Most people who have grown up in the United States have heard such phrases as "the village green" as part of descriptions of colonial life on the eastern seaboard. Very few of us, however, really understand the phrase. Large cities these days usually lack a village green, and their existence was really only prevalent in any case in New England. Visitors to the small eastern state of Connecticut, however, can see just what a village green was, as many of the small towns in the rural areas still feature one that was first set up centuries ago.
The most famous village greens are Lebanon Green, the largest in Connecticut, and Wethersfield Green, the very oldest. In these towns as in Litchfield and Simsbury, the green is a focal point of the village and is typically surrounded by quintessential reminders of New England life, such as a small white church with a steep gable roof, a colonial meeting house were early forms of democracy were practiced, and colonial houses preserved both as a symbol of the past and to educate guests to Connecticut about the state's history. Sometimes a tavern stands near the green as well.
Outside of these rural towns, Connecticut features thoroughly modern, urbanized cities and stretches of nature in which broadleaf forests consists of oak, hickory, and maple trees. Holiday rentals in Connecticut are scattered across the state, but given the small size of Connecticut, tourists can see a New England village green as well as the largest city and all in a single day.