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The Dinosaur Place at Nature's Art Village - Montville, CT - Encounter over 40 life-sized dinosaurs!

Fun for children and families, from riverboats to dinosaur hiding places

Connecticut > State > Families and Kids > Family Activities

Family activities in Connecticut include things as diverse as tracking evidence of dinosaurs to exploring a shipbuilding village of 1830 to visits with Beluga whales. The state boasts lots of child-oriented and science-oriented museums that will keep kids occupied for hour after hours. There is lots to do, indoors and out, in all seasons of the year. Lots of resorts and hotels and inns welcome kids with family friendly lodging.

Family Activities in Connecticut
Riverbank Family 500x250 - Essex Steam Train & Riverboat - Essex, CT
Essex Steam Train & Riverboat

One Railroad Avenue Essex, CT, 06426 Phone: 860-767-0103 Toll-Free: 800-377-3987

Much more than a Choo Choo

Climb aboard the only steam train and riverboat connection in the U.S! Kids will enjoy riding in the vintage coaches alongside farms, ponds, and boat yards, and spotting swans, ducks, and egrets. The 12-mile, narrated roundtrip brings passengers to Deep River Landing, where the riverboat continues the adventure with a 1¼-hour cruise on the breathtaking Connecticut River. The steam train returns visitors to Essex station. Throughout the year, there are several special events specifically for kids: In April and May, Day Out with Thomas; mid-November through December, Santa Special (daytime) and North Pole Express (nighttime). Please check our website regularly for 2020 schedules and updates.
Rooster Fish - Bruce Museum - Greenwich, CT
Bruce Museum

One Museum Drive Greenwich, CT, 06830 Phone: 203-869-0376

Dinosaur tracks and mechanical banks: lots for kids to see at this lively museum

Advance reservation, with timed ticketing, is required. Masks are required, but must not have an exhalation valve or vent.
What is there for kids to see at the Bruce Museum, where art collections and science collections sit side by side? Through November 2020, the Museum's science exhibition, "Under the Skin," highlights a dozen recent discoveries through a combination of remarkable imagery and real biological specimens. And in December 2020, we open a wonderful exhibition featuring the captivating work of Maurice Sendak. Over at the museum’s Seaside Centereach summer, there’s a variety of family activities as well as a marine tank where kids can get a feel for some of the creatures that live in the region’s waterways.
California Sealion Show 500x250 - Mystic Aquarium - Mystic, CT
Mystic Aquarium

55 Coogan Boulevard Mystic, CT, 06355 Phone: 860-572-5955

A must SEA for every family

A destination for kids of all ages, Mystic Aquarium provides families the opportunity to learn about their ocean planet all while having fun! With thousands of marine animals including beluga whales, penguins, seals, fish, frogs, alligators and more – Mom, Dad and each of the kids will have their own Aquarium favorite. Hands-on exhibits welcome curious children to touch sharks, stingrays and even some exotic reptiles. Daily complimentary sea lion shows provide a truly unique opportunity to see these fascinating animals up-close and in action. You can even take in a 3-D show at one of our two theaters. And, come face to claw with animatronic dinosaurs in ‘Jurassic Giants’ – that is, if you dare! Plus, special events and activities all year long make the Aquarium a destination worth revisiting often. SEA more at MysticAquarium.org.
Photo for Family Activities 500x250 - IT Adventures - New Haven, CT
IT Adventure Ropes Course

40 Sargent Drive New Haven, CT, 06511 Phone: 203-812-9981

An adventure for everyone in the family at this fun, challenging ropes course

An adventure awaits family members of all ages at the It Adventure Ropes Course inside Jordan’s Furniture. The world’s largest indoor ropes course includes more than 100 exciting challenges, from crisscross angled rope ladders and zig-zag swinging beams to cargo nets and tricky bridges. And, zip rails that sit at heights up to 56 feet let you fly over a liquid fireworks water show from one end of the course to the other. A full-body harness and sling line keeps you connected the entire time. For children under 48 inches tall, there’s the fun Little It course, with platforms less than three feet above the ground and adult chaperones nearby to lend assistance if needed.
Railroad Museum of New England - Thomaston, CT - We are On Track for 2021!
The Dinosaur Place at Nature's Art Village - Montville, CT - Encounter over 40 life-sized dinosaurs!
Strawberry Patch Kids 500x250 - Bishop's Orchards - Guilford, CT
Bishop's Orchards

1355 Boston Post Road Guilford, CT, 06437 Phone: 203-453-2338

Find fantastic family fun and support your local farmer

Almost nothing beats family fun like picking up fresh produce right from the farm. Open year-round, Bishop's Orchards continues a 144-year tradition on 313 acres where you can pick strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, pears, apples, and pumpkins. The farm market has grown from a roadside stand to a wholesale supplier of fruits and vegetables to New York and New England. It’s also a thriving retail market, fully operating bakery, specialty food grocer and most recently, a winery. The kids will love the llamas, alpacas and goats and the G-Scale train with cars from the NYNH Railroad circling overhead. Get your farm fresh produce and an authentic farm experience at the same time. Look for the "big red apple" known far and wide.
Gallery Family2 - 500x250 - Connecticut River Museum - Essex, CT
Connecticut River Museum

67 Main Street, Steamboat Dock Essex, CT, 06426 Phone: 860-767-8269

Inside and out, lots to fascinate and entertain families along our riverbank!

There are so many things to do outside at the family-friendly Connecticut River Museum – winter cruises to see majestic bald eagles, sailing adventures aboard the 1614 replica ship Onrust, strolling the harborside grounds, walking to historic Essex Village for lunch – that you might forget to go inside. But don’t! The kids will love to examine the handmade tools used for fishing and hunting in and along the river, old navigation tools, the model train layout set up every fall, the three-story river mural that snakes up and down staircases and the model of the very cool Turtle, the first submarine to be used in combat (during the Revolutionary War).
Everybody Can Help - Argia Mystic Cruises - Mystic, CT
Argia Mystic Cruises

75 Steamboat Wharf Mystic, CT, 06355 Phone: 860-536-0416

Haul Away! Bring the whole family sailing.

Sail away aboard the traditional sailing schooner Argia for a journey into the past. The adventure begins as the Ship's horn blows and you depart from Mystic's historic Bascule Bridge, a national historic landmark. As the ship travels down the Mystic River, join the crew in raising sail the old-fashioned way...or lend a hand steering the ship! Morgan Point Lighthouse and the quaint fishing village of Noank greet you at the river’s mouth, followed by islands and peaceful sailing.

May 1st through mid-October, choose a day or sunset cruise aboard ARGIA!
Stepping Stones Museum for Children Lighted pegboard Norwlak CT
Stepping Stones Museum for Children

Mathews Park - 303 West Avenue Norwalk, CT, 06850 Phone: 203-899-0606

Currently Closed - We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, Conn., our mission is to inspires lifelong learning. We do that with fun and fascinating exhibits and outdoor spaces. Wander about our garden and listen while whimsical sculptures use sun, wind, and water power to produce musical sounds. In our Energy Lab kids are mesmerized by a raceway powered by water, or when balls are whisked away down a wind-powered maze. They'll learn about evaporation first hand by painting with brush and water, and then seeing their paintings disappear. We have exhibits designed for all ages ten and under, including toddlers and infants. Adults will be fascinated, too.
Bluefish Girls 500x250 - Black Hawk Party Boat - Niantic, CT
Black Hawk Sportfishing

Sailing from the Niantic Bay Marina Niantic, CT, 06357 Phone: 860-448-3662 Toll-Free: 800-382-2824

Fishing excursions, nature cruises fun-filled activities for the whole family

It’s no wonder that dozens of the “regulars” at Black Hawk Sportfishing out of Niantic, Conn., are kids. Fishing cruises are fun-filled activities for the whole family, and there’s no minimum age for children. Experienced captains take you out on one of the fastest, safest and most comfortable boats of its kind in New England to catch everything from stripers and bluefish to cod, fluke and tuna. Bring a cooler or grab a burger, a soda and snacks on board. The kids might even get a chance to honk the horn or win a t-shirt! Or, if you’re not up for fishing, take a nature cruise, seal cruise, eagle-watch cruise or sunset cruise. Private charters for kids’ birthday parties are available.
Atractions Outdoor Adventure - The Dinosaur Place at Nature's Art Village - Oakdale CT
The Dinosaur Place at Nature's Art Village

1650 Hartford-New London Tpke. (Rt. 85) Oakdale, CT, 06370 Phone: 860-443-4367

Something fun for everyone, from a Splash Pad to a dinosaur trail, at this adventure park

From the tiniest tots to young-at-heart adults, there is something for everyone to do, and love doing, at The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art Village. At the Splash Pad, a zero-depth water playground, there’s a separate area for infants to toddlers, while older kids will love the water cannons, dino rib cage waterfall and dumping buckets. Over at T-rex Tower, obstacles include zip lines, slides and bridges. There’s also a tricky dino maze and, of course, the 50 life-sized dinosaurs who inhabit 1.5 miles of easy-to-travel trails (and caves!). Adults will also enjoy Copper Creek Mini Golf and the variety of shops, from those selling fossils and minerals to an ever-changing antiques marketplace.
Beardsley Zoo

1875 Noble Ave. Bridgeport, CT, 06610 Phone: 203-394-6565

This zoo exhibits hundreds of animals, from tigers to monkeys and everything in between. Habitats for children to explore include a South American rainforest and a New England farmyard. For quite time, there is a picnic grove, carousel, Victorian greenhouse, and café. Summer programs include Animal Tales and A Day at the Ocean.
Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center

10 Deerfield Lane Ansonia, CT, 06401 Phone: 203-736-1053

This nature center is a wonderful place for kids to run, play, climb, explore, and also learn about nature. There is a large variety of interesting activities. Open daily, year-round. See full description of Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center.
Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

10 North Water St. Norwalk, CT, 06854 Phone: 203-852-0700

Kids and parents can visit nose-to-nose with sharks, seals, river otters, wrinkly sea turtles, and stinging jellyfish. Educational public cruises, changing exhibits, a working boat shop, hands-on touch tanks, toddler play area, and an IMAX movie theater with a screen that’s six stories tall make this a place of seafaring adventure.
The Bushnell Park Carousel

Jewell Street at the Memorial Arch Bristol, CT, 06010 Phone: 860-585-5411

Kids and adults both are entranced by this hand-carved carousel with 48 horses, two chariots, stained glass windows, mirrors reflecting 800 twinkling light bulbs, and a Wurlitzer band organ. Open May to October, Tuesday to Sunday; September and October, Thursday to Sunday. Call for seasonal changes in hours.