• Home
  • ABOUT TSOC
  • Travel
  • Outdoors
  • Shopping
  • Food + Drink
  • Beyond CT
  • Contact

Size of Connecticut

Outdoors· Travel

The Florence Griswold Museum: An Art-Inspiring Landscape

19 May

Travelers from near and far are drawn to Old Lyme for the Florence Griswold Museum’s renowned collection of American Impressionist art. But at the turn of the 20th century, the main attraction was the bucolic setting.

When Florence Griswold, the daughter of a prominent family facing financial difficulties, turned her home into a boarding house for artists, painters like Henry Ward Ranger and Childe Hassam flocked to the property. Taken by the region’s light and the sweeping countryside views of the Griswold estate, they created a body of work depicting the arched bridge, salt marsh, and other pastoral scenes of this “American Giverny.” The group, known as the Lyme Art Colony, shaped the American Impressionist movement.

The museum is a highlight of Southeastern Connecticut, but what many would-be visitors don’t know is that even when the gallery doors are closed, the museum campus – and the trails that wind through this surprisingly varied landscape – remains open to the public. (And free.)

Beyond the yellow Georgian Griswold House, past the charming buildings clustered around a restored historic garden, twelve acres of sprawling open space provide a calming backdrop for a walk or picnic.

Here, you can stroll along the Artists’ Trail that edges the grounds. Paths skirt rows of flowering trees, and signs point to the River Walk, Hedgerow Walk, and Garden Walk, tempting you in all directions at once. Follow the raised wooden boardwalk to the Meadow, venture into the lush area known as the Woodlands, or head down the gently sloping bank of the Lieutenant River and sit on the dock at the water’s edge.

As of this writing, indoor museums are closed, so the inside of the so-called “Home of American Impressionism,” remains off-limits. But in this case, the era of social distancing in Connecticut offers a particularly lovely consolation prize. As you explore the land that inspired the art, you’re truly seeing what the artists saw: not a painting of a moment in the past, but an ever-changing, constantly beautiful, captivating natural world.


Info

Address: 96 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, 06371
Website: Florence Griswold Museum

3 Comments

Previous Post: « Finding Solitude | My CT Social Distancing Tips
Next Post: 3 Connecticut Forts »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jocelyn says

    May 22, 2020 at 11:51 am

    Could you please tell me the paint color of the putty colored house with the pick nic table? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Johnna Kaplan says

      May 22, 2020 at 12:12 pm

      Hi Jocelyn! I don’t know but I think that would be a good question for the museum staff.

      -Johnna

      Reply
  2. Jessica Hinterman says

    July 2, 2020 at 2:12 am

    Fun to read about this lovely place, Johnna. Griswold is a big name in Detroit………the name of a major street, etc. I wonder if there’s a connection?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

INSTAGRAM
I’ve written for years about Connecticut sights, I’ve written for years about Connecticut sights, but there’s a lot to be said about Connecticut sounds, too. Sounds play a surprisingly important role in Connecticut history and legend, and some remain famous to this day. There are the Moodus Noises, which frightened and intrigued the Indigenous Wangunk people and the newly-arrived Europeans alike. They were found to be caused not by the angry gods of the Wangunk or the Puritans but by small, shallow earthquakes. There are the iconic frogs of Windham, which croaked so loudly and horribly one night in 1754 that terrified townspeople grabbed their muskets and headed for the woods, prepared to fight an invading army. There is the piano music that’s said to emanate from Gardner Lake in Salem, site of a failed attempt to move a fully furnished summer home across thin ice in 1895. There are less haunting Connecticut sounds, too; one is Westbrook’s so-called Singing Bridge, which I admit I have crossed countless times and never heard sing. But my favorite sound by far is that of the waves, whether they’re crashing in a storm or softly lapping the sand on a calm morning. #thesizeofconnecticut
A funny story about Macedonia Brook State Park: th A funny story about Macedonia Brook State Park: this was actually the first state park I ever went to. I must have been in my very early 20s, and we didn’t have smartphones or GPS in our cars then. I was 1000% a city girl at that time, but my friend somehow knew there was a park in this area, and we found our way here. In retrospect, I think we were looking for nearby Kent Falls. But here we were, in the middle of what might as well have been Wyoming for how remote and rugged it seemed to me, and we had no idea what we were meant to do. It was just woods, and a road. So we started walking up the road and wondering, I suppose, when the fun would start. It was summer, I think, but no one was around. Eventually, a man in a pickup truck drove slowly past us. He might have said something out his window, he might not: in any case, we were low-key freaked out. What kind of redneck wilderness had we wound up in, and how fast could we get back to the shopping? We soon abandoned our half-formed plan of experiencing the outdoors and retreated back to civilization. Now, as you can hopefully tell, I’m a very different person. But it took a while! If you’re still reading, I’d love to hear whether you grew up appreciating nature, or if you only discovered the great outdoors a bit later in life, or if you’re still a dedicated indoors person. Comment & let me know!👇 

#thesizeofconnecticut
A Friday flashback to an old favorite❤️ #thesi A Friday flashback to an old favorite❤️ #thesizeofconnecticut
A few things I can’t resist: a personality quiz, A few things I can’t resist: a personality quiz, a cute animal video, a chocolate chip cookie, and a viewing platform. This lovely viewing platform can be found at Eel Pond Preserve in Warren, located right off Route 341. I stop to admire the view every time I pass it, but this was the first time I’ve seen it in winter😍❄️ #thesizeofconnecticut
I wasn’t planning on camping, but now that you m I wasn’t planning on camping, but now that you mention it…😉🌲❄️🥾🪵🔥 #thesizeofconnecticut
New Year’s Resolution: drive down more back road New Year’s Resolution: drive down more back roads. #thesizeofconnecticut

don’t miss anything!

Twitter Instagram
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • REGIONS
Menu
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • REGIONS

copyright 2019 the size of connecticut • Design by Patti Murphy

Copyright © 2023 · Refined theme by Restored 316