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Best and Worst Connecticut Travel Times for Independence Day

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Best and Worst Connecticut Travel Times for Independence Day


AAA just released their annual report on 4th of July travel. The goal of the information dump is to make folks aware of the peak (worst) travel times for holidays. Some of this is common sense and other time periods may surprise you.

Connecticut has its own quirks that need to be accounted for but the national guidelines are pretty standard across the board. Here are the Best and Worst Travel times for this coming (2024) 4th of July holiday.

Best Travel Times By Car:

  • Monday July 1 – Minimal Traffic Expected All Day
  • Tuesday, July 2 – Before Noon
  • Wednesday, July 3 – Before Noon
  • Thursday, July 4 – Before Noon
  • Friday, July 5 – Before 10am
  • Saturday, July 6 – Before 10am
  • Sunday, July 7 – Before 11am
  • Monday, July 8 – After 7pm

Worst Travel Times By Car:

  • Tuesday, July 2 – 2-6pm
  • Wednesday, July 3 – 2-7pm
  • Thursday, July 4 – 2-7pm
  • Friday, July 5 – 11am-4pm
  • Saturday, July 6 – 10:30am-2:30pm
  • Sunday, July 7 – 2-8pm
  • Monday, July 8 – 1-5pm

I have done the 4th of July road trip so many times I can tell you horror stories that would melt your face. For many years I went to Florida for the week of the 4th of July. We would leave in the middle of the night, 2am, 3am, 4am. The years we fooled ourselves into thinking any kind of day driving would be OK, became a nightmare. Even if you leave at 6am, you hit monstrous traffic in the Washington D.C. area that brings you to a standstill for hours.

Crowded vehicle traffic and the only motorcycle in America

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Do yourself a favor, no matter which direction you are headed, take the AAA numbers and get even more extreme. If you can embark at 2am, you should. Happy 4th of July in advance, it is the single-greatest holiday we all celebrate.

Nude Beaches and Resorts in Connecticut and New England in 2024

The Five Most Popular Vehicles in Connecticut for 2024

Are you in the market for a new ride? Do you want to stand out from the crowd? Stay away from the following five vehicles, you’re going to look like everyone else in Connecticut. Here’s the five most popular vehicles for 2024, according to worldpopulationreview.com.

Gallery Credit: Getty Images

Rolling Stones Live Albums Ranked

Many of the band’s concert records can seem like quick cash grabs or stop-gaps between studio LPs, but there are gems to uncover.

Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci

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Connecticut

Made in Connecticut: Rochambeau Memorial Monument

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Made in Connecticut: Rochambeau Memorial Monument


This year, the U.S. celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The French were instrumental in our fight for freedom, and their march through Connecticut is being memorialized in a new sculpture. News 12 met with the artist in this week’s Made in Connecticut.



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Hibachi Grill Supreme Buffet In South Plainfield Offers Endless Delicious Options

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Hibachi Grill Supreme Buffet In South Plainfield Offers Endless Delicious Options


The Greater Danbury area isn’t exactly known as a buffet hotspot, but if you’re willing to venture beyond your zip code, the state delivers some awe-inspiring all-you-can-eat experiences. A recent “Only In Your State” feature crowned one buffet as the best in Connecticut — and that raised a very local question: Do any buffets near Danbury compare?

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The Top 5 Buffets in Connecticut

Topping the statewide list is the Pacific Buffet & Grill in Wallingford, celebrated by Only In Your State as Connecticut’s best. This place is the gold standard, known for its huge seafood selection, sushi bar, hibachi grill, and sheer variety. Crab legs, shrimp, steak, noodles — it’s all here, and it’s why people happily drive across the state for it.

Other standout buffets earning consistent praise include Osaka Hibachi Buffet in Stratford, loved for its cleanliness and sushi options, and Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet in South Plainfield, which boasts hundreds of rotating items and a popular cook-to-order hibachi station. Rounding out the top five are Imperial China Buffet in Watertown a dependable classic, and Royal Buffet Sushi and Grill in New Milford, which is especially important for Greater Danbury diners.

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So… What About Buffets Near Danbury?

Here’s the honest truth: Danbury doesn’t have a Pacific-level buffet. But there are a couple of respectable local options. Grand Century Buffet at 1 Padanaram Road remains the city’s most familiar buffet, offering a wide selection at reasonable prices. It’s not flashy, but it gets the job done.

Meanwhile, Agogo Asian & Sushi Buffet, 15-19 Backus Ave., has earned strong reviews for quality — especially sushi — even if the buffet itself is smaller than the state’s heavy hitters.


The Bottom Line

If you’re chasing Connecticut’s best buffet, it’s worth the drive. But if you’re staying local, New Milford and Danbury still offer solid options that satisfy the all-you-can-eat craving without a road trip.

7 of the Best Italian Restaurants in Greater Danbury For 2025

7 New Connecticut Restaurants to Get Excited About in 2025

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Here Are The Most Popular CTNewsJunkie Stories Of 2025 | CT News Junkie

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Here Are The Most Popular CTNewsJunkie Stories Of 2025 | CT News Junkie


The Connecticut Capitol Building around sunset on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Credit: Doug Hardy / CTNewsJunkie

As 2026 begins, Connecticut is gearing up another busy news year. The legislature is in session beginning next month, with numerous items up for consideration that could have an impact on residents. Also, Gov. Ned Lamont is seeking a third term and the entire General Assembly is up for election, which could alter the balance of power in Connecticut.

Also in 2026, new laws on housing, cancer screening, absentee ballots and more went into effect January 1.

But before we get too far into 2026, let’s take a look back at CTNewsJunkie’s biggest stories of 2025, as determined by our readers. In scanning the list of top 10 most-read stories, transportation, elections, new laws, a new state holiday and clean energy emerged as popular reads.

Speed camera
Fixed radar checking vehicles’ speed.
Credit: Olga Maksimava / Shutterstock

Transportation

It is easy to see what weighs most on readers’ minds, as transportation-related stories made up fully half of the 10 most popular stories list.

Four of the top 10 stories (#s 2, 3, 8 and 10 on the list) dealt with traffic cameras. What towns have been approved for them? What towns are applying? What are the rules for using them to enforce speed? How much revenue do they generate? These were all questions on the minds of readers.

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The fifth transit-related story, and sixth-most popular overall, dealt with the construction of the new Naugatuck Metro-North train station and overhaul of the surrounding area into a mixed-use community.

State governor signing bill
Gov. Ned Lamont hands a pen to David Pucino at a ceremonial bill signing of House Bill 7042 on August 7, 2025 at the State Capitol in Hartford, CT. Credit: Donald Eng

New laws

Two of CTNewsJunkie’s top 10 stories of 2025 dealt with new state laws. Our Dec. 19 story about new laws taking effect January 1 came in at #7, and a similar story in June about new laws taking effect July 1 ranked #9 for the year.

Offshore wind turbine
The first turbine of the Revolution Wind farm, completed Sept. 3, 2024 off the coast of Rhode Island. The turbine was manufactured by Siemens Gamesa of Zamudio, Spain. Credit: Contributed photo / Kate Ciembronowicz for Ørsted

Offshore wind

CTNewsJunkie’s coverage of the Revolution Wind project proved popular with readers, but only one story on that topic cracked the annual top 10. Published on Dec. 26, traditionally a slow news day, the story about four northeastern governors demanding a briefing on the alleged national security concerns of offshore wind generation drew enough interest to rank #5 on the annual list.

A diwali celebration scene
Connecticut has become the second state to recognize Diwali. Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

Light overcomes darkness

Connecticut gained a new state holiday in 2025, and readers made the story about the announcement the fourth-most popular story of the year.

Public Act 25-59 established Diwali as a state holiday. Connecticut is only the second state to recognize the Southeast Asian holiday celebrating the victory of light over darkness. The state holiday officially is the 15th day of the month Kartik in the Hindu lunar calendar. In the Gregorian calendar the holiday typically falls in September or October.

An election results map of Connecticut showing towns in blue, red, gray and orange
A map of Connecticut showing wins and losses by party in the 2025 elections based on unofficial results from the Secretary of the State’s office. EDITOR’S NOTE: This map was updated Nov. 13 and Andover and Bolton were updated with newly available information. Credit: Viktoria Sundqvist / CTNewsjunkie

Democrats roll in municipal elections

CTNewsJunkie’s most-read story of 2025, by far, was the Nov. 5 story detailing the results of the Nov. 4 municipal elections. Connecticut’s political landscape changed dramatically in one day, with 27 towns flipping from Republican to Democratic leadership. In contrast, one town — Easton — flipped the other way, with a Republican replacing an incumbent Democrat who did not seek reelection.

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At just over 36%, voter turnout was about 10% higher than average for an odd-numbered year.







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