Did you know? ‘The Stepford Wives,’ ‘Swing Shift,’ ‘Desperately Seeking Susan,’ ‘Scenes from a Mall The Ice Storm,’ ‘The Thomas Crown Affair,’ ‘Tough Enough,’ ‘My Life is a Sitcom,’ and ‘Stateside’ were all filmed in Fairfield County.
Westport: New England in tradition and cosmopolitan in outlook
Just a few minutes down Post Road is the waterfront town of Westport. Bordered by Norwalk, Weston, Fairfield and the Long Island Sound to the south, Westport was also the location of the book “The Stepford Wives” and the fictional home to Darrin and Samantha Stevens in the TV series “Bewitched.”
Boasting numerous upscale shopping opportunities and several types of restaurants, Westport is a booming community with a lot to offer.
Feel the urge to splurge? Westport is home to big-name retailers such as Guess and J. Crew but also has several smaller boutiques, including Wishlist and Top Drawer.
The quaint and inviting downtown dsitrict is a perfect place to wile away Saturday afternoons and spend some of your hard-earned summer cash.
For the more theater-minded, Westport is also home to the acclaimed Westport Country Playhouse. Offering several types of plays and performances for all audiences, the Playhouse is a perfect place to indulge your creative side.
Westport is a great place to share a meal with visitors or that special someone. Positano’s is an upscale Italian/Mediterranean café on Post Road, while Tavern on Main has great seafood and other New England fare. Blue Lemon, located at 7 Sconset Square, is a perfect choice if you’re in the mood for eclectic, new American cuisine.
If you’re in the middle of shopping and are just looking for a quick bite to eat, Oscar’s is a deli right on Main Street that has been around for more than 25 years.
If it’s sushi you’re craving, Sakura, located at 680 Post Rd., is the place to go. Try the spacious bar if the wait is a little long.
A bustling town of about 27,000, Westport is a close and entertaining weekend trip.
New Haven: It All Happens Here
Did you know? Louis’ Lunch in New Haven claims to be the creator of the hamburger in 1900 when the cook put a beef patty between two slices of white bread for a customer in a hurry
Most notably the home to the prestigious Ivy League Yale University, New Haven is a college city with a lot to offer.
It is the second largest city in Connecticut, trailing only Bridgeport in population, and is nicknamed the Elm City because of its wealth of elm trees.
Ranked as one of the most walkable and pedestrian-friendly cities in the country, New Haven is a perfect place to spend the day and explore on foot. After undergoing extensive renovations in the mid-90’s, many new businesses were introduced including hotels, restaurants and shops.
New Haven is said to be the site of the first pizza made in America. As a result, the city boasts a wealth of good places for a slice of pie, including Ernie’s Pizzeria, Tony and Lucille’s Little Italy, Modern Apizza Place, John and Maria Pizzeria, and Est Est Est Pizza and Restaurant.
If you’re not in the mood for pizza, there are plenty of other places to eat. Ibiza is a Spanish and Mediterranean restaurant located at 39 High St. Ibiza serves up exotic dishes for reasonable prices.
For a full Italian menu that won’t break the bank, try Tre Scalini at 100 Wooster St. It has an extensive award-winning wine list for those over 21 to enjoy.
Once you’ve had your fill of all the cuisine New Haven has to offer, you can hit the streets to expand your cultural knowledge.
The Peabody Museum and the Yale University Art Gallery are two inspiring choices.
New Haven has shops that run the gamut from the Book Trader Café to College Street Cycles, and the nightlife in New Haven is definitely worth checking out. Alchemy Club and Café, Gotham Citi and Toad’s Place are a few spots popular with the college crowd.
Another great place to visit is the Owl Shop, located at 268 College St. It is one of the country’s oldest cigar shops and is a great place to find vintage gifts and collectibles.
If all else fails, Yale is rumored to support secret on-campus fraternities and sororities (think “The Skulls”) that you could search for. Then again, the not-so-secret frats may also provide a good time.
Norwalk: The Right Place, The Right Time
Did you know? 18 tons of salt are used every year to make salt water for the Maritime Aquarium’s tanks. The Aquarium’s animals consume more than 14 tons of fish every year. Seafood anyone?
Once nicknamed “Oyster Town” because of its thriving oyster industry, Norwalk is the sixth-largest city in Fairfield County, with a population of more than 85,000.
During the mid-1970s, city officials founded a revitalization effort for South Norwalk, or “SoNo” as locals refer to it. SoNo, home to the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, blossomed into the city’s main attraction.
The Maritime is a full-scale aquarium complete with IMAX theater and many other cultural and temporary exhibits.
SoNo is home to a vibrant nightlife and many shops and restaurants.
Norwalk also holds several festivals and celebrations throughout the year, including the Norwalk Boat Show, held in late September, the Oyster Festival, held the first weekend after Labor Day, and the SoNo Arts Celebration, held annually in mid-summer.
The city is home to several museums and other cultural outlets, including the Norwalk Museum, the Lockwood-Matthews Mansion Museum, and the SoNo Switchtower Museum, to name just a few. Also, The Silvermine Tavern is a 77-year-old restaurant operating out of a historic community center that originally opened more than 200 years ago.
Alga Marina is an upscale Italian restaurant new to SoNo this year. It is a dinner spot with a nice view, located at 19 North Water St.
For some history with your meal, try Jeremiah Donovan’s, a traditional American-style restaurant that opened in 1889. Boxing photos cover the walls as a tribute to “Battling Bat Kunz,” a regional champ who owned the restaurant for a few decades.
Because the city of Norwalk is so big, SoNo is a better bet for a fun day- trip or night out. It boasts a wide array of dining and shopping to amuse any visitor and please any palate.
Bridgeport: The Park City
Did you know? In 1893 temperatures dropped so low that people could walk across the frozen Long Island Sound to the lighthouse on Long Island. And you thought taking the ferry was easy!
As Connecticut’s largest city, Bridgeport is bordered by Trumbull in the north, Stratford to the east and the Long Island Sound along the south coast.
It is home to the Arena at Harbor Yard, where the Stags play the majority of their home basketball games. The Arena is also the site of many other events such as concerts, sporting events, the circus, trade shows and more.
The Beardsley Zoo, the City Lights Gallery, the Discovery Museum and the Barnum Festival, held annually in the spring into the summer, are just a few of Bridgeport’s many attractions.
Bridgeport has been a mainstay for Fairfield students’ nightlife for many years. Clubhouse, Black Rock ‘ Blue and Nubar are a few hot spots for a night out. Taco Loco, located along the main strip on Post Road, is a great place for good quesadillas and margaritas.
Finally, Captain’s Cove Seaport, located at 1 Bostwick Ave. on the Black Rock Harbor, is a great place to start off the night. Enjoy a fresh seafood dinner along the water, browse the shops along the boardwalk and listen to the live bands that play several nights a week.
Bridgeport is also a good place to go if you’re a movie buff, with the National Amusements Showcase Cinemas located at 286 Canfield Ave.
The Acoustic Cafe in Bridgeport is a relaxing spot to listen to live music with your meal. It opens at 7 p.m., one hour before show time, Tuesday through Sunday. It is located at 2926 Fairfield Ave.
The Port Jefferson Ferry is also located in downtown Bridgeport, right behind the Arena at Harbor Yard.
The Ferry takes walk-on passengers and drivers across the Long Island Sound in 75 minutes to Port Jefferson, Long Island, a picturesque harbor-side village boasting antique shops, art galleries, restaurants, coffee shops and more.
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