Julian (aka J.) Alden Weir acquired Weir Farm, his summer home in Branchville, in 1882 and painted there for 37 years; it's considered the best-preserved landscape associated with American Impressionism. Weir, Twachtman, Hassam, Robinson and Metcalf (the five undisputed masters of American Impressionism), along with Albert Pinkham Ryder and John Singer Sargent, did some of their best work here.

Visitors flock to tour the studios and to take in the historic and aesthetic atmosphere of the quiet 153-acre landscape. (From Greenwich, take the tree-lined Merritt Parkway to Rte. 7 north to Branchville/Ridgefield). Ridgefield is also home to the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, which delights fans of cutting-edge artwork. Until March 12, the ever-changing exhibits showcase the 2005 Aldrich Emerging Artist Award Recipient. The Aldrich, Real ArtWays (in Hartford) and ArtSpace (in New Haven) are a trio of contemporary venues.

Collectors eager to purchase some of the country's finest 18th- and 19th-century American antiques, particularly American Federal pieces, rank Woodbury's Route 6 (aka Main Street) as a primary destination. From Ridgefield, back roads wind along Route 202 near where the Mayflower Inn, on a former estate in Washington, has been resurrected in antiques-filled splendor as an oasis for lunch or overnight. (Rte. 47 through Washington leads to Rte. 6 in Woodbury; so does I-84 to exit 15.)

Woodbury, “The Antiques Capital of Connecticut” (see Traveling Collector, January 2004), offers both quality and quantity-more than 40-of antiques and art dealers; plus, it's a source for fine English-made reproductions. Visiting collectors appreciate dining and lodging at the family-owned and operated Longwood with its eclectic mix of antiques-including a fine hand-colored etching from the 18th century-vintage finds and reproductions. This country inn was built in 1789 as a residence at the Ben Franklin Mile Marker on the well-traveled route from Boston to Washington.

For Hartford, take Route 6 south to I-84, exit 15 and drive eastward. En route, the Mattatuck Museum, in Waterbury (I-84, exit 21) is a showcase for Connecticut art from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, with works by John Trumbull, Frederic E. Church, Josef Albers and Alexander Calder.

The New Britain Museum of American Art (I-84, exit 35) celebrates its reopening in April 2006 with the return of the collection's masterworks, which have been on loan to other museums during its $26 million addition and renovation. The nation's art history, including American Impressionism, is represented, and artists include: Frank Benson, Thomas Hart Benton, Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, John Singleton Copley, Frederic Church and Thomas Cole, Arthur Clifton Goodwin, Georgia O'Keeffe, Sol LeWitt, Richard Miller, Ernest Lawson, Maurice Prendergast and Guy Wiggins.