Connecticut State Route 169
32 miles of Route 169 through the villages, stone walls and farms of northeastern Connecticut, from Woodstock south to Canterbury and beyond.
Also known as Route 169 National Scenic Byway
Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation, America's Byways collection (National Archives), Public domain, source
- Length32 miles[1]
- Drive timeAbout an hour without stopping, or a full day with visits[1]FHWA's "time to allow"
- RoadsConnecticut Route 169[1]
- Start and endNear Jewett City, CT and near Southbridge Town, MANearest towns to the ends of the U.S. DOT route line
- Fees and passesOnly at some attractions[1]
- Best seasonNot verified
- SurfaceNot verified
- Vehicle notesNot verified
- Seasonal closuresNot verified
Before you go
Road status and weather can change quickly. Check the official road-conditions link before you go.
Facts last checked against the sources on October 22, 2026.
About the drive
Route 169 runs north to south through Connecticut's rural northeast. It's a slow road through small town centers, farmland and woods, and it is especially popular in fall.
In Woodstock, Roseland Cottage is a pink Gothic Revival summer house from 1846, now a National Historic Landmark open for seasonal tours. Its builder, Henry Bowen, wrote that the persecution of Prudence Crandall's school in Canterbury, just down the road, made him an abolitionist.
Canterbury's Prudence Crandall Museum tells that story. Both sites run seasonal hours and tours, so check before you go.
Stops along the way
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Roseland Cottage
Pink Gothic Revival summer house from 1846 in Woodstock, a National Historic Landmark. Seasonal tours.
Official information · 41.94938, -71.97622 · about 0.0 mi from the route line
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Pomfret
Hilltop town on the route.
Official information · 41.89761, -71.96257 · about 0.0 mi from the route line
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Brooklyn
Town on the route.
Official information · 41.78816, -71.9498 · about 0.0 mi from the route line
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Prudence Crandall Museum
State museum in Canterbury about Prudence Crandall's school for Black women. Timed guided tours only, seasonal.
Official information · 41.69808, -71.97164 · about 0.0 mi from the route line
Stops are listed in order along the route; the numbers match the map. Stop locations come from the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey place-names database, the stop's own official page or, where noted in the data, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).
Food along the way
Farmers markets within about 25 miles
- Lisbon Farmers' MarketLisbon, CT · about 0.1 mi from the route
- Brooklyn Farmers MarketBrooklyn, CT · about 2.4 mi from the route
- Southbridge Farmer's Market at Big Bunny Market, MA · about 4.3 mi from the route
- SturbridgeWorcester, MA · about 6.6 mi from the route
- Brimfield Farmers Market at Hitchcock Free Academy, MA · about 11.7 mi from the route
Markets keep their own seasons and hours, so check with the market before you go. Find more in the Farmers Market Finder.
Sources
- America's Byways: Connecticut State Route 169 (FHWA) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Roseland Cottage (Historic New England) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Prudence Crandall Museum: Plan Your Visit (State of Connecticut) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Route line: U.S. DOT scenic byways map service (geo.dot.gov), retrieved 2026-10-22.
Written by VanillaGoods from the cited official sources. This is a drive to know, not a ranking. Road status and weather can change quickly; check the official road-conditions link before you go.
Spot something out of date? Email help@vanillagoods.com (help@vanillagoods.com).