Geneen,
Sorry, I didn't see this thread until now. I have a sister in school at Amherst College, which is about 40 minutes outside Hartford. Hartford, CT is the closest airport so I've been there, but haven't done anything too exciting. If you want to drive a little, my favorite town around there is Northampton (where Smith College is located). It has the CUTEST restaurants and bars. For Easter we went out to the restaurant at the Old Book Mill which is northwest of Amherst. It is the cutest place (there is a fabulous book store and the restaurant looks out over teh river and is amazing)!
Zagat also has a Connecticut guide. It might be a good way to find fun places and read accurate reviews.
Good luck!
Laura