ROXBURY, CONNECTICUT: A haven of Connecticut charm, nestled between the quaint (but more bustling) towns of Bridgewater, Washington, and Woodbury, where there are restaurants and other excursions (e.g., antiquing in Woodbury). But Roxbury is defined by the lure of retreat: a town that’s authentic and timeless—and apart. (The population is around 2,300.) There are no stores beyond a gas station and a market, with one restaurant, Mamies, which is beloved and BYOB. Then, of course, there are Greyledge Farm and Maple Bank Farm,
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an agricultural gem that was established in the 1700s. Roxbury is protected, thanks to the Roxbury Land Trust, and boasts 32 preserves, including the Mine Hill Preserve: a 19th-century iron mine with four miles of trails that weave around caves and tunnels. Residents include Dustin Hoffman and Vanity Fair’s Graydon Carter and, in the past, have included Alexander Calder (above) and Marilyn Monroe, who said to her husband, Arthur Miller, of Roxbury: “I hate Hollywood. I want to live quietly in the country and just be there when you need me.”