Concerts
 

Harbor Yard
(Bridgeport)
 

   Levitt Pavilion
(Westport)

It's hard to decide what's more incredible about the Harbor Yard Arena:  the fact that it regularly hosts top names like James Taylor, John Mayer, and the Boston Pops, or the way that each of its 10,000 seats has a prime view of the stage (no more than 26 rows from the arena floor). Either way, Connecticut's top entertainment destination is well worth the 20 minute drive from Norwalk. (their site) (directions)

For nearly four decades, the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts has done the seemingly impossible:  presented a beautifully landscaped amphitheater on the banks of the Saugatuck River, graced it with perfect acoustics and world-class lighting, brought in talents like Huey Lewis & The News, Tony Bennett, and Willie Nelson, and done it all for . . . free (even the parking's gratis). Every June through August, Levitt's open-air festival offers 50 to 60 nights of music for audiences seated on blankets and lawn chairs. (their site) (directions)

Exercise
 

Norwalk City Hall
 

SoNo Field House
(South Norwalk)
 

Just a few minutes' walk from the Norwalk Inn, City Hall's expansive back lots feature a quarter-mile, cinder-based walking track and a baseball diamond frequently used by the Babe Ruth League and high schoolers. (their site) (directions)

With more than 52,000 square feet of function space, the SoNo Field House has more than enough room for full-field contests in football, soccer, and lacrosse, not to mention a 1,500 square foot rock-climbing area and ropes-challenge course. The venue rents itself out for team-building events, so it also features corporate-level conference rooms, party rooms, and a video lab. (their site) (directions)

Norwalk Cove Mini-Golf (South Norwalk)
		Cove Mini-Golf offers 18 holes of all-ages play along with the wide waterfront views and amenities of Calf Pasture Beach, less than a mile and a half from the hotel. Costing only $5 per round, the immaculate, recently renovated course is both tricky enough to challenge adults and clever enough to intrigue kids. (their site) (directions)

Festivals

Lockwood-Mathews Mansion
Old Fashioned Flea Market
(Norwalk-  Late Aug./Late Sept.)
 

Norwalk Boat Show
(Late Sept.)

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion is itself a work of art, so it's only appropriate that its grounds annually hosts more than 60 vendors displaying prized antiques along with an array of classic cars, including a 1924 Model T, a 1931 DeSoto Roadster and a 1956 Chevrolet. Those who venture over to the free event in either late August or September can also take in dixieland band performances. (their site) (directions)
 

 The Norwalk Boat Show is, first and foremost, an awesome display of the latest in-water ships and related gear, but over the decades the event has morphed into a more general-interest fair, one featuring shipping seminars, historical displays, a kid's cove, free 30-minute sailing rides on Long Island Sound and some of the best seafood around. There's a $12 general admission fee, but that doesn't prevent the Boat Show from attracting more than 30,000 marine enthusiasts per year. (their site) (directions)
 

Oyster Festival
(South Norwalk- 
1st Weekend After Labor Day)

   Round Hill
Highland Games
(Norwalk-  4th of July Weekend)
 

Our hometown's single most popular gathering is New England's version of a state fair, one featuring over 100 arts & crafts booths, top-name musicians, children's rides and palate-pleasing foods. The Oyster Festival takes place on the first weekend after Labor Day and is especially notable for the various maritime exhibits, vintage vessels and harbor cruises celebrating Norwalk's past as 'the Oyster City'. (their site) (directions)

Taking place during the All-American 4th of July weekend, Round Hill is an all-Scottish salute to traditional Highland dancing, bagpipe concerts, heavy athletic contests, and distinctive foods. Cranbury Park's annual festivities are unique as any clan's kilt-  where else can a kid have his picture taken with photo cutouts of the Loch Ness Monster, a Scottish chieftan or a beheaded Queen of Scotland? (their site) (directions)

Gaming
 

Kid Stuff
 

Maritime Center
(South Norwalk)

   Silverman's Farm
(Easton)

The acclaimed Maritime Center has enough displays to offer the dedicated adult visitor days of fascination, but the famed aquarium also makes a special effort to cater to youngsters through regular seal feedings, go-fish exhibits, 3-D movies and, during the summer months, daily educational cruises on the Long Island Sound. (their site) (directions)

Silverman's Farm is well-known for offering first-class hayrides, fruit-picking, farm-fresh products and bluegrass band concerts, but the Easton, CT destination's most famed feature is a rustic barn area that allows supervised kids to pet and feed exotic animals ranging from buffalo & llamas to pygmy goats & cattle. (their site) (directions)

Movies
 

IMAX Theatre
(South Norwalk)
 

Local Multiplexes
(Norwalk, Westport)

There's no cinema experience quite like the IMAX experience-  the Maritime Center-based theatre projects crystal-clear images and surround-sound audio toward a gigantic screen that's wider than two tractor-trailer trucks parked nose-to-tail. IMAX is best known for documentary films like 'Everest' and 'Island of the Sharks' but in recent years it's also shown Hollywood hits like 'Avatar', 'Star Trek' and 'The Dark Knight'. (their site) (directions)

 The Norwalk Inn is within a ten-minute drive of four area movie houses, each of them screening several first-run movies.(their site)

Museums
 

Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
(New Canaan)
 

   Lockwood-Mathews
Mansion Museum
(Norwalk)
 

Founded in 1964, the Aldrich was one of this country's first museums devoted exclusively to the exhibition of contemporary Expressionist masters like Gary Lichtenstein, and today it's carried on that proud tradition with newly-renovated galleries that also accommodate a sculpture garden, screening room, performance area and museum store. Located in Ridgefield's historic main street and housed in an award-winning building, the Aldrich is stunning in both for its contents and its environs. (their site)  (directions)

Fairfield County has more than its share of contemporary mansions, but none impress quite the same as the Lockwood-Mathews-  the Civil War-era estate is widely considered to be America's first true mansion. Those taking the daily $10 tours will discover a 62-room Second Empire-style estate that's been fully restored with glorious interiors and period furniture equal or superior to more well-known Newport, RI counterparts. (their site) (directions)

              Nature

                          
                          Earthplace                                                                                     Maritime Center
                          (Westport)                                                                                      (South Norwalk)
 

For a $7 adult admission ticket one can visit a Westport-based 'nature discovery center' that houses live animals for public viewing, shows wildlife dioramas and maintains more than 62 acres of woodlands with walking trails, picnic areas, kids' playgrounds, butterfly gardens and a gift shop. (their site) (directions)

 One of America's greatest aquariums expertly presents more than 1,000 types of marine animals and sea ships, with prime attractions ranging from sharks & turtles to schooners & mini-submarines. For those seeking a more outdoorsey appreciation of the Long Island Sound, the Maritime Center also launches daily summer cruises. (their site) (directions)
 

Norwalk Town Green

Parks

Cranbury Park
(Norwalk)

Sheffield Island Lighthouse
(Westport)

Cranbury Park originated in the wooded groves surrounding the 80-year old Gallaher Mansion and in the years since its lush 220 acres have come to feature biking trails, picnic pavilions, frisbee courses and playgrounds. The Mansion is often utilized for weddings and the Park is the site of the annual Round Hill Highland Games. (their sites here and here) (directions)

 In the late 1800's Sheffield Island illuminated the Long Island Sound for passing sailors. In the early 2000's the popular landmark enlightens summertime visitors through historic tours, sweeping skyline views, a nearby wetlands nature refuge and a program of regular clambakes. Ferry tickets to the Lighthouse range from $5-22 and reservations are recommended. (their site) (directions)

Shopping

Stew Leonard's
(Norwalk)

   SoNo Shopping
(South Norwalk)

Dubbed 'the Disneyland of Dairy Stores' by the New York Times, Stew Leonard's lives up to that extraordinary label by supplementing customers' shopping experience with costumed characters, animatronic figurines, petting zoos, outdoor cafes and free food samples. Tourist groups from Europe to China have been known to venture to Stew's, one of the most family-friendly, entertaining stores in the world. (their site) (directions)

Within the space of a mere few blocks the SoNo district offers a world of shopping options, supplementing traditional outlets with more unusual stores devoted to the likes of imported coffees, bead jewelry, Dutch goods, chinaware and fine lamps. (their site) (directions)

SoNo District
 

SoNo Neighborhood
 

   SoNo Dining
 

Southern Norwalk's downtown, widely known as the 'SoNo', is a small, compact district with a big variety of classy restaurants, shops and clubs along with a nearby Metro North rail station, post office, bank and cinema. Those seeking to get away from the bustle often stroll over to Oyster Shell Park or the Norwalk River, where they can view the harbor's wildlife and thriving marinas. (their site) (directions)

The SoNo district brings New York-style variety into our little corner of Connecticut, with a few square blocks featuring American, Cuban, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Mexican and Spanish dishes for the hungry clientele. (their site, the sites for Barcelona, Strada 18, and The Brewhouse)

Sports
 

Bridgeport
Bluefish
 

   Bridgeport
Sound Tigers

 The Bridgeport Bluefish may be affiliated with the independent minor leagues, but the team brings big league-quality to its newly-built ballpark, concessions, merchandise, all the trappings of a National Pastime outing. The 'Fish play almost 70 home games from early April to late September and, for the price of a $5-10 per seat, most fans can readily gain an autograph from one of the pro players.(their site) (directions)
 

 The Sound Tigers may be a minor league affiliate of the New York Islanders, but any one of their 40 home games can feature furious hockey action on the level of the NHL'ers. Tickets for their Harbor Yard games go for $19.50 and up. (their site) (directions)

Theatre
 

Ridgefield Playhouse
 

   Westport Country Playhouse
 

The Ridgefield Playhouse is outstanding in the way it's hosted world-famous music acts like Natalie Cole and staged kid-friendly productions like 'Peter and the Wolf', but it truly sets itself apart in staging beloved operas like Verdi's 'Don Carlo' and Wagner's 'Ring' cycle. Well worth the beauteous 30-minute drive from the Inn. (their site) (directions)

The Westport Country Playhouse is the home of a state-of-the-art 578-seat theatre devoted to the year-round production of contemporary and classic plays, with the upcoming season featuring works by Tennessee Williams and William Shakespeare, among others. The recent multi-million dollar renovation of its iconic 'red barn' was a passion of the late Paul Newman. (their site) (directions)

Worship
 

Congregation Beth-El
(Norwalk)

   St. Paul's on the  Green
(Norwalk)

This conservative Jewish temple offers daily services under the direction of Rabbi Joseph Ron Fish. (their site) (directions)

St. Paul's was founded way back in 1737, but its leaders have a decidedly 21st century approach to Episcopal religion-  their liturgies are replete with incense, music, and informal clothing, a style the congregation affectionately refers to as "smells, bells and sneakers." The church, which also promises "sermons that you can actually remember the next day," holds several services every Sunday. (their site) (directions)