First Congregational Church of Litchfield (from ctvisit.com)

Historic buildings, dining spots, and beautiful fall foliage are some of the reasons the Smithsonian Magazine included Litchfield, Connecticut as one of the country’s “Best Small Towns to Visit” in 2021.

According to a June article announcing the list, the magazine’s staff chose towns that are getting into full swing following the COVID-19 pandemic, but also “are prime examples of perseverance and preservation, and reminders of all that we love about small towns in the first place.”

Litchfield has a population of 8,094 residents, is the birthplace of abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the home of the country’s first law school, where former U.S. vice president Aaron Burr was once a student. There’s a winery, history and natural history museums, a distillery and hiking trails through national state parks that run through the town.

Read the entire list and the Smithsonian article here.