You can accuse Connecticut of having a split personality. Is it a New England state or a suburban outpost of New York City?  It's both, just as it is both urban and rural, has a seashore teeming with boats of all descriptions and thinly populated rolling hills in the north.  As in the rest of New England, travelers will come across charming villages and lovely suburban areas, both meticulously maintained.  There's no use pretending that its proximity to the Big Apple doesn't affect its character, but whether this is an advantage or not is arguable. It's not such a bad thing to be able to sail on Long Island Sound one day and hop on the train for dinner and a show in Manhattan the next.

Connecticut can show you many sides. There's the wild side of the Connecticut River Valley, offering wilderness and fewer people, and on the coast a myriad of old towns like Mystic, Old Lyme and Old Saybrook, each offering the visitor a different experience.

You can pursue a range of interests from historical (the state was one of the original 13 colonies) to theatrical or other cultural activities, from water sports to hiking and biking.

Who goes there? All personality types visit Connecticut, and these live mostly in the U.S. Northeast.  When do they go? Summer time is high season for vacations in Connecticut, and the areas on the coast get crowded.

Charter a boat for deep-sea fishing. Most of the charter boats are in the New London area with others in the Bridgeport or Norwalk areas. Fly-fishing is another option.

Climb Bear Mountain (2,316 feet). Or, hike on the piece of the Appalachian Trail that runs through Connecticut. The state has many marked hiking trails, with names like Iron History Trail and Under Mountain Trail.

Go to the auto races, then take one- or two-day classes from the Skip Barber Driving School. Your training will be at the Lime Rock Park racetrack.

Choose one of several trails for mountain biking. If you are good, enter the Connecticut Point Series, a mountain bike championship set of seven races.

Dine at Randall's Ordinary in North Stonington, a colonial wayside inn and taproom that features authentic 17th century hearth cooking. Overnight there, as well.

Kayak on the rivers or in Long Island Sound. Whitewater rafting is an option, too.

Sign on for a Warbird Experience in Pawcatuck for flights in a classic World War II advanced trainer, the AT-6 Texan.  Flights that can be scenic journeys or combat-type flying rides.  Alternatively, you can go skydiving.

Snowboard and ski at Woodbury Ski & Racquet in Woodbury, among other resorts. Cross-country ski centers are available, too, but consider ski touring in one of 10 areas designated in the Connecticut State Parks and Forests.

Explore the control room and handle working periscopes during a tour of the U.S.S. Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine and first to reach the North Pole. It is part of the Submarine Force Museum in Groton.

Take an underground canoe trip. The three-hour guided journey takes you through miles-long tunnels on the Lost Park River which was buried under Hartford as a flood-control project.

See the Hartford homes of well-known Americans: Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," whose houses are side by side. Also, in West Hartford, see the Noah Webster House, the restored colonial birthplace of the author of the first American dictionary.

Participate in the annual Walking Weekend, held in October in the northeast part of the state. Dozens of guided walks, varying in difficulty, are offered over a three-day period.

Take a hot-air balloon ride over the river valleys of Connecticut. Many vendors include breakfast and champagne.

Plan an outing by bicycle; get your Connecticut Department of Transportation bike map online at www.ct.gov/dot (click on Maps).

Take in the theater. Hartford’s well-known venues are the Long-Wharf Theater and the Schubert. Outside the capital, consider the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven; the Westport Country Playhouse, or the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam. Some shows play in Connecticut theaters before they are taken to Broadway.

Ride 1920s train cars pulled by a steam locomotive, then board the riverboat Becky Thatcher to cruise on the Connecticut River. This is all part of the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat Ride attraction in Essex.

If it is in port, board the replica of the Amistad, the schooner made infamous by the on-board revolt of African slaves in 1839. Home port for the vessel is Long Wharf in New Haven. The Amistad is part of a driving route, called Connecticut Freedom Trail, focused on African-American history.

In autumn, visit www.tourism.state.ct.us/driving_loops/fall_loops_main.asp for driving routes to enjoy fall colors.

Enjoy trail rides on horseback, perhaps with Wild West cookouts (even if it is Connecticut) and overnight camping.

Build a driving trip around the lighthouses that dot Connecticut's shoreline. Take a ferry to visit the Sheffield Island Lighthouse, and cruise around the New London Ledge Lighthouse, said to have its own ghost.

Visit the quaint seaside towns of Mystic for its seafaring heritage; Old Lyme for art, and Old Saybrook for antiques — and all of them for their charms.

In the fall, take hayrides and pick your own apples and pumpkins at many farms and orchards. Walk the Corn Maze at Lymon Orchards in Middlefield.

Ride in antique trolleys at the Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor. Or, at the Allegra Farm & Horse-Drawn Carriage & Sleigh Museum in East Haddam, ride on a horse-drawn carriage.

Spend some quality time — and money — at the shopping outlets in Clinton and Westbrook.

Attend the Norwalk Seaport Oyster Festival in mid-September.

In Hartford, enjoy a buffet while cruising the Connecticut River aboard a vessel from the Lady Katharine Fleet.

Treat yourself to a weekend at one of several spas. You could go to Foxwoods Resort Casino (it’s huge) or Mohegan Sun and combine this with a little gaming time.

Take a walking tour of Yale University in New Haven.

Take a 40-minute wagon ride through the Bison Creamery Farm in Brooklyn (Connecticut, that is). As the name suggests, bison are the livestock.

For more information, consult Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism at www.CTvisit.com

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