East Haddam is the town on the Connecticut River that most people know from the postcard: a long white bridge, a hillside of old houses, and a gothic opera house standing right at the water. The Goodspeed Opera House, built in 1876 by a local shipping and banking magnate, is a Victorian jewel, and it has become known as a home for musical theatre. Its tall wooden frontage faces the river like a stage set, and from the swing bridge, you get the best view. The bridge itself is an old steel swing span, and it still swings open for taller boats when needed, so you might sit in a short queue.
East Haddam is a bigger town than its neighbours, with about nine thousand people in the township, and the roads around it are the real attraction. Route 149, Route 82 and Route 151 weave through rolling country with farm fields, ledges, woods and reservoirs, and the surface is mostly decent. The corners are slow to medium, with plenty of blind crests where a deer or a farm truck might be waiting. Moodus, a few kilometres east, is known for the Moodus Noises, a rumbling thought to be tiny earthquakes that the native Wangunk people explained as the voice of a spirit, and which settlers later wrote about in colourful terms. It is a nice story to tell while you wait for coffee.
The area also has a bit of Revolutionary War history, and Nathan Hale, the young schoolteacher who was hanged by the British as a spy, taught at a school in East Haddam; the little schoolhouse is preserved nearby. Devil's Hopyard State Park, to the east, has a pretty waterfall at Chapman Falls, and the hiking there is easy and rewarding.
Fuel is easy, since East Haddam is large enough to have stations along the main road, and there are places for a sandwich or a proper dinner by the river. Weekends in summer and autumn bring crowds, particularly for matinee performances and fall foliage, so aim for a weekday if you can. In spring the shad run brings fishermen and ospreys to the river, and the whole valley smells of damp earth and wild garlic.