Author: Janet

I like to share travel deals, destinations, and travel tips!

Experience a National Geographic Styled Bird Cruise August 17

If spotting seabirds are on your birding to-do list, don’t miss the August 17 Birding Cruise organized by the Seaport Association in Norwalk that departs from the Seaport Dock on 4 North Water Street at 8 a.m. For tickets to this exclusive cruise click.here

This special three-hour summer cruise will be accompanied by birding expert and enthusiast, Preston Lust, who will help participants spot and identify seabirds. Preston is an officer in the Connecticut Young Birders Club who has a special interest in nocturnal migration and has conducted research on nocturnal flight calls for the last three years. He has also participated in bird-watching competitions such as the World Series of Birding and the Megabowl of Birding (the latter of which placed first place for three years straight!).

Among the types of birds, you may see on these National Geographic styled cruises are nest sites and nesting colonies of ospreys and long-legged egrets with their graceful S-curved necks and long dagger-like bills. Other seabirds passengers should watch for include American oystercatchers, herons, terns, gulls, cormorants, and many others.

The importance of Sheffield Island to wildlife, especially migratory birds is enormous, and these special bird cruises give passengers the chance to spot these magnificent creatures on and off the water at an awe-inspiring and safe distance with a knowledgeable guide.

Vacanze in USA, Florida

The bird watching cruise will depart at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 17. Passengers are asked to arrive 30 minutes prior to departure. The boat leaves from the Seaport Dock at 4 North Water Street adjacent to the Stroffolino Bridge at the corner of Washington and Water Streets in South Norwalk. Parking is available at the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium Parking Lot. Tickets are Adult: $28, Members and seniors: $23, Children 4-12 years old: $16 and Children 3 and under are $7. For Reservations contact 203-838-9444. On the day of the cruise contact the dock phone at 203-838-2898. For Tickets click here.

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Maritime Aquarium @ Norwalk has special Apollo 11 Display

Turn the clock back to July 1969 and see newspapers, collectibles, rocket models and other items celebrating the Apollo 11 mission to the moon – including a piece of the moon itself – in a special display coming to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

Open from July 1 through Labor Day (Sept. 2), the special Apollo 11 display will commemorate the historic moon landing on July 20, 1969, and also enhance the Aquarium’s daily presentations of the IMAX movie “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition.” Among the items to be displayed are newspapers from the day, buttons and patches, View-Master® slides, spacecraft models, NASA documents, booklets and other items relating to the infamous giant leap for mankind.

Most interestingly, the collection includes a book autographed by Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, as well as a small piece of the moon: part of a lunar meteorite found on Earth.

There’s no extra charge for Aquarium guests to view the display in the IMAX Theater lobby. (It also can be viewed for free by entering through the IMAX Theater entrance.)

The display ties perfectly with the IMAX movie “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition,” which lets audiences relive the wonder and drama of the first mission to land men on the moon, presented daily on The Maritime Aquarium’s six-story screen – the largest IMAX Theater in Connecticut.

With never-before-seen 70mm footage and newly discovered audio recordings, director-editor Todd Douglas Miller reconstructs the Apollo 11 mission in seat-gripping detail: the final preparations, countdown, liftoff, moon landing and splashdown return. The movie has no narration; for its 47 minutes, audiences follow the mission just as the entire world watched it unfold during those incredible eight days in 1969.

Show times From July 1 to Labor Day, showtimes will be 1 & 4 p.m. daily, with one exception: on Sat., July 20 (the actual 50th anniversary of the moon landing), “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition” will be the only film to play in the IMAX Theater.

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Native American Green Corn Festival August 3 @ Institute for American Indian Studies

The Green Corn Ceremony is one of the most important celebrations in Native American life because corn is an integral part of religious and ceremonial life that brings communities together. The Institute of American Indian Studies located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington, Connecticut is holding their 15th annual Green Corn Festival on August 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to observe this time treasured tradition.

Join Museum Staff, Members, and Friends as they welcome the first corn of the season with music, drumming, dancing, children’s activities, stories by a professional Native American Storyteller, and much more! Wander the trails to our 16th century replicated village, tour our museum to learn about Native Cultures, check out the crafts in our gift shop, and try your hands at corn-centric crafts. A special treat is the powwow styled food such as frybread that is not to be missed.

A special highlight planned for this year’s event is a performance of the Native Nations Dance Troupe led by Erin Lamb Meeches, Schaghticoke Tribal Nation. These traditional dances evoke the beauty, honor, and tradition of Native People.

About Green Corn

The expression “Green Corn” refers to the first ripened sweet corn that you can eat. The Green Corn Ceremony is marked with dancing, feasting, fasting, and religious observations. In the Eastern Woodlands Native people depended on three staples – corn, beans, and squash. These food items were called “The Three Sisters.” The Three Sisters were mixed together to make a vegetable dish called succotash that is still popular today.

Admission for this event, held rain or shine is $10 for Adults; $8 seniors; and $6 for Children.

The Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. We have an outdoor replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village and Wigwam Escape and a Museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut.

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Ski Show on Bantam Lake Aug 3 & 4 is a Show Stopper!

The Bantam Lake Ski Club has been around since 1958 and is the oldest continuously operating water ski club in the United States with over 100 members. Every year in the second week of August they hold their Cypris Gardens styled water ski show at Sandy Beach in Morris.

This year’s event is taking place on August 3 and 4 with the show beginning at 2 pm on both days. Crowds ohhh’s and ahhh’s as the water skiers perform complex pyramids, ballet lines, boat o’s, mixed doubles, barefooting, trick skiing, surfing and more. The skill displayed by these skiers is amazing and it is not surprising to learn that hundreds of hours of practice goes into this show.

Bantam Lake is the state’s largest natural lake that is located in the towns of Litchfield and Morris. It is in the Housatonic River Drainage basin and encompasses 947 acres, much of the shoreline is unspoiled and pristine. The Lake is preserved by the Bantam Lake Protective Association which was started in 1925.

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Haunted Lighthouse Cruise offers Fearsome and Friendly Family Fun August 3 & 4

One day of Halloween just isn’t enough for some Halloween enthusiasts! Not to worry, the Seaport Association of Norwalk has a magical brew of events that will thrill young and old alike on the Haunted Lighthouse Cruise to Sheffield Island taking place on August 3 and 4. This fun-filled, child–friendly event is perfect for a family summer outing…and, best of all the chance for kids to dress up in their favorite costume before October 31! To reserve your tickets https://www.seaport.org/Haunted-Lighthouse

A 45-minute cruise through Long Island Sound listening to tales of the sea sets the stage as passengers approach the 150-year-old Sheffield Island Lighthouse that is located on a wind and wave-swept deserted Island. The only way to find out what fearsome and friendly spirits reside here is to hop off the CJ Toth ferry and get ready to explore this uniquely spooktacular place with its abandoned lighthouse that has attracted supernatural beings every August for centuries.

Witches and wizards have carefully decorated the rooms of the Sheffield Lighthouse with added touches by the ghosts of lighthouse keepers that lived here in lonely isolation for long periods of time. In these rooms, visitors will find all manner of otherworldly fun – it is where spooks, spirits, spiders, sea witches, and creatures of the night abound.

It is horrifically fun to roam through the rooms of the lighthouse that seem to twist and turn and where there is a surprise around every corner! There is even one very special room that is completely dark where only the strong of heart and pure of mind should dare enter

Tickets and Times
The Haunted Lighthouse Cruise takes place on August 3 and 4 and the ferry leaves at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. on both days from the Seaport’s Dock located on 4 North Water Street in South Norwalk. It is best to arrive 30 minutes prior to departure in order to snag the best seat and to facilitate boarding the ferry. The ferry only carries 49 passengers by law so advance reservations are strongly recommended. To reserve your tickets for this horrifically fun event click here https://www.seaport.org/Haunted-Lighthouse

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Be a Winner @ Norfolk’s Weekend in Norfolk Aug 2-4

On August 2, 3, and 4 everyone is a “winner” in Norfolk. Fun for all is the watchword in Norfolk, Connecticut during the town’s Fourth Annual three-day, town-wide festival, A Weekend in Norfolk, better known as WIN. https://weekendinnorfolk.org. Everyone’s invited to come with family and friends to enjoy more than 80 events—mostly free—that Norfolk’s organizations, businesses, and individuals will be putting on to welcome visitors to their town.

On Friday, August 2, take a tour to see the magnificent Tiffany stained glass windows at the Immaculate Conception Church and in the Battell Chapel. If you are in a romantic mood, head to the picturesque village green to get married or to renew your vows, the organizers of WIN have bouquets, ring bearers, and witnesses standing by on the Village Green. There are also artisan demos, and the opening reception for the Norfolk Artists & Friends 11th annual exhibition, plus concerts at Infinity Hall and the Yale Music Shed. For literary lovers, there is a celebration of Walt Whitman’s 200th birthday at the Norfolk Library. If you like nature and are strong of wind and sound of heart, enter in the hike the peaks challenge, which is a three-day, six peak hiking challenge organized by the Norfolk Land trust.

The pace picks up on Saturday, August 4, with continuing art events, a furniture making demonstration, tours of Tiffany Stained Glass Windows, and multiple concerts, including a free concert at the Music Shed. The Norfolk Farmers Market is celebrating the day with a variety of special events for young and old alike including chef demonstrations. If you are a history buff, don’t miss a walk through Norfolk’s Industrial past with historian, Richard Byrne. On this walk, you will learn about the once thriving mills and factories on the Blackberry River. The popular kids’ fire hose water soccer event will take place from 12 noon to 3 pm. The day winds down with a Taste of the Town from 5 pm to 7 pm at the Manor House, and Family Fun Night at the Botelle School from 6 pm to 10 pm that will feature a DJ, field games, an outdoor movie, and food for sale. If just music is more your style there is a Debussy, Strauss and Shubert Concert at Yale Music Shed from 8 pm to 10 pm.

Sunday, August 5, is no time to go home—there are more tours including the Whitehouse (former Stoeckel Mansion), samples of a getaway day at Mountain View Green Retreat, Tiffany Stained Glass Window tours, farm tours, and an open house at the Norfolk Country Club with the chance to see its famed 9-hole golf course. In addition to the music and art shows, there will be a hot dog eating contest, a demonstration of fly tying and casting on the green, and a 5K- trail run.
For up to the minute information on WIN, Weekend In Norfolk, visit https://weekendinnorfolk.org for details.

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