For a mid-size city, New Haven presents a big-city variety of top-notch theater, art, music, dining, shopping, sports and recreation options. On your own, with friends or with kids in tow, there are always great places to go and things to do.
Shubert Theater / 247 College St. / 203-562-5666
New Haven's oldest operating playhouse is known for previewing Broadway hits and hosting traveling shows.
Long Wharf Theater / 222 Sargent Dr. / 203-787-4282
This nationally acclaimed venue features a range of classic and modern revivals and new productions.
Yale Repertory Theater / 1120 Chapel St. / 203-432-1234
Winner of the 1991 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Yale Rep has presented dozens of world premieres, including four Pulitzer Prize winners.
Yale University Art Gallery / 1111 Chapel St. / 203-432-0600
In addition to its permanent collection and rotating exhibitions, the Gallery is a repository for research, education and dialogue in the arts community.
Yale Center For British Art / 1080 Chapel St. / 203-432-2800
This venerable space houses the largest and most comprehensive collection of British art outside the United Kingdom.
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History / 170 Whitney Ave. / 203-432-5050
Dating back to 1876, the rooms of this kid-friendly environment retain the original mission of exhibiting "natural and artificial curiosities," from dinosaurs to mummies.
New Haven Symphony Orchestra / 203-865-0831
Besides Woolsey Hall, where NHSO has performed for nearly a century, the company's concerts are staged at various venues throughout the New Haven community.
Yale Symphony Orchestra / 203-432-4140
Founded nearly 50 years ago, YSO has enjoys a reputation as one of the premier undergraduate orchestras in the country.
Toad's Place / 300 York St. / 203-624-8623
Among many Elm City rock venues, Toad's is legendary, having hosted The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and other headliners, as well as up-and-comers.
New Haven boasts a cornucopia of great places to eat. Perhaps no other city between New York and Boston offers such dining diversity, with ethnic cuisine including Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cuban, Mexican, Malaysian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Turkish and more. From world-renowned pizza and burgers to trend-setting restaurants, the Elm City satisfies everyone's taste buds and price range. Here are just a few places among nearly 120 tasty choices within blocks of the New Haven Green.
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana / 157 Wooster St. / 203-865-5762
Pepe's opened in 1925 and has since built a worldwide reputation for apizza, or "ah-BEETS" as the thin-crust pies baked in coal-fired ovens are known. The signature white clam pizza is a particular favorite of many.
Louis' Lunch / 261 Crown St. / 203-562-5507
As the legend goes… One day in 1900, a guy dashed into Louis Lassen's little diner and asked for a quick bite. In an instant, Louis placed his own blend of ground steak trimmings between two slices of toast and sent the gentleman on his way… and the hamburger was born. Freshly ground beef burgers broiled in the same cast-iron grill remain the staple at the eatery now run by Louis' grandson Ken.
Union League Cafe / 1032 Chapel St. / 203-562-4299
This highly acclaimed French restaurant aspires to "capture the conviviality and old-world charm of a Parisian brasserie combined with a refined seasonal cuisine," according to chef-owner Jean Pierre Vuillermet.
YNHH and YSM employees and visitors enjoy an affordably priced smorgasbord of international gastronomy at lunchtime, thanks to the lineup of dozens of food carts along Cedar St. between Congress and York Aves. Among the global cuisines represented: Latino, Korean, Middle Eastern, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai — as well all-American hot dogs, hamburgers and cheese steak subs.
Read a New York Times article about the food carts.
Downtown New Haven abounds with an eclectic mix of retail shops and boutiques, including B&N Yale Bookstore, J. Crew, Urban Outfitters and Origins.
Located within minutes of the city are a variety of major national retail chains, such as Ikea, The Home Depot, Target, Walmart and Sports Authority.
The Westfield Connecticut Post Shopping Center in nearby Milford features dozens of stores. Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets, about 30 minutes east of New Haven, just off I-95, includes discount outlets for popular brands.
Yale University's Bulldogs compete year-round, with men's and women's varsity teams participating in baseball, softball, basketball, football, ice hockey, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and other sports.
Bicycling in New Haven and the surrounding areas is a popular pastime among commuters, recreational and competitive cyclists. Elm City Cycling provides information about cycling routes, bike racks, local bicycle retailers, events and other resources.
New Haven's Public Parks: New Haven's parks — including East Rock Park, Edgewood Park and West Rock Park — offer verdant venues for walking, running, hiking and picnicking, as well as tennis, basketball, softball and other outdoor activities. Visit the city's Department of Parks, Recreation & Trees for details.
Connecticut's Public Beaches and Parks: New Haven is within easy access to many of Connecticut's best beaches and state parks, offering a variety of both relaxing and invigorating environments. Close-by Long Island Sound beaches include Lighthouse Point Park, Morse Beach and Sandy Point Beach. Towns east of New Haven along the Shoreline, from Branford to Old Saybrook, maintain public beaches. The two-mile-long beach at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison is an especially popular summer destination. Favorite state parks in the area include Sleeping Giant and West Rock Ridge, both in Hamden, and Chatfield Hollow in Killingworth. For more information, visit the state's Department of Environmental Protection (click on "Outdoor Recreation," then "State Parks & Forests").
The Course at Yale, opened in 1926, is recognized as one of the finest and most-challenging collegiate golf courses in the country. The site of numerous college tournaments over the decades, the course is the "home field" of Yale's golf teams — as well as its cross-country teams — and is open to Yale students and employees, including YNHH residents, at affordable fees. Tee times must be made four days in advance by calling 203-392-2376 (or 203-392-2377).
New Haven Open at Yale: Many of the world's top professional women tennis players travel to New Haven every August to compete in the annual New Haven Open at Yale, a major U.S. Tennis Association tournament. Held at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, the nationally televised, one-week event has drawn nearly 77,000 spectators. Among the hundreds of volunteers who help run the tournament are dozens of YNHH residents and fellows. Contact the GME House Staff Office for information on becoming a volunteer.
