Starting on the south shore, Interstate 95 runs all the way from Stamford to Mystic. Drive it slowly, stay in some of the bed and breakfasts along the way and take in the sites.
Greenwich and Stamford, being closer to New York City, are more urban towns, but still contain much of the old fishing-village architecture. The further east you drive, going through Norwalk and Bridgeport, the more quiet the towns become. If nothing else, the beautiful lime-stone cliffs along a lot of Connecticut`s shores are reason to stop for photo opportunities.
Once in New Haven, where I-95 meets I-91 and goes north to Hartford, you can stop and take a tour of Yale University. The old buildings live up to their Ivy League status and in the fall, the deep green of the vines create a beautiful contrast to the autumn colors.
Hartford is the capitol of Connecticut and home to many of Connecticut`s heritage museums and art galleries. If you are more interested in the rural areas, continue through Hartford on I-84, then connect to Route 169 which takes the traveler into the northeast of the state - the "Quiet Corner." There are orchards where you can pick your own apples, vineyards that offer tours and wine-tastings, hiking trails and plenty of antique shops to poke around in. There are more than 190 homes, churches and old school buildings that date before 1855 and lie right along the drive.
Back on the coast, you will continue from New Haven to Saybrook, the first English settlement in Connecticut dating back to 1635.
Further east in New London, don`t miss Captain Scott`s Lobster Dock. For the freshest caught lobsters, clams, mussels and crabs, this is the place to eat. You will feast on the sweetest fish and leave completely satisfied.
In Mystic, you can stop at the Mystic Seaport Museum, a living, working recreation of the 19th century fishing village. You will definitely feel that you have been transported back in time as the people who run the museum are in Victorian dress and act the part. The seaport also boasts an amazing replica of the ship, Amistad.
The Constitution State is a great place for Revolutionary War buffs to visit, as major battle sites can be found in Danbury (west central along I-84), New Haven and Groton, which is also home to the U.S. Navy Submarine Force Museum where you can see the first nuclear submarine ever made, the U.S.S. Nautilus.
Once you have booked your cheap car hire New York, take I-95 northeast out of Manhattan straight into Connecticut. Another option is to go into Long Island along the Long Island expressway, I-495 and head north to Port Washington or Port Jefferson to take the ferry across to New Haven.