New Haven Travel Guide

New Haven is one of the most historic cities in the United States.  The town was founded in 1638, and became the first planned city in the United States, with a Nine-Square Grid Plan that has been recognized as a National Historic Planning Landmark by the AICP.  The central "square" of the Nine Squares is the expansive and historic New Haven Green, which has not changed in appearance for centuries.  New Haven is best known as one of the world's greatest seats of higher learning, as it has been home to Yale University for the past 300 years.

The Green is a good starting point for seeing the sights. It is the town square and is surrounded by historic buildings. Form there it's a short walk to the Yale University campus with its many museums. The University Art Gallery is a must as is the University’s Center for British Art. The University’s Beinecke Rare Book Library is great as well. Vermont marble panels line the walls of the Beinecke Library and on the outside they appear almost white in color, however on the inside these panels are translucent and allow subdued light to come in (see two photos in Photo Section). A tour is recommended of Yale University as it allows you to see inside many buildings that otherwise you would not see.

The hamburger is claimed to have been invented in New Haven at Louis Lunch in 1895. Normally at lunch time it is a half hour wait for it as they cook the hamburgers their way, on toast, but it is worth waiting to try this unique hamburger.   The city is also known for its pizza, and has several of the oldest (and best-regarded) pizza parlors in the United States, which people travel to from hundreds of kilometers around.  Since these are so popular, plan to wait up to 3 hours to receive your pizza.

New Haven has several parks worth a visit: Lighthouse Point Park, a recreation area and nature preserve along Long Island Sound, and East Rock Park and West Rock Ridge State Park, which are two traprock ridge formations located in city neighborhoods about a 10 minute drive from the downtown.

New Haven is also a unique place to see theatre plays. Venues include the Yale Repertory Theater and the Long Wharf Theater (both in New Haven) and the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam (specializing in musicals, both new and revivals).