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Connecticut State Route 169

While spending a few days in Killingly, travel one of the last unspoiled areas in the northeastern United States. Connecticut State Route 169 is a federally-designated scenic byway that winds through history, passing colonial homesteads, churches, stone walls, meeting houses, and private schools. It connects classic New England towns with views of maple and pine stands with glacially-deposited rocks and boulders that lie strewn throughout their fields.

Also known as the Norwich and Worcester Turnpike, the designated section of the route runs 32 miles. It was a valuable artery linking the Worcester, Massachusetts urban area with points south, including shipping ports in southeastern Connecticut. Today, Route 169 is used less for interstate commerce, and more as a means of local travel in a region still holding onto its history and scenic beauty.

The national significance of Route 169 rests primarily in its intimate scenic character and historic features and points of interest. Stone walls, mature trees, colonial village centers, industrial-era mill villages, farmsteads, and consistent patterns of land use over time, allow the traveler to sample the landscape and culture of southern New England.

In addition to two National Historic Landmarks (Prudence Crandall Museum and Roseland Cottage), there are more than 175 historic sites and districts recognized by local and state surveys and/or the State or National Registers of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places lists two districts along State Route 169 (Bush Hill and Brooklyn Green, both in Brooklyn), as well as individual properties. The rich architectural heritage of villages, such as Brooklyn, Pomfret, and Woodstock, is representative of the hill town communities that settled this part of Connecticut and are still very much intact.

From Killingly, explorers can access Route 169 by taking Providence Road (US-6) east about 4-5 miles to the town of Brooklyn. There at its intersection is a choice to first head north 18 miles towards Woodstock and the Massachusetts State Line or about 14 miles south to Lisbon, the southern end of the designated Scenic Byway.

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A 52 Weeks of Fun Fascinating Fact about Connecticut State Route 169

Pomfret was once known as "the other Newport" for its strong influx of wealthy summer vacationers.

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The designated scenic byway portion of Connecticut State Route 169 begins at the Shetucket River in Lisbon. Route 169 continues generally northeast to Canterbury, where it parallels the Quinebaug River, as it enters Brooklyn. In Brooklyn, it continues north to the Massachusetts state line. It is 32 miles long, and there are no fees charged along the route. A stay in Killingly provides travelers with a couple of days to explore both the south and north ends of the route.

52 Weeks of Fun

Not Just Destination Finders, But Destination Storytellers

Connecticut State Route 169

A 52 Weeks of Fun Fascinating Fact about Connecticut State Route 169

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