Home of the Yale “bulldogs”, and an ancient architecture that resembles that of European descendants, the bustling city of New Haven, Connecticut might be small but has plenty to offer on a weekend get away.

Here is my list of best places and things to do on a quick trip to New Haven.

1. Wander around the Yale University campus

Yale University, located at the north side of New Haven is the third oldest college in the United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is now one of the most prestigious colleges in the world. If you wanna know more facts look at their website.

The College itself is pretty spread out but an easy walk around the city and some beautiful sights to see. I feel like most American cities are more modern with skyscrapers and digital displays everywhere. But this city just feels European, and if you’ve ever been to Europe then you know exactly what I’m talking about. Big towering cathedral like structures, all laid in brick or stone. It really was a beautiful sight to see.

2. Go to the It Adventure Ropes Course

The It Adventure Ropes Course brought me back to my younger days! Honestly, looking up at the course I was imagining how “brave” and easy this course was going to be. Well boy was I wrong! This is a lot higher than it seems and definitely gave me the butterflies the entire hour I spent in there.

But overall it was a very enjoyable experience and it would be a very fun outing if you have kids. The course was around $20 per person for an hour on the course and the zipline. For an additional charge you could add on the climbing walls and platform jump. Also if you have smaller children they offer a little kids course for children under 48 inches.

3. Eat

I am sure there are just as many great restaurants in New Haven as there are in the next city, but I only went to two of them so do your research before you go.

First, I went to Cajun Boiled Seafood on Church street for dinner. This place was surprisingly empty for a Saturday night and the food was delicious! Being that the restaurant is located in the northeast you could expect good crab but the authentic cajun flavoring was a nice surprise and delicious as well. They have daily specials so make sure to look ahead before you go.

Second, the following morning I headed out to get breakfast. Now if you really want to judge a city.. see how good there breakfast is! I went to a place called G Café Bakery Ninth Square. I ordered the french toast and it was delicious, served nice and fluffy, with fresh fruit, and syrup on the side. They also have a variety of coffee and small pastries or sandwiches.

4. Check out the local nightlife

The city of New Haven is in no doubt.. a college town! With that comes your obvious amount of girls with to little clothing and no jacket, and 3 of every 4 guys has a preppy hat on backwards like going to an Ivy League school isn’t enough. Even through all of that, there are still plenty of places in the downtown area to hang out and grab a drink.

I personally started at a place called Barcade on Orange St. It is exactly as it sounds, a bar full of arcade games. Mostly old school nostalgic type games like Donkey Kong, Galaga, Centipede, and a variety of pinball machines.

As the night moved on, I headed a few blocks over and found my way to Chacra-Pisco bar. This is a Peruvian bar and restaurant that plays Latin music the entire night, with a mixture of Reggaeton and Salsa for those who want to dance.