Connecticut

It’s hard to pull yourself out of your canopied, curtained, supremely cosseting bed at this chic, Celerie-Kemble-restored hotel to walk through the gardens to the Connecticut outpost of The Well spa, but do it. The spa’s airy, enormous and as luxurious as it gets. A gorgeously-tiled, soaring-ceilinged greenhouse surrounds a giant soaking tub; the treatments are next level (try the Reiki under a down comforter, atop a heated bed, in a grove of spruce trees by an ancient pond, for example); and it’s worth coming back just for the bone broth. The Triple Lift facial is epic, layering endless active serums with something called a Remodeling Machine and another called the Micropuncture Lab to help stimulate collagen production for pretty stunning, immediately visible results.

Silver Hill opened in 1931 as a psychiatric hospital. Today, it’s a nonprofit inpatient, transitional living, and outpatient facility treating people suffering from personality disorders, mood disorders, psychotic illnesses, and addictions. The basis of the treatment is dialectical behavior therapy—a psychotherapeutic method that aims to give clients and patients the tools to help improve relationships, control self-destructive behavior, and find balance and acceptance with change. There is a separate program for adolescents.

Many friends of goop credit the Hoffman Process as being the transformational experience in their life, helping them distinguish behaviors and patterns inherited from childhood with who they actually are as adults. The primary outpost is in St. Helena, California, where they offer year-round, week-long programs that are completely immersive (i.e. you check your phone when you arrive), with occasional sessions in Connecticut. This residential retreat will help you break the cycles of compulsive ways of being so that you can begin to make choices from a new place of clarity and love. You can read more about the process here. They also offer scholarships for those who can't pay the full rate.

Buck's Rock in Connecticut is known as a creative camp for kids who aren't looking for a crazy-intense experience, as the vibe here is decidedly noncompetitive. Kids will find all the standard arts at Buck's, along with some less-common options like glassblowing, puppetry, printmaking, silkscreening, flame work, and book binding. Kids (ages eleven to sixteen) can go for a half, full, or six-week session. Buck's also has a two-week introductory program for kids who are trying camp for the first time, as well as a two-week program for younger ones (ages nine to ten).

Not as far north as many of the historic East Coast camps, KenMont, which was established in 1924, is a top-notch all-around camp in Kent, Connecticut. It’s the brother camp of KenWood Camp for Girls (also a great option), but it has its own facilities and staff. It’s definitely more of an all-boys camp than coed—the staff estimates that the boys spend about 90 percent of their time at camp with other boys. There are two four-week sessions, for boys ages eight to fifteen.

Formerly known as the Mayflower Inn & Spa (Grace Hotels acquired it last year), this is one of those resorts that is a consistent siren song for worn-out New Yorkers.

The recently re-opened, historic White Hart Inn, located right on the town green in Salisbury, Connecticut, is poised to retake its place as a central fixture of town life after closing for five years. For one, the historic Tap Room will once again serve local spirits, as it has for literally two centuries. Plus, the new restaurant will lean heavily on local produce from nearby farms and growers. While there’s plenty to see and do in the Connecticut countryside, the Inn itself is set up to provide a cozy, luxurious getaway should you choose to spend most of your time reading in your room. If you want to get out, you can walk to the Appalachian Trail straight from the inn, so bring your hiking boots. The beautiful Bash Bish falls are also within striking distance: You’ll be in Hudson River School country, so breathtaking views are a given. There's always a lot of fun, family friendly stuff going on in the nearby villages (hay rides, animal judging, iron skillet tosses), and great antiquing and shopping. Privet House, owned by Richard Lambertson (of Lambertson Truex), is particularly wonderful. Meanwhile,…

There are a handful of stores out there that are so well-conceived, so beautiful, and so cozy that you wish you could move right in. Privet House, tucked away in a village in Connecticut, is one of those stores that manages to achieve and own an entire aesthetic. From antique furniture to Cire Trudon candles, to hand-selected vintage books, this is the sort of place where you might stop by for a bottle of Murchison-Hume hand soap, and leave with a credenza.

The Polidoro family opened their painting and drywall business back in 1975, meaning they're about as experienced as they come in terms of installation and execution. Their service is unparalleled (read: accurate quotes and spotless cleanup, with no paint spots on your floors or furniture), and they're known for timely completion of projects. Their painters do both interiors and exteriors, and they're especially qualified to handle the gorgeous-but-hard-to-execute lacquers and finishes from Fine Paints of Europe. Good to know: They put their tall ladders to good use doing snow removal from roofs in the winter.