Putnam is an old mill town that has reinvented itself as a place to hunt for antiques, and the combination works better than you would expect. The Quinebaug River drops through town over Cargill Falls, a decent waterfall right beside the downtown, and the red-brick mills that line the river once spun and wove cotton. The big buildings now hold shops, galleries and restaurants, and the main street is packed with dealers selling furniture, books, glass and every other kind of secondhand treasure.
The town's name goes back to Israel Putnam, the Revolutionary War general known as Old Put, who lived in nearby Pomfret and, according to the story, left his plow in the field when he heard that fighting had begun at Lexington. Putnam sits at the northeast corner of Connecticut, close to the Rhode Island and Massachusetts lines, in a region the state calls the Quiet Corner. The hills are low, the farms are real, and the traffic, except on antique-shopping weekends, is light.
As a base for riding, Putnam is excellent. It has fuel, groceries and a range of food, from diners to a decent pizzeria, and several roads lead off into the countryside. Route 169 runs south through Pomfret and Brooklyn, a byway with gentle curves and old stone walls, and Route 44 and Route 12 lead to smaller lanes around Woodstock and Thompson. The surface is mostly good, and the curves are smooth rather than technical, so the pleasure is in rhythm and scenery. Watch for farm tractors and cyclists, and expect gravel patches on the side lanes after rain.
The best time is a clear autumn day, when sugar maples along the walls turn flame-orange and farm stands sell apples and cider. Spring is good too, and midweek is quieter all year. In winter the hill roads freeze early and thaw late, and the shaded dips hold ice well after the main roads are clear. If you finish a loop here, the old mill buildings on the river make a pleasant place to look around before heading home, and there are benches by the falls if you simply want to sit and listen to the water.