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

Advance reservation, with timed ticketing, is required. Masks are required, but must not have an exhalation valve or vent.
The Bruce Museum, sitting high on a hill overlooking Greenwich Harbor, is both elegant and accessible. Changing exhibitions of both art and science are on view in the recently renovated main galleries, and in 2020 include a major show of works by noted Danish artist Laurits Andersen Ring and a science exhibition highlighting recent scientific discoveries through a combination of stunning imagery and real biological specimens. The museum’s permanent science galleries close in early 2020 for a year-long renovation in anticipation of the museum’s transformative expansion project, with groundbreaking on a building addition slated for fall 2020. The museum’s Seaside Center, in nearby Greenwich Point Park, hosts family activities special presentations on the first Sunday of the month that are free and open to the public.

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.

Connecticut Audubon Society’s Birdcraft Museum in Fairfield is an intimate natural history museum with its own songbird sanctuary. This family-friendly museum offers first-class natural history programs and exhibits to bird lovers of all ages. Planted in 1914 as a refuge to attract, and harbor migratory and resident birds, the six-acre site has sheltered more than 120 species of birds. A bridge over a pond on the property allows close-up views of the sanctuary and its inhabitants. Visitors can observe a honeybee hive, a collection of African animals, and other changing exhibits, and attend scheduled demonstrations of bird-banding in spring and fall. 203-259-0416.

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

One man’s extraordinary skills and whimsy led to the construction of this most unique house that’s not a house. The Glass House is a space divided into 14 structures instead of walls dividing a single interior into rooms. Built over 37 years on 49 acres in New Canaan, architect Philip Johnson gave each structure a different function. The Pavilion in the Pond is for gatherings and views of the rustic landscape. The Brick House was where Johnson read and slept. The stucco studio served as workplace and library. Grainger, a warm weather retreat had both air conditioning and a television. Certified as a National Trust Historic Site, it serves as a museum to Johnson's work and architectural style. Open May 1 to November 30.

Weir Farm National Historic Site on Nod Hill Road in Wilton is one of two national historic sites that preserves and displays a place for the visual arts. (The other is the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, New Hampshire.) From 1882 to 2005, Weir Farm was the home and workplace of three generations of painters, starting with J. Alden Weir. Visitors today can view the Weir home and studios, take guided walks of stone walls and painting trails, and enjoy the rotating art exhibits. In April 2020, the farm was featured in the newest coin produced by the U.S. Mint in its American the Beautiful Quarters program. The grounds are open year-round; hours at the Visitor Center vary seasonally. Phone: 203-761-9945

Stamford, just a hop and a jump from the New York border, is a beehive of antiques stores, and a place where antiques lovers could get lost and put a grave dent in the checkbook. Among the places that are named in the upper strata of Stamford antiques shops are Avery & Dash Collections on Jefferson Street; Stamford Modern on Pacific Street; Hamptons Antique Galleries on Canal Street; Hidden Galleries on John Street.

Greenwich Audubon Center at 613 Riversville Road in Greenwich offers lots of recurring classes and programs that encourage people of all ages and physical abilities to enjoy the center and its lessons about nature. All year round, the center offers activities like Nature Yoga with Brittani Kelly, emphasizing nature around us and the health of the environment; Family Yoga, which welcomes kids to join the experience; and Sensory-Sensitive Saturdays, welcoming people with extra sensitivities who would like to enjoy learning about nature in a quiet and soothing space. Check out the center’s events pages to learn more. These are great activities for cold-weather and warm-weather seasons.

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

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.