To those outside Connecticut, the little town of Lyme is best known for the tick-borne disease that shares its name (and was first recognized here in 1977). For generations, however, the portside village of Old Lyme was better known as a center of an art colony that cemented the movement of American Impressionism.

The colony began with an artist named Henry Ward Ranger, who arrived there in 1899 and took up quarters in a home owned by Florence Griswold. Other artists followed, and the community officially became a colony in 1903 with the arrival of Childe Hassam, who was already famous for employing the Impressionist techniques he had learned from study in France.

Griswold was the fairy godmother of the group, adding on rooms to her home and renovating other structures on her sprawling estate to accommodate artists. The home itself was the primary gallery of the artists, who began hanging works on palettes in the dining room, after a similar practice at the artists colony in Giverny, France. The home, now a museum, is located in the center of Old Lyme, which is now a center for art galleries and antiques.

Events

Old Lyme’s Midsummer Festival (860/434-5542, www.flogris.org, late July) evokes the feel of a European country fair with art exhibits and fresh country products. A highlight is the En Plein Aire market on the grounds of the Griswold Museum.

Food

The wine list alone has earned a notable reputation for the dining at Old Lyme Inn Grill (Lyme St., 860/434-5352, www.oldlymeinn.com, 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, $24–34), but go for the food, too. Anchored by a century-old oak bar, the restaurant sports no less than three fireplaces and a menu of steaks, oysters Rockefeller, and tandoori swordfish.