Salisbury

Ask almost anyone who has completed all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail, and they’ll likely tell you that the day-long trek from Mount Prospect to the top of Wetauwanchu Mountain in northwest Connecticut is among the most challenging days of the entire expedition. Granted, that stretch of trail isn’t particularly rugged or steep, and the weather is actually quite pleasant most of the year. What makes it so challenging is the siren song of Salisbury, a sleepy hilltop village of roughly 4,000 residents tucked within the woods near Mount Prospect lookout. Drawn in by its pastoral charm, hikers regularly ditch their tents for a night and stay the evening at White Hart Inn, one of Salisbury’s cozy bed and breakfasts, only to be captivated by the neighborhood’s historic main street, tranquil horse farms, lively art scene, New England architecture and rural hospitality. By the time they finally make it back to the trail, it’s with a heavy heart, a full stomach and a new favorite town at their heels.

The Town of Salisbury occupies roughly 60 square miles in the northwest corner of Connecticut, at the intersection of New York and Massachusetts. Located 40 miles west of Connecticut’s capital city of Hartford, Salisbury is proudly rural – the town’s scenic roads and massive Red Maple trees attract “leaf peepers” from across New England each fall – but the bakeries, coffee shops and greenspaces along Main Street bustle with activity each weekend. “Other towns in northwest Connecticut are more remote,” says Elvia Gignoux, a lifelong resident with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. “But Salisbury has everything you need, making it more desirable.”

Salisbury’s Main Street is bracketed between The White Hart Inn and Scoville Memorial Library, an anchor of the local community and a gathering place for events like the annual fall festival. Weekends in Salisbury start at Sweet Williams Coffeeshop & Pastry, where the owners source their coffee beans, eggs and dairy products from local farms and markets. Other favorites include LaBonne’s Market, a sixth-generation family-owned grocery store with fresh produce, prepared meals and an in-house sushi bar, and Neo Restaurant and Bar, which serves gourmet pizza and pasta alongside a generous gluten-free menu.

Local residential architecture blends perfectly into Salisbury’s pastoral landscapes, incorporating wrap-around porches, tiered decks, three-season rooms and large front-facing windows overlooking the surrounding hills and lakes. Several different architectural types are represented in Salisbury: tree-fort and Queen Anne cottages with natural wood paneling, modern log cabins with vaulted ceilings and 15-foot windows, 18th century Georgian Federal homes, Farm Houses with multiple stone fireplaces, and Antique Colonials with original period details like built-in cupboards. Most homes in Salisbury boast more than 2,500 square feet of living space and sell for $600,000 to $900,000, while larger estates and lake-front properties are priced between $1.1 and $2.5 million.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Salisbury is the year-round outdoor and adventure sports scene. During the summer, locals launch their boats from O’Hara’s Marina on the eastern shore of Lake Wononscopomuc, a popular destination for waterskiing, fishing, kayaking and several other water sports. Fall soccer leagues for children and adults are held at Community Field, while tennis players and pickle ballers jostle for time on the nearby courts. For over 95 years, the Salisbury Winter Sports Association has been home to one of the premier ski training facilities in the northeast, complete with Alpine ski hills, cross-country trails and a 213-foot Nordic ski jump and tower, constructed in 2011 with funding from local donors to host that year’s US Junior Olympics.

Students in Salisbury begin their education at the highly rated Salisbury Central School, a K-8 school with an A rating from Niche. From there, students progress to Housatonic Valley Regional High School, a small school situated in the woods along the Housatonic River known for its strong community service programs and academic support systems. The nearby Salisbury School, a prestigious private all-boys boarding school, offers a comprehensive educational experience on its 725-acre campus and an athletics program that includes hockey, football, crew and lacrosse.

Written By

Jack Hale

Photography Contributed By

Brandon Schulman

Video By

Matt Pangman