Niantic, CT was a great destination for an almost fully outdoors day trip!
We parked in the large, free lot at the end of the Niantic Boardwalk and then walked the boardwalk until we reached Hole-In-The-Wall Beach. You'll know you are there when you see the passage (the "hole") that goes from the boardwalk under the train tracks, connecting the beach and boardwalk to downtown Niantic.
There is a public restroom at this point, which was clean and open for use. The first business you encounter as you go through the hole-in-the-wall is a large yellow house, home to Gumdrops and Lollipops ice cream parlor! We ordered ice cream from the outdoor window and enjoyed it on the front deck.
From there, you can turn right and walk about a block to Book Barn's downtown location. They had a great selection of kids books and we came away with a few treasures (we found plenty of kids books priced at $1 each). This is an indoor activity (on the warm-ish March day that we visited, all the windows and doors were open and it was well ventilated, and also pretty busy with customers).
After visiting the Downtown Book Barn, we made our way back through the hole-in-the-wall and turned right, exploring McCook Point Park. This has a sandy beach, walking paths, a beautiful view from the rocky point, and several playground structures. We enjoyed the views and playground and then headed back along the beach and boardwalk, stopping to skip stones and look for beach treasures on the way back to the car.
Next up: about a one mile drive to Book Barn's main location! You could easily spend and hour or more at this location. Most of the books are outside or in open air sheds. There are friendly barn cats, some goats, gardens, and a little children's playspace. We explored until we were hungry, and then ordered a pizza to eat on the town green from one of the many pizza places in downtown Niantic.
In all, this was about 4 miles of walking. It was a great way to explore a new place and get some sunshine and outdoor time.
*note that this is not a dog-friendly adventure: dogs are not permitted on the boardwalk.*
