By Julie O’Brien Deasy
Continuing our series about good local excursions to take this summer, we are catching up after the break with four featured spots you can visit to get out of town and enjoy a brief day trip.
The Stamford Museum & Nature Center
The Stamford Museum & Nature Center (SM&NC), located in North Stamford, is an art, history, nature, and agricultural sciences museum.
This 118-acre property has a number of exhibits and attractions for both children and adults. It’s home to a 10-acre working farm, a Tudor-style museum and gallery which hosts exhibitions, an interactive nature center, 80 acres of outdoor trails, an otter pond, and a large natural playground.
In addition, the property’s planetarium and 4-story observatory with research telescope are currently undergoing renovations and will reopen as an 11,000 square foot facility when construction is complete.
One of the most unique features of the SM&NC is the Heckscher Farm, a 10-acre working farm which reflects New England’s rural heritage through recreational and educational activities. The farm features barns, a maple sugar house, organic vegetable garden, and dozens of farm animals. Museum staff carry out daily chores to keep the farm running smoothly.
Visitors can also explore the 80 acres of nature trails on the museum property. The trails are diverse and pass through vernal pools, glacial boulders, mature forests, and maintained woodland meadows. Woods Trail #7 was added in 2006, which is universally-accessible and allows stroller and handicap access.
The Bendel Mansion Museum functions as a gallery and museum space focusing on five main areas: the natural history of New England, American art, Native American art and culture, American history and culture, and farming implements. Notable items in the SM&NC permanent collections include totem poles from a World’s fair, telescopes, outdoor sculptures, farm tools, Native American artifacts, Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalí prints, vintage local pedal cars, antique Yale & Towne keys and locks, and works by Stamford artists Gutzon Borglum and Reuben Nakian.
Until September 2, the Museum’s exhibit, “Under Pressure – Painting with Air,” is a survey of contemporary airbrush realism. About 40 works are on display, ranging in theme and style and all using airbrush, which is actually a 19th century invention.
Throughout the year, the SM&NC hosts a variety of educational programming for families and adults. This summer, these include a daily “Meet the Animals” at 3:30 pm, nighttime hikes through the nature trails, adult painting classes, and more. Check their website for a full schedule of events.
In addition, every Sunday there is a Farmers Market (with free admission) through November 3 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.
The SM&NC is free for members. Non-members pay an admission fee (ranging from $10-16, depending on age). Under age 2 is free. New Canaan Library has passes to check out that will admit 4 people (2 adults and 2 children under age 18) at no charge.
Visit www.stamfordmuseum.org for a full calendar of events and more details on the museum.
KENT, CONNECTICUT
Another featured spot is Kent, Connecticut.
Kent is about an hour and fifteen minutes from New Canaan, making it an easy day trip. While many people know Kent for its famous waterfall, there are also plenty of attractions in the town itself.
One of the highlights of the Connecticut State Park system is Kent Falls. This state park is known for a series of waterfalls that dramatically drop 250 feet in under a quarter mile.
In warm weather, visitors can splash or wade in the natural pool at the bottom of the falls.
A .84-mile round-trip hiking trail climbs up the entire waterfall cascade. The trail is relatively steep with several sets of stairs. Along the way are several observation platforms, allowing for places to rest, admire the views of the falls, or take pictures.
The park also features a covered bridge, picnic areas, and restrooms. Leashed dogs are allowed.
Visiting Kent Falls State Park is free for all Connecticut in-state registered vehicles, and is open every day from 8:00 am – sunset.
After you are finished with your hike up the falls, head south along Route 7 to the town of Kent. Founded in 1739, 37 years before the U.S. was officially established, Kent’s main street has many restaurants and attractions to visit.
Shops in town include the Heron Shop, a gift store featuring jewelry, toys, and home goods. Foreign Cargo offers collections of clothing and jewelry from Africa and Asia. The House of Books is a loved local bookstore that hosts special events and author visits each month. There are also several antique stores and art galleries to browse.
Kent also offers many restaurants to choose from for lunch or dinner.
The Fife and Drum recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. This cozy tavern-like restaurant is open every day except Tuesday, and also features live music Friday thru Sunday evenings.
Swyft is a modern tavern serving wood-fired, farm-driven pizzas and seasonal entrees. They work closely with local farms to source ingredients, and also have a family-friendly weekend brunch.
Wilson’s by High Watch is a bakery and cafe featuring fresh, home made, and locally sourced ingredients. They are open for breakfast and lunch, and are known for baking all their own bread onsite. Wilson’s also employs men and women who are recovering from substance abuse, training them in many aspects of the food and restaurant business.
Finally, just outside of town is Kent Falls Brewing – a small-batch brewery that makes beer from hops grown on the farm where the brewery is located. Try some locally-made beer in their tasting room, or bring a few options home with you as a souvenir.
The Peabody Museum
The Peabody Museum is a natural history museum on Yale’s campus that originally opened in 1866. The Museum had been closed for the past 4 years while it underwent a major renovation and expansion. It reopened in March with more space, improved exhibits, and better circulation for visitors.
The first floor of the museum now features a chronological narrative of natural history.
In the Burke Hall of Dinosaurs, several skeletons are now placed in more active positions with their tails in the air and heads cocked with an alert gaze. Other fossilized plants and animals are grouped together to better illustrate the prehistoric ecosystem.
A gallery called “World of Change” covers the period between the extinction of the dinosaurs and the emergence of humans, a time when large mammals evolved. Skeletons include an early hoofed predator – a small relative of the modern horse – and a camel unearthed in Nebraska.
Finally, a third gallery on the first floor is called “The Human Footprint” explores the evolution of humans and the fate of animals that went extinct due in part to human activity including the mastodon, sabertooth tiger, and the moa.
The second floor hosts a collection of historic scientific instruments like microscopes, telescopes, timepieces, and more. Other galleries are focused on science at Yale, beginning with the college’s first research telescope from 1813.
The second floor is also the new home for the museum’s anthropological gallery of artifacts from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica and the Andes, including an early cookbook, ceremonial objects, and statues.
On the third floor are several detailed dioramas featuring Connecticut and North American animals and habitats, as well as the “Living Lab” where visitors can meet some live animals. It also includes the minerals, earth and space collection, which is now dramatically set off by dim lighting and backgrounds that make the specimens easy to admire.
The museum also includes temporary gallery space that will allow a variety of art and science exhibits to be changed out periodically. Currently on display is work from Mohamad Hafez, a Syrian-American artist and architect who lives in New Haven, and an exhibit focusing on perception and cognition from Yale’s Wu Tsai Institute.
The renovation also made the entire museum brighter and more open – windows previously blacked out are now streaming sunlight into the galleries.
In a newly opened skylit central gallery, tables and chairs provide a place to rest and hang out. A giant Tylosaurus skeleton is hung from the ceiling, actively pursuing a prehistoric turtle called an Archelon. see https://peabodyevolved.yale.edu/to-build-a-mosasaur/
The Peabody is now free to visit for everyone. Timed tickets are recommended and can be reserved on the museum’s website at Peabody.Yale.edu.
If you would like to extend your time in New Haven, drive up to the top of East Rock Park for a great view of the general New Haven area, and to visit the Soldiers & Sailors Monument, which honors men who gave their lives in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War.
New Haven is also known for its pizza, and there are several good options for a lunch or dinner: Sally’s, Pepe’s, and Modern APizza are all famous (and all operating at least 70 years each!)
Weir Farm
Weir Farm is the only National Park Service site dedicated to American painting, drawing, and art in its entirety. Weir Farm is free and open to the public.
Set on more than 60 acres of woods, fields, and waterways, Weir Farm is the former home of American Impressionist, J. Alden Weir. Weir Farm is a legacy to painting, the creative spirit, and historic preservation.
Start at the Burlingham House Visitor Center to learn about American Impressionism and the three generations of artists that inhabited Weir Farm. You can also catch the park film, Ways of Seeing; Weir Farm National Historical Park.
The Visitor Center has a collection of art on display by the Weir, Young, and Andrews family artists, as well as additional contemporary art by monthly artists in residence..
A unique feature of Weir Farm is that guests have the opportunity to create their own art inspired by the surroundings. Visitors can bring their own art supplies, or pick up a set of free-to-use art supplies from the visitor center. Colored pencil kits are offered Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and watercolor kits provided on weekends May through October. Supply is limited and is first come, first served.
Weir Farm National Historic Site is home to the Weir Preserve, a 110-acre network of hiking trails adjacent to the property. Dogs are welcome on the trails, as long as they stay on leash.
Children are invited to become a Junior Ranger, where they can complete a park scavenger hunt, and earn badges and patches for completing activities around the park. Check in at the Visitor Center for more details and to pick up materials.
Self-guided and ranger-led tours of the painting sites and grounds are available. Information is available in the Visitor Center.
Weir has several special events planned for September. On Saturday, September 7 from 9:30 to 10:15 am is an “Art and Agriculture” guided tour which will explore the agricultural history of Weir Farm including tenant farmers, historic barns, and landscape, and the artwork inspired by them.
On Friday, September 13 from 10:00 to 10:45 am is an “An Artists’ Garden” guided tour that will feature the historic gardens whose beauty and history inspired generations of artists.
On Saturday, September 21 from 9:30 to 10:15 am is an “Exploring Stone Walls” guided tour that will examine the three different types of stone walls on the property and learn about their history.
All tours will meet at the Park sign in front of the Visitor Center – no registration required and there is no charge to attend.
Until October, Weir Farm is open every day from sunrise to sunset. The Visitor Center is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, and Studio Tours are held from Wednesday to Sunday from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm. The Visitor Center and Studio Tours are both closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Visit www.nps.gov/wefa/index.htm for more information and details on special events.
Have you visited any of the attractions or places mentioned this summer? Please let us know your feedback!
What do you want to know about living in New Canaan? Is there a resource you are looking for or something you need in our area? We want to hear from you! Send in your ideas or queries to Julie@NewCanaanSentinel.com and your question may be featured in a future column.
