Things To Do
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
Pepe's lays claim to baking the 'best pizza in America,' a title it's won three times running. This joint cranks out tasty pies fired in a coal oven, just as it has since 1925. Best known for White Clam Pizza
Miya’s Sushi
Two-time winner of the Taste of the Nation Award, Chef Bun Lai presents sustainable sushi and sashimi concoctions with fantastic names. Even more fantastic are the freshness and flavors of the raw ingredients. Strip it back and keep it natural (sashimi), or go with Bun's adventurous combinations of ingredients.
Mamoun's Falafel Restaurant
This hole-in-the-wall Middle Eastern joint serves fresh, cheap, delicious food in a simple restaurant with loads of character (and characters).
Barcelona Wine Bar
The cuisine is clean and rustic, with tapas shaped by Mediterranean, Spanish, and South American influences. Nearly 400 wines are featured on the wine list.
Yale Repertory Theatre
Performing classics and new works in a converted church, this Tony-winning repertory company has mounted more than 90 world premieres. Its varied program is presented by graduate student actors from the Yale School of Drama (Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver are alums) as well as professionals.
Battell Chapel
the largest chapel of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Built in 1874. Flat coffered ceilings cover the auditorium, constructed of wooden beams and painted blue with gold leaf.
Beinecke Rare Book Library
Built in 1963, this extraordinary piece of architecture is the largest building in the world designed for the preservation of rare manuscripts. The windowless cube has walls of Danby marble that subdue the effects of light, while inside the glass stack tower displays sculptural shelves of books, including one of only 48 surviving Gutenberg Bibles (1455) and original manuscripts by Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin and Goethe. There is no admission charge.
New Haven Public Library
The New Haven Free Public Library is the public library system serving New Haven. The system began in 1887 in a leased location but quickly outgrew its space. The Ives Memorial Library is the main branch of the system and is located on the New Haven Green.
Yale University Art Gallery
This outstanding museum was architect Louis Kahn's first commission and houses the oldest university art collection in the country; it includes Vincent van Gogh's The Night Café and European masterpieces by Frans Hals, Peter Paul Rubens, Manet and Picasso. In addition there are displays of American masterworks by Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper and Jackson Pollock, silver from the 18th century, and art from Africa, Asia, and the pre- and post-Columbian Americas. Best of all, it won't cost you a penny to take a peek.
Yale Center for British Art
Reopened in 2016 after extensive restoration, this fabulous gallery was architect Louis Kahn’s last commission and is the setting for the largest collection of British art outside the UK. Spanning three centuries from the Elizabethan era to the 19th century, and arranged thematically as well as chronologically, the collection gives an unparalleled insight into British art, life and culture. A visit is an absolute must for anyone interested in beautiful things. And yes, it's free.
Peabody Museum of Natural History
It's hard not to be fascinated by this vast collection of animal, vegetable and mineral specimens, including wildlife dioramas, meteorites and minerals. The Great Hall of Dinosaurs illuminates the museum's fossil collection against the backdrop of the Pulitzer Prize–winning mural The Age of Reptiles.
The Shore Line Trolley Museum
For a unique take on East Haven's shoreline, take a ride on this open-sided antique trolley – the oldest continuously running suburban trolley line in the country – along 3 miles of track that takes you from River St in East Haven to Short Beach in Branford. Enjoy the museum and its beautifully maintained carriages when you're done. Bring a picnic lunch.
It Adventure Ropes Course
Experience the World's largest indoor ropes course inside Jordan's Furniture! Channel your inner tightrope walker as you take on the 56-foot tall ropes courses and climb through cargo nets, angled rope ladders and more.
Toad's Place
Toad's is arguably New England's premier music hall, having earned its rep hosting the likes of the Rolling Stones, U2 and Bob Dylan. These days, an eclectic range of performers works the intimate stage, including They Might Be Giants and Martin & Wood.
BAR
This restaurant-club-pub encompasses the Bru Room (New Haven's first brewpub), the Front Room, the video-oriented BARtropolis Room and other enclaves. Taken in toto, you're set for artisanal beer and brick-oven pizza, a free pool table, and either live music or DJs spinning almost every night of the week.
Ordinary
Ordinary is anything but. It's tall, dark and handsome, ineffably stylish and a treat for the senses. Its patrons often also fall into at least one of these categories. They come for cheese boards, charcuterie and cocktails. Put on your fancy pants and join them.
Firehouse 12
Full service bar specializing in new and classic cocktails, select wines, and rotating draught and featured beer selection. Features a changing selection of seasonal specials, small plates and Italian piadina flatbread sandwiches. A relaxed setting for conversation and a glass of wine or a beer while listening to live music performances.
Cafe Nine
An old-school beatnik dive with a roadhouse feel, this is the heart of New Haven's local music scene (it dubs itself the 'musician's living room'). It's an offbeat place where banjo-playing hippies rub shoulders with jazzers, all in the name of good music.
East Rock Park
A number of hiking trails traverse the ridge, most notably the Giant Steps Trail which ascends to the summit at a near-vertical pitch from the south. Views from the clifftops span metropolitan New Haven, Long Island Sound, and Long Island. The Pardee Rose Garden and Greenhouse features roses and other flowering plants.
Lighthouse Point Park
Our Wedding Venue. This pretty seaside park a few minutes' drive from Tweed New Haven Airport features the handsome 1840s Five Mile Point Lighthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a beautiful 1916 carousel and pavilion.