Turn-by-turn directions available for the Hopkinton to Grafton tour using the Mapkin app for iPhone available at https://mapkin.co/mapkins/preview/s/0v5bckaa16ex6b2o3nbdhjhyhca922a9

DRIVING TOURS: WEBSTER, MA TO TOLLAND, CT

Old Connecticut Path: Webster to Woodstock Tour - Massachusetts & Connecticut Travel from beautiful Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg (Webster Lake) where the Old Connecticut Path crossed the "Narrows" to Woodstock Common. Along the way cross the French & Quinebaug Rivers while exploring quiet country roads. The 14.8 mile driving tour is illustrated with 34 pictures and guide maps. NEW! (posted July 27, 2013)

Old Connecticut Path: Woodstock to Eastford Tour - Connecticut NEW (posted July 20, 2013)This is a road tour for those interested in experiencing the countryside through which the Old Connecticut Path passed between historic Woodstock and Eastford Connecticut. The route parallels the Path along scenic country roads where slow speed driving can be enjoyed. The route passes places where you can get out and walk to explore places along the Path. The map identifies points of interest along the road and places along the Path.

Turn-by-turn directions available for the Eastford to Westford tour using the Mapkin app for iPhone available at https://mapkin.co/mapkins/preview/p/0u9j2v131kilv4wv1a9r3co1xjinshjs

The route of the Center Turnpike from Willington to Webster and the eastern section from Webster to Framingham provides a more "modern" direct route close to the Old Connecticut Path. As you explore the quietest corner of Connecticut's "Quiet Corner", the route allows many connections with the Old Connecticut Path driving tours to form shorter loop tours. While only a short distance from I-84, Center Turnpike carries you into a wilderness area that feels like the Maine woods (without the 6-8 hour drive to get there). Take time to slow down, relax, and explore.

VISITOR RESOURCES

The Last Green Valley (TLGV)

The tours travel through a portion of the "Quiet Corner" of Connecticut. Visitors to this area can find more information about accommodations, events and special places at The Last Green Valley web site http://www.tlgv.org/index.php

Take a few moments to enjoy The Last Green Valley: Find Your Inspiration video that provides an introduction to the extraordinary area that the Old Connecticut Path and the driving tours pass through.

The Last Green Valley also provides a free mobile app with listing of restaurants, water and hiking trails, shops, farms, B & B’s, museums, services, farmers markets, arts, entertainment, events and more. The maps and directions help to explore the area towns and find services along the Old Connecticut Path driving tours and walks. Get the TLGV app at http://www.tlgv.org/explore/app_support.html

Goggle Earth

Google Earth allows visitors to "fly over" the routes of the tours. Click on the pictures to get a ground level view along the way. See the link to view each tour with Google Earth on the lower right side of the EveryTrail.com web page for each tour.

DRIVING TOURS: TOLLAND TO WINDSOR, CT

Old Connecticut Path: Tolland to Windsor - Connecticut NEW (11/1/13)! Click the link (left) to go directly to the new driving tour on EveryTrail.com

"Today I rode through paradise." wrote John Adams of his 1771 journey to Windsor. The driving tour from Tolland to Windsor still offers expanses of the paradise found by Connecticut's pioneer families. Rev. John Wareham lead the Dorchester (MA) congregation to Windsor in 1635. Follow one of the historic routes to Windsor on lightly traveled roads that reveal the majesty of the Connecticut valley. The founders of Windsor must have truly felt that they had reached the "Promised Land".The Tolland to Windsor tour leads from Tolland Green through the towns of Ellington, East Windsor and South Windsor to the Palisado Green in Windsor. Most roads are lightly traveled passing through beautiful countryside.

More information about the history of the "Windsor branch" of the Old Connecticut Path and towns along the way, will be available on the Tolland to Windsor web page (Under Construction-available late November 2013).

The Tolland to Windsor driving tour completes the connection of tours on/parallel to the Old Connecticut Path from Webster (MA) to Windsor (CT).

There's much to discover along the Old Connecticut Path! Be adventurous! Find your own connections to the Path.

Share your adventures and discoveries on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/oldconnecticutpath OR e-mail oldconnecticutpath@gmail.com

Check back as more tours, pictures and videos are added to this page.

RETURN TO: 6.0 Tours & Walks Along the Old Connecticut Path

RETURN TO: Guide to Rediscovering the Old Connecticut Path