Top 6 Fun Things To Do In New Haven

Capturing Moments: Thames River Bridge

Right after my 4 days in Boston, I took the train for about two and a half hours and arrived in New Haven. This was my first time riding Amtrak & wow, it was awesome. They had these comfortable seats with free Wi-Fi & charging stations. More, you can see the beautiful views of the wild. Not those common city views, but lakes, rivers, & bridges! I mean is it just me or what?

​I see everyone traveling to major cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or Seattle, but I haven't really saw anyone traveling to or writing about New Haven! While New Haven isn't the perfect destination for trendy restaurants or cafe, it's definitely an incomparable city to observe the architecture & nature. So here are the top 6 fun things to do in New Haven. 


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1. Yale University Art Gallery
This FREE art gallery offers so much exhibitions throughout their building. From African, American, Asian to European, and Modern & Contemporary Art, you won't even notice the time passing by. Personally, I really enjoyed the European and Modern & Contemporary Art because it's more relatable.

While in the gallery, the view of Yale campus from the inside is so beautiful. The weather was really nice on this day, so all the photos came out to be bright and sunny. Moreover, there's a nice garden at the back of the building. This garden, looks more of a palace because the design is unique, is definitely worth a visit. It's not huge, but a great place to take photos because the flowers and leaves were falling from the sky! How pretty is that?

Piece I was interested in

View from the inside

View from the 4th floor

​2. Shops at Yale - Broadway
A great street shopping district just 10 minutes from Yale University campus. There's actually two areas where it's called Shops at Yale, and one of them is Broadway. The other one is across from the Yale University Art Gallery. This one has more restaurants and cafe, shops I've never really heard of. On the other hand, Broadway shops have a good selection where mostly you will know where to go. Some of the stores they have are Urban Outfitters, Lululemon, J.Crew, and more! 

Shops at Yale - Broadway

​3. Atticus Bookstore Cafe
This small cafe near New Haven Green is perfect if you love books. You can eat while reading or look around after. New Haven Green is just a large intersection park in between. Once you walk in the Atticus Bookstore Cafe, you might think you have to order in line and then sit in tables (or at least that's what I thought). But the line you will see is for the people who are getting to-go, and you can actually order from the table. The menu you get might also be slightly different from the to-go menu, but if you want something else, you can order it as well. The staffs are friendly & prompt, and the food is super delicious! We shared a salad because they give bread at first, which sorta goes along with the salad. 

Not the most photogenic, but here's the salad we got

​4. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
There are several libraries in the campus of Yale University, but this one is special It's not huge but I think it's definitely worth the visit. As you see in the photo below, there are LOTS of books in the middle of the building on 1st and 2nd floor. You can't borrow it, but I believe if you ask for a certain resource, they might give you access to it. I honestly didn't expect this type of library, it's more of an art piece. Look how well organized and colorful the book shelves are. 

The main reason I wanted to come here was because I read somewhere in google that there's a manuscript written in a secret code in this library, but not a single person was able to figure out. What's funny is, I didn't really ask about the coded manuscript they have... instead, I was simply overwhelmed by this place. Another reason we came here was because we were too exhausted walking around too much, so we had to rest. (LOL) Good news was they had this large and comfortable sofas to sit down and chill. As you see below, the design of the building is unique, as well as the inside. Looks like it's made with thousands of old television screens!

From the outside

Not the best photo of me, but look at the collection of those rare books!

​5. The Juice Box
We came here after eating in Atticus Bookstore Cafe to refresh! The Juice Box was right next to the restaurant, so I thought I would give it a try. As you can already expect, this cafe is perfect for healthy smoothies or acai bowls. What I got was the most basic berry smoothie (#4 in the menu), with blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, and watermelon mixed. Feel free to check out there menu here. Their website is colorful and quite well designed! 

Strawberry + Blueberry + Watermelon + Raspberry

Their online menu

​6. Dawson Ave Beach
This beach is more of a neighborhood type of beach, but it's definitely beautiful! Houston don't really have a good relaxing scenery to see, so I knew I had to go somewhere with water and sand. First thing I did here was taking videos of the ocean. (I actually streamed in on Instagram for about a good 5 minutes if you saw it). I think the peaceful sound of the waves keep you relaxed. For me, when I study or read books, I love listening to waves or rain drop sounds. What about you? 
Second thing I did was writing my name on the soft sand. That's just what I do every time I go to beaches since I was young. It makes it more memorable. :) 

On this day, it was a bit cold even though it was sunny. But it was great to see the beach view, hear the waves, and meet few friendly seagull families (they are so adorable). 

Dawson Ave Beach

So these were the 6 fun spots you should go in New Haven! Seriously, I think New Haven's sky and clouds are the most beautiful. It's like as if the clouds are always ready to greet the visitors. 

You might wonder, where are all the restaurants??
I didn't post a lot of restaurants because I ate meals at home! We were staying at my uncle's new built house, and with my uncle & my mom cooking, I didn't feel the need to go out and buy food. Homemade food they made were super delicious! (hehe) 

Kimbap = Korean Sushi

Spicy rice cake with ramen & fish cakes

Hope you enjoyed this post on 6 fun spots to go in New Haven! Don't forget to hit the like button below and share it with your friends and family. Thank you so much! <3