Perhaps it’s irony—or perhaps foresight—that located Connecticut’s [1] largest university in the region’s most sedate territory. Founded as Storrs Agricultural College in 1893, the University of Connecticut now draws a population of more than 15,000 students annually.
Thankfully Storrs is close enough to Hartford [2] that many students go there for their fun; the area around the university itself is mostly farmland ranged around the urban centers of former mill towns.
For old-school entertainment, head to the Mansfield Drive-In Theatre (Rtes. 31 and 32, Mansfield, 860/423-4441, www.mansfielddrivein.com [3], box office 7:10 p.m., $9 adults 12+, $5 children 6–11, free children under 3), an authentic drive-in showing first-run movies alongside a playground and snack bar. UConn students congregate at Huskies (28 King Hill Rd., Storrs, 860/429-2333), a student-y dive with pool tables and drink specials.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-england/connecticut
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-england/connecticut/eastern-connecticut/connecticut-river-valley/hartford
[3] http://www.mansfielddrivein.com