Science and nature attractions in Fairfield CT can enrich your vacation
Darien Nature Center
120 Brookside Road
Darien, CT
Phone: 203-655-7459
Open: Year-round, Monday - Saturday
This center has a natural walking trail and exhibits featuring live animals. Childrens programs are held year round. Free admission.
Devil's Den Preserve
33 Pent Road
Weston, CT
Phone: 203-226-4991
Open: Daily, year-round
More than 20 miles of hiking trails and several historical sites are featured on this preserve. Programs are scheduled throughout the year. No admission fee.
Earthplace
10 Woodside Lane
Westport, CT
Phone: 203-227-7253
Open: Year-round, daily except major holidays
Interactive natural history museum, hands-on exhibits for children,
live animals, trails, playground and a gift shop are all part of this
62 acre wildlife sanctuary. Admission: Adults and children older than 12, $7; children and seniors, $5. Grounds and outdoor bird enclosures free. Information: www.earthplace.org
Mianus River Preserve
Westover Road
Stamford, CT
Phone: 203-977-4692
Open: Daily, year round
Facilities for walking, hiking, biking and fishing. No charge for admission.
144 Oenoke Ridge
New Canaan, CT 06840
Phone: 203-966-9577
Dedicated to helping people of all ages better understand, appreciate and care for the world of nature
Take a fascinating look into the science and nature in the area. Set on 40 acres, the nature center features gardens and a solar-heated greenhouse, as well as many trails, exhibits, an arboretum, live animals, and a maple sugar shed.
Hours: Grounds open dawn to dusk daily; buildings and officer open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Donation requested.
Ordway Preserve
165 Goodhill
Weston, CT
Phone: 203-226-4991
Open: Daily, year-round
This preserve is home to an arboretum with 3 miles of walking trails. Special programs are scheduled on the site throughout the year. No admission fee.
Rolnick Observatory
182 Bayberry Lane
Westport, CT
Phone: 203-227-0925
Open: Year-round, Wednesday and Thursday evenings
Sponsored by the Westport Astronomical Society. Call ahead, no admission charge.
Stamford Museum & Nature Center
39 Scofieldtown Road
Stamford, CT 06903
Phone: 203-322-1646
Open: Monday-Saturday and holidays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Main Building galleries closed Mondays January to March.
Experience nature, science and the outdoors at this 118-acre site. Includes New England working farm, hiking trails, picnic area, nature's playground, boardwalk (accessible to wheelchairs), galleries for interactive exhibitions with hands-on area for children, two stores, special events, planetarium. Observatory Friday evenings (weather permitting). Admission: Adults, $6; seniors and children age 4 to 14, $5.
Weir Farm National Historic Site
735 Nod Hill Road
Wilton, CT
Phone: 203-834-1896
Open: Year Round; April - October, daily; November - March, Mon - Fri
A national park that was the impressionist artist J. Alden Weir's summer home. The park hosts many exhibits and special programs. Visitors can enjoy fishing, hiking and nature trails.
Woodcock Nature Center
56 Deer Run Road
Ridgefield, CT
Phone: 203-762-7280
Set on 146 acres, the nature center has numerous walking and hiking trails. The area offers great opportunities for birdwatching and observation of geology. Regular walks and programs are scheduled throughout the year. Gift shop on the premises.
Audubon Center of Greenwich
613 Riversville Road
Greenwich, CT
Phone: 203-869-5272
Open Year Round Monday - Sunday
This 285-acre nature sanctuary in the backcountry of Greenwich CT has 7 miles of walking trails, nature exhibit displays, a children's learning center, a nature gift shop and nature arts gallery. Nature programs year round for all ages, summer nature camp and school programs. Admission fee.
Bartlett Arboretum
151 Brookdale Road
Stamford, CT
Phone: 203-322-6971
Open: Daily, year round
Set on 63 acres. Visitors will find woodland and swamp environments, as well as a pond. There are several ecology trails, a swamp walk, library and greenhouse. No charge for admission.
Stratford, CT
We invite you to visit our site and sign our guestbook!
Bowman Observatory
Millbank and East Elm Streets
Greenwich, CT
Phone: 203-869-0376
Open: Year round, 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month
There is no charge for admission. Sponsored by the Astronomical Society of Greenwich.
Connecticut Audubon Society Birdcraft Museum
314 Unquowa Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
Phone: 203-259-0416
Open: Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
Historic (1914) museum highlights natural history of the state with dioramas, wildlife exhibits, and dinosaur footprints. Adjacent 6-acre sanctuary with trails. A National Historic Landmark, first nature center in America, on the Connecticut Women’s Heritage Trail. Admissions: Adults, $2; children, $1.
CT Audubon Society Nature Center
2325 Burr Street
Fairfield, CT
Phone: 203-259-6305
Open: Year round, Tuesday - Saturday
On this site visitors will find exhibits, a library and a gift shop. In addition, there is an injured bird compound where visitors can observe the treatment and recuperation of birds that have been harmed in the wild. The 160 acre Larsen Sanctuary has many trails that wind through the woods and around ponds, including walks for the blind, elderly and disabled.