OLD LYME

Old Lyme is a small coastal town in New London County that became the cradle of American Impressionism when painters gathered at the Florence Griswold House in the early 1900s. That artistic current still runs through the town.

The Side Door Jazz Club, tucked inside the restored Old Lyme Inn, opened in 2013 and quickly landed on national touring circuits. You sit close to the stage in a room designed with Sennheiser to prioritize sound quality over everything else.

A quiet town of about 7,600 where the art colony legacy shows up in galleries and museums rather than nightlife. Sound View beach and the Connecticut River keep things oriented toward the outdoors.

Tip: The Side Door is a listening room — arrive early, grab dinner at the inn, and settle in. Shows sell out in the 100-seat space.

Neighborhoods: Black Hall • Sound View • South Lyme