10 Great Things to Do in Fairfield Connecticut for every age and taste

The Bruce Museum, sitting high on a hill overlooking Greenwich Harbor, is both elegant and accessible. Its impressive collections of paintings (including fine representatives of Cos Cob impressionism), sculpture, drawings, prints and photos, French art glass and pottery and decorative arts would wow any art-lover. History exhibits include one on American World War I posters. But then there is the science side, featuring exhibits on the natural world and environmental history, which means you might wander from a display of astonishingly colorful minerals to display cases with bird specimens. At the museum’s Seaside Center, there’s a marine touch tank for curious youngsters and a host of family activities. A dozen new exhibits a year insure there’s always something new to see.

At Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, Conn., we create an environment that inspires lifelong learning. Our museum offers engaging and educational exhibits with indoor AND outdoor experiences that give children, families and educators twice the space to discover, learn, and grow. Our Energy Lab includes hands-on exhibits that teach how the sun, the wind, the force of water, and the burning of fossil fuels produce energy. Tot Town is an imaginative world shrunk down to toddler level. Our Build It! exhibit lets children explore architectural design and construction. We've got tools they can use to pretend to finish walls, paint with brushes and rollers, apply carpeting, and more. After a visit, youngsters will see their world in a whole different way.

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens at 151 Brookdale Road in Stamford welcomes people every day from dawn to dusk to explore 12 gardens and many trails (with your dog, if you like), and to enjoy champion trees, gardens, wildflower meadows, red maple wetlands and boardwalks, and woodland walking trails. The arboretum’s Silver Center hosts art displays and summer concerts. Come for botany classes and doggy happy hours. Events, classes and concerts. Trail map. 203- 322-6971

Starting January 26, 2019, the Bruce Museum at 1 Museum Drive in Greenwich will display more than 100 original works of cartoon art, including comic strips, comic books, editorial cartoons, magazine cartoons, caricature, illustration and animation. The artwork is on loan from The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. The pieces on display will include an early editorial cartoon by the legendary political cartoonist Thomas Nast, a spectacular Prince Valiant Sunday page by Hal Foster, and a witty New Yorker gag by Peter Arno, as well as classic Peanuts, Doonesbury, and Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. Pictured here is Prince Valiant by Hal Foster 1951 © King Features Syndicate, Inc. Open daily except Mondays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Plan to bring your young ones – or adults with a love of exotic animals – to Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo at 1875 Noble Avenue in Bridgeport. One of the state’s top family attractions, the zoo displays 300 animals: condors, tigers, ocelots, wolves, a giant anteater and a golden lion tamarin. The zoo is open daily and the carousel is open Thursday through Sunday. Feed your brood at the Peacock Café then go on for further explorations. Special areas include a tropical rainforest, an aviary, and a New England farmyard. This is a great activity for bad-weather days. Zoo is open daily, year-round. 203-394-6565

Boothe Memorial Park & Museum on Main Street in Stratford sits on an idyllic, 32-acre site in the north end of Stratford by the Housatonic River, which was the estate of the Boothe family for many generations. There are many architecturally unique buildings and attractions on the grounds as well as a new, handicapped-accessible playground with two climbing walls. The annual Great Pumpkin Festival is a huge attraction in the fall, while outdoor concerts and Shakespearean plays beckon visitors in the spring and summer. Tours of the historic buildings are seasonal (May - October). The park is open and free of charge year round. 203-381-2046.

With about 200 antiques dealers under one roof, the Stratford Antique Center on Honeyspot Road is a place where antiques buffs can become blissfully lost. The center is located off I-95 in Stratford and is locally known as the “big blue building.” It houses 16,500 square feet of antiques and collectibles. Browsers will enjoy the numerous dealer floor spaces and display cases, making this a great shopping attraction for anyone looking for things to do on an afternoon or weekend. 203-378-7754.

Every scenic drive in Connecticut is just a little bit better when you travel with some tasty bites of fine chocolate.? Chocolate is an internationally adored food, and Connecticut's chocolatiers will show you why -- if you're not a chocaholic already! Connecticut's Chocolate Trails include lots of delectable treasures all over the state. From handmade holiday chocolates, to freshly-made exotic deliciousness, this list of chocolatiers is a must-taste New England tradition. Just follow the map!

The folks who run Stamford Museum and Nature Center at 39 Scofieldtown Road Stamford have a genius gene for making farm life, the outdoors, nature and the sky a fascinating adventure for young children and families. The science and nature attraction is on a 118-acre site and it encompasses a working farm, hiking trails, picnic area, a playground, art galleries, and a planetarium with observatory and regularly scheduled events describing the heavens above. Many special seasonal events and things to do for families include maple harvest, Easter egg hunts, and fall activities. Property includes the Bendel Mansion & Galleries. Open all year, with hours change seasonally. Phone: 203-322-1646.

The Audubon Center at 613 Riversvile Road in Greenwich, CT, offers indoor and outdoor attractions and fun by people who are experts on nature and wildlife. The 295-acre sanctuary has miles of trails near a hardwood forest, fields, a lake, streams and ponds, stone walls, and homestead buildings. If the weather invites you indoors, the Kimberlin Nature Education Center building has Kiernan Hall Nature Art Gallery with its wildlife viewing window and honey bee hive exhibit, and a Nature Gift Store. 203-869-5272