Florence Griswold inherited her ship captain father's grand old house in Old Lyme, and promptly fell upon hard times. As many other women of her time, she opened it up as a boarding house for summer visitors, but in her case a flourishing art colony formed!

The artists were mostly summering NYC-based American Impressionists of the tonalist and luminist varieties. They included stars such as Childe Hassam, Willard Metcalfe, and Henry Ward Ranger, and they really left their mark on the house....you have to see the dining room!

The old house has become an art museum, with an annex on the grounds that has rotating exhibits. We get there at least once a year.

This year (just Friday) they opened a brand new cafe, and it is very excellent! We shared a Farmer's Greens salad and a Mediterranean Plate, and were too full from that to sample the fresh fruit and lime curd dessert. They have wine and local beer, too. The service was excellent, and the view - well I guess there's none better on the Connecticut shore. This is where the artists came to summer!