Searching for Stars Hollow: a Gilmore Girls Tour
I may have come late to Gilmore Girls fandom, but I fell hard and fast while binging it on Netflix. Gilmore Girls takes place in the fictional Connecticut town of Stars Hollow. A tiny place with a town square, lots of community spirit and a movie theater that appears to be in someone's living room. This summer I was driving home from Maine and needed to break up my drive in Connecticut. It was the perfect time to take myself on a self-guided Gilmore Girls tour!
According to a Desert News interview with Amy Sherman-Palladino, when she was creating the show, she drove through Connecticut and stayed at the Mayflower Inn in Washington, CT. She described Washington as a "fairy town" where everyone knew each other and people were out and about. It made her feel the warmth and small-town camaraderie she longed for in her own life.
My first stop was Litchfield, CT. The character of Luke Danes briefly lived in Litchfield. I was there on an early Sunday morning and the town was deserted except for a pickup truck - maybe Luke finally upgraded?
The town looked like a movie set! There is an antiques store, some restaurants, a gift shop and some other businesses across from the Litchfield town green. There is no gazebo, and although Litchfield is super cute, it didn't really remind me of Stars Hollow. It would be neat to see it at Christmas time.
Next I drove to Washington, CT, home of the Mayflower Inn & Spa. This was the inspiration for Stars Hollow's Independence Inn, where Lorelai first went when she was pregnant with Rory and later becomes the executive manager.
This part of Connecticut is gorgeous, with rolling hills, farms and fences made out of stacked stones. The Mayflower Inn is 2.4 miles from Washington Depot: a town that really looked like Stars Hollow! From the Hickory Stick Bookshop (Stars Hollow Books) to the Town Hall and the grocery store (Washington Food Market) that really felt like Doose's Market, although I didn't see Taylor.
Adjacent to the town I found a house that reminded me of Lorelai's.
And this garage reminded me of Gypsy's. Although when I pulled up a photo I realized we only ever seen a little corner of it, and she's always outside so we never get a really good look at her shop.
Other websites say Marty's Cafe is like Luke's Diner, but I disagree. It was way too modern and looked nothing like it. When I drove through Thomaston, CT I saw a cute little diner reminiscent of Luke's, called Patti's Place (Did Miss Patty close the dance studio?)
By the way, I haven't seen Thomaston, CT mentioned on any fan websites, but it is definitely similar to Stars Hollow. It has a town green with a gazebo and a monument across the street dedicated to the town's Civil War history.
My last stop was New Milford, CT. Some say the gazebo on the town green inspired Stars Hollow's gazebo. As luck would have it, the town was having a festival, which added to the charm.
