Gilmore Girls

Welcome to our Gilmore Girls page! If you’ve landed here we assume you must be a fan of the hugely popular television show!! You will know that Rory and Lorelai Gilmore made their home in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Although the charmingly quaint New England town is not on the Connecticut state map, its inspiration can be found throughout the Litchfield Hills region. Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of the Gilmore Girls, was inspired to create Stars Hollow by towns like Washington, New Milford, Bantam and Litchfield, and when she stayed at The Mayflower Inn.

Here at The Hickory Stick Bookshop we welcome hundreds of Gilmore Girls fans to the store every year, all looking to capture a little of the Gilmore Girls magic!

In the store we have a dedicated Gilmore Girls section, where you can pick up several Gilmore Girls cookbooks, books by Lauren Graham, and other Gilmore Girls keepsake items.

Below is The Hickory Stick's self-guided tour of the local areas that inspired Amy Sherman-Palladino when she was writing the show. Take a photo of your visit to The Hickory Stick Bookshop and tag @hickorystickbookshop when you share online!

The Hickory Stick Bookshop – No doubt Rory would have spent some serious time here shopping or volunteering (or looking for inspiration when texting her overseas boyfriend…).

Marty’s Café – This looks nothing like Luke’s, but you’ll get that social atmosphere that we all love about Luke’s Diner. Almost everyone in Marty’s knows each other and it’s the best coffee in town. Go there and just sit and observe for a little while!

The Washington Food Market – Doose’s Market located in the plaza right across from The Hickory Stick Bookshop, where our Town Hall is also located.

Five Janes – a really cute gift shop located right next to the food market with great Stars Hollow merch!

The Pantry – Back in the town center, you’ll find The Pantry. It’s a great little restaurant very akin to Weston’s (Where Lorelai and Rory go when they’re mad at Luke). Their food is delicious.

Titus Park and Garage – Right behind the Hickory Stick and next to The Pantry, you’ll find what could have easily been Gipsy’s garage. Worth the photo-op at least!

The Po Café – Just up the hill (Route 47) from us you’ll find The Po Café. Turn right just before the big white church onto Kirby Road. This is where you’ll get the aesthetic look of Luke’s Diner.

The Frederick Gunn School – Keep going past The Po Cafe on Kirby Road and you’ll find the Frederick Gunn School, the school that Chilton is based on.

Mayflower Inn & Spa – Head back to Route 47 and go down the hill. At the bottom on the left you’ll see the Mayflower sign. Welcome to The Dragonfly/Independence Inn! This is allegedly the hotel Amy Sherman-Palladino was staying in when she thought of the show. It’s beautiful and gorgeous. Feel free to stop and have brunch!

Stars Hollow Yarns – From the center of Washington head out of town along Route 47 (so the bookstore is on your right). At the junction with Route 202 head left towards New Preston. Keep going past the turning to NP (on the right) and shortly afterward you’ll find a yarn lover’s dream shop (on the left), which is also run by a diehard Gilmore Girls fan, Lisa! This shop is perfect for anyone who knits or crochets – or even just wants to try. Plus, they a have adorable pins and accessories, and yes, coffee.

The Gazebo – You’ll notice that we don’t have one in Washington Depot. For this, we suggest you head to New Milford - keep going down Route 202 and turn right onto Church Street (just past the CVS)! This will bring you into the middle of the green with the Gazebo right in front of you. New Milford is a great small town to explore as well.

At the bottom of this page you will find a file called Rory Reads List - this is a list of all the books that Rory read throughout the series. There are over 300 so if you want a new reading challenge, this is a great place to start! You can print off the list too!

Click here to visit explorewashington.com for even more Gilmore Girls information!

For more fun, follow and use the hashtag #RealStarsHollow on Instagram!