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.
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.