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One of the Most Attractive Aspects of a
Fairfield County … Ridgefield …Wilton …Redding, CT, lifestyle is
the close proximity to many Great Attractions right here in
Connecticut!
Below are just a few of the Cultural,
Sports, Entertainment and Children's Attractions that are about 10 to 30
minutes away
The listing below consists of 35 places that
are of interest to kids of all ages. The list was gathered from the Hersam
Acorn Newspapers website (Publishers of the Ridgefield Press, Wilton Bulletin
and Redding Pilot) at
http://www.acorn-online.com/100thing.htm
. From there, click on attractions, select your preferences and create your own
list of things to do that suit your interests and those of your
family.
Enjoy!
The Aldrich Museum of
Contemporary Art, at 258 Main Street, Ridgefield
AppalachianTrail
hike
The
Audubon Center, at 613 Riversville Road in Greenwich. For information call
203-869-5272
The Barker
Animation Art Gallery and the Barker Character, Comic and Cartoon
Museum
The Barnum
Museum at 820 Main Street in Bridgeport. For more information call
203-331-1104
Baseball is alive and well in the
area:
The Bridgeport Bluefish (Atlantic League)
The Bridgeport
Bluefish play at Harbor Yard, just off I-95. Take Exit 27 and follow signs. For
ticket information, call 203-345-4800; or visit
http://www.bridgeportbluefish.com/
The New Haven
Ravens (AA St. Louis Cardinals affiliate)
The New Haven Ravens play
home games at the Yale Field off the Merritt Parkway in West Haven. For tickets
or information on schedules call 203-782-1666. The Web site is
http://www.ravens.com/.
The New Britain Rock
Cats (AA Minnesota Twins affiliate)
The Rock Cats may be found at
the New Britain Stadium in the Willow Brook Park Complex on South Main Street,
reached from I-84, Exit 35 or 39A. Call 860-224-8383. The Web site is
http://www.rockcats.com/.
The Hudson Valley
Renegades (NY-Penn Tampa Bay affiliate)
The Renegades play in
Dutchess Stadium on Route 9D; take I-84 Exit 11 in Fishkill. For more
information, visit the Web site,
http://www.hvrenegades.com/
or call 845-838-0094.
The Danbury
Westeners (New England Collegiate Baseball League)
To get to Rogers
Park take I-84 Exit 5 to Main Street; go south to its end. For a schedule, call
203-744-5874 or visit the Web site:
http://www.danburywesterners.com/
. For more information on the New England Collegiate Baseball League go to
http://www.necbl.org/.
The Bridgeport-Port
Jefferson Ferry provides a 75-minute cruise across Long Island
Sound.
From I-95 Eastbound take Exit 27 and go straight off the ramp to the
second light; turn right onto Lafayette Street and go under the railroad
bridge, then left on Railroad Avenue to the ferry access road. For information,
call toll-free 888-443-3779; for reservations, call 203-335-2040. The
Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Ferry Web site is
http://www.bpjferry.com/.
The Bronx Zoo is
off the Bronx River Parkway, in the Bronx, New York. For information and full
directions call 718-367-1010. The Web site is
http://www.bronxzoo.org/.
The Bruce
Museum is at 1 Museum Drive in downtown Greenwich, just off Exit 3 of
I-95; gift shop. For more information, call 203-869-0376. The Web site is
http://www.brucemuseum.org/
The Bush-Holley Historic
Site is at 39 Strickland Road in Cos Cob (Greenwich), 1/2 mile from
I-95 Exit 4. Phone 203-869-6899. The Web site is
http://www.hstg.org/.
Caramoor Center for
Music and the Arts in Katonah, N.Y., is known for its summer
International Music Festival. Take Route 35 to Route 22 in Katonah, go south to
Girdle Ridge Road; follow signs to Caramoor. For general information, call
914-232-5035; the box office number is 914-232-1252. Visit the Web site at
http://www.caramoor.com/.
The
Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticutoffers young visitors a
look at Long Island Sound in an extensive exhibit in the Discovery Room. Take
I-95 to Exit 72, turn left onto Route 156. The museum is 2.5 miles ahead on the
left, at 409 Main Street in Niantic. 860-691-1111 or visit
http://www.childrensmuseumsect.org/.
The Culinary Institute of
America on Route 9 in Hyde Park, N.Y., is the oldest culinary college
in the United States. Call 914-471-6608 weekdays 8:30 to 5. Public tours are
available. Call ahead for restaurant hours and reservations, or visit the Web
site, http://www.ciachef.edu/
where online reservations are available.
The Danbury
Railway Museum. There are "Rail Yard Local" rides on museum stock
Saturdays April to November as well as special holiday events, like the
"Haunted Railyard and Ride" Oct. 25-27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. (for children 4-12).
December brings Santa Trains in the Railyard, Dec. 14-15 and 21-22, as well as
the traditional Holiday Express to New York, a train just for museum passengers
direct to Grand Central, on Dec. 7. Visit the restored train station on White
Street. Take I-84 to Exit 5, to Main Street, south to White Street. For more
information, call 203-778-8337. The Web site is
http://www.danbury.org/org/drm.
Devil's Den in Weston,
owned by The Nature Conservancy, is Fairfield County's largest nature preserve.
Can be reached via Godfrey Road (off either Route 53 or 57) to Pent Road in
Weston. There are also trails that go into the preserve from Dayton Road in
Redding. For information call 203-226-4991, ext. 203 or write Box 1162, Weston
06883. The Nature Conservancy site with information on the Den is at
http://nature.org.
The Discovery
Museum in Bridgeport encourages hands-on learning. At the Discovery
Museum, youngsters are encouraged to reach out and touch many of the exhibits.
This is not just a place to go to see things. Instead, the Bridgeport museum on
Park Avenue is totally interactive, involving see-hear-touch exploration of the
arts and sciences in 115 exhibits. The Discovery Museum is at 4450 Park Avenue
in Bridgeport, close to the Park Avenue exit off the Merritt Pkwy., or I-95.
For information call 203-372-3521 or visit the Web site,
http://www.discoverymuseum.org/.
The Essex Steam Train
and Riverboat. The Valley Railroad in Essex offers train rides, which
can be combined with a riverboat cruise for a two and one-half hour excursion
through the Connecticut River Valley. Take I-95 to Exit 69; go north on Route 9
to Exit 3. Follow signs to 1 Railroad Avenue. For more information, call
860-767-0103 or visit the Web site,
http://www.valleyrr.com/.
Pick-your-own farms. There are four
Fairfield County farms that list themselves as pick-your-own: Bluejay Orchards
in Bethel (203-748-0119) has apples starting in August and a pumpkin patch in
October. The Jones Family Farms (203-929-8425) in Shelton have strawberries
followed by blueberries and pumpkins later on. White Silo Farm in Sherman
860-355-0271 has red, yellow and orange raspberries and thornless blackberries
starting Aug. 20. You can pick your own flowers at Warrups Farm in Redding
(203-938-9403) July through October; there are peaches in August and pumpkins
and hayrides in October.
The
Levitt Pavilion. For the 29th season, starting June 23, there will be
free entertainment under the stars at the Levitt Pavilion on Jesup Road next to
the Saugatuck River in Westport. Mondays are mostly dark, but the rest of the
evenings are themed: Sunday, it's Big Bands & Jazz; Tuesday, Dance/Military
Bands & More; Wednesday, Children's Series; Thursday, Classical &
Cabaret; Friday, Party Bands; and Saturday, Blues/Folk/Rock. The two ticketed
fund-raising events this season are Chuck Berry & Little Richard -The
Ultimate Legends of Rock 'n' Roll on July 18 and An Evening with Michael
Amante, America's Tenor on Aug. 24. Audiences arrive for concerts bearing lawn
chairs or blankets, and frequently also picnics. The Pavilion's The Dog House
offers refreshments for those who prefer to travel light. Among the favorites
appearing this summer will be the U.S. Coast Guard Band on July 4, playing
patriotic and show tunes. There is plenty of free parking and there are rain
dates for some of the concerts.
The Concert Hot Line is 203-221-4422; to
order a copy of the complete calendar send a #10 SASE to the Pavilion Office,
Parks & Rec. Dept., 260 Compo Rd., Westport 06880. The Web site is
http://www.levittpavilion.com/.
The Maritime
Aquarium at 10 North Water Street in South Norwalk is where visitors
can enjoy the antics of harbor seals and river otters, watch sharks or
loggerhead turtles, or wonder at the beauty of jellyfish floating in their
tanks. Exhibits are devoted to the creatures and habitats and history of Long
Island Sound, boats, and boat building. The setting is along the bank of the
Norwalk River, and Marine Life Study Cruises can extend visitors' experiences
out onto Long Island Sound (call for schedule). The featured special exhibit,
opening Oct. 12, will be The Robot Zoo. Eight larger-than-life robot
animals with their mechanical workings exposed to illustrate the workings of
their live counterparts will be on display, along with 12 interactive stations.
The IMAX theater shows films on its multi-story screen with a sound system
matching the huge visual impact. The Maritime Aquarium is open daily.
Admission is $9.25, adults, $8.50, seniors, and $7.50, children. With a
combination ticket (discounted), visitors can include the IMAX feature film.
Details
The Maritime
Aquarium is at 10 North Water Street, left off North Main Street on
Marshall Street to the parking lot in South Norwalk. Call 203-852-0700 or visit
http://www.maritimeaquarium.org/.
Mystic
Seaport, (properly The Museum of America and the Sea), houses the
largest collection of boats and maritime photography in the world in the
setting of a 19th Century seaport. The Museum of America and the Sea, known to
most people as Mystic Seaport, houses the largest collection of boats and
maritime photography in the world in the setting of a 19th Century seaport
village, where visitors can see demonstrations of trades such as blacksmithing
or sing along with a Mystic Seaport chantey man. The village Tavern serves
meals appropriate to its setting and the Buckingham-Hall House has
fireplace/open hearth cooking demonstrations. The most famous of Mystic
Seaport's vessels on site is the Charles W. Morgan, a whaler built in 1841, and
restored and preserved by the seaport. Mystic was the site for the building of
the Freedom Schooner Amistad, launched in 2000, commemorating the mutiny and
eventual freeing of Africans on a slave ship. The seaport has a planetarium and
a large collection of ship's models and scrimshaw, as well as the Henry B.
duPont Preservation Shipyard. Special programs are offered at the holidays; the
Seaport closes on Christmas Day.
The seaport is open daily, year-round,
except Christmas Day. Take I-95 North to Exit 90; follow signs. Grounds open
9-6, shops and exhibits, 9-5 (10-4, November through March). Admission is $17;
$9 for 6-12 years; under 6, free. Visit
http://www.mysticseaport.org/
or call 888-9SEAPORT.
Venamy Orchids, Brewster, N.Y. Walk
into Venamy Orchids and you've walked into the land of prom corsages. From the
flamboyant cattleyas to the understated elegance of the phalaenopsis (the moth
orchid), this is a little patch of paradise. With more than 15,000 specimens
and 400 varieties, if you can't find a plant you like, you're not
trying.
Venamy Orchids is located in Brewster, N.Y.,
north of the village of Brewster, on the right off Route 22. For more
information call them at 914-278-7111.
Performing Arts in Fairfield
(Connecticut) and Westchester (New York) Counties are rich in arts
opportunities, both visual and performing. Without traveling far, it's possible
to see a pre-Broadway run of a play or an off-off-Broadway production that's
traveled out of town.
For schedules, Stamford Center for the
Arts (203-325-4466),
http://www.onlyatsca.org/.
Regina
A. Quick Center for the Arts (toll-free, 877-ARTS-396),
http://www.fairfield.edu/quick/quick.htm.
Performing Arts
Center at Purchase College (914-251-6200),
www.artscenter.org.
Ridgefield
Playhouse (203-438-5795),
http://www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org/.
The Emelin
Theatre (914-698-0098),
http://www.emelin.org/.
Rhinebeck
Aerodrome A 1917 Fokker Triplane and Sopwith Camel skitter around the
sky as Sir Percy Goodfellow and the Black Baron of Rhinebeck duke it out in a
dogfight for the hand of Trudy Truelove during airshows on weekends beginning
June 16. There are more than 40 vintage aircraft from 1909 to 1935 to see at
the museum, which was founded more than 40 years ago by an aviation enthusiast,
Cole Palen, and continues as a nonprofit operation. Barnstorming rides in a
1929 biplane are offered weekends ($40/person, 15 minutes) and air shows are
only Saturday and Sunday, 2 to 4, June 15 to Oct. 13. Air show admission is $12
adults, $10 seniors, and $5 children. To visit the museum and grounds, Monday
to Friday, it's $6, $5 and $2.
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is at 44 Stone
Church Road, off Route 9, north of Rhinebeck, N.Y. For more information call
the aerodrome at 845-752-3200 or visit
http://www.oldrhinebeck.org/.
Sherwood Island State Park in Westport is a
popular spot for inland residents who crave sand and sunshine and salt water
and don't have a friend with a home on the Sound. Since most of the beachfront
on Long Island Sound is limited access, Sherwood's mile and a half of beach is
especially attractive. There's lots to do in the park, which has two large
picnic grounds, places for scuba diving, fishing and ball games. On weekends,
you might see kite-flying clubs in action, as well as radio-controlled model
planes. The park is open 8 a.m. to sunset; pets are not permitted. There is a
charge for parking from Memorial Day through September, $5 weekdays and $7
weekends for state residents.
The park is at I-95 Exit 18 in Westport; or
follow the signs from the Post Road East (Route 1). For more information, call
203-226-6983.
Sunnyside
the restored home of Washington Irving, author of Rip van Winkle and
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Sunnyside is reached from Route 9 in
Tarrytown, N.Y. For more information, call 914-631-8200 or visit the Historic
Hudson Valley Web site,
http://www.hudsonvalley.org/.
West Point, The United
States Military Academy. A consequence of the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks is that visitors can no longer drive onto the grounds of the United
States Military Academy of West Point, N.Y., and photo ID's will be required of
all adults (children must be accompanied by an adult) who go on the guided
tours. Open daily to the public are two attractions just outside the academy
gate: the Military Museum in the Pershing Center. The museum, originally opened
in 1854 with a collection that dates to 1777, is the oldest and largest
military museum in the country. Its hours are 10:30 to 4:15 daily.
To reach the U.S. Military Academy take
Route 35 west to the Bear Mountain Parkway; cross the Hudson and follow signs.
For information call 845-938-2638 or visit the Web site,
http://www.usma.edu/.
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