Category: Connecticut Travel

Norwalk Seaport Association and Greens Ledge Lighthouse Preservation Society Offer Public Tours of Greens Ledge Lighthouse in September

Greens Ledge Lighthouse, on the Register of Historic Places, is one of 33 sparkplug lighthouses still in existence in the United States and remains an active aid to navigation. It is located just off the coastline of Norwalk close to Sheffield Island Lighthouse, owned by the Norwalk Seaport Association which is open for tours and special events.

The Norwalk Seaport Association in partnership with Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society is offering inaugural tours of Greens Ledge Lighthouse to the public on Saturday, September 17, and Sunday, September 18. These are the first public tours of Greens Ledge Lighthouse in more than 120 years. Tickets are available for $60 per person. To purchase tickets click here

Tours depart from the Sheffield Island Lighthouse Dock at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and return at 1 p.m. The dock is located at the corner of North Water Street and Washington Street in South Norwalk. Parking is available adjacent to the dock and at the Norwalk Maritime Center Garage. Visitors must wear sturdy close-toed shoes (no sandals or flip-flops) and anticipate walking up and down steep stairways. Children 10 and older are welcome to this cruise.

The major restoration work has been completed enabling the Society to launch a new program, the “Next 100 Years” of Greens Ledge Light.” The vision of the Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society is to transform Greens Ledge Lighthouse into a beacon of research, education, and sustainability, which will engage the local community. As the Society evolves they anticipate that programming will provide an additional avenue for fundraising and community engagement to help sustain their operating budget and minimize the need for capital campaigns for decades to come.

About Greens Ledge Lighthouse Renovation
Following a five-year, $2.5 million restoration – one of the most significant lighthouse restorations in recent history, Greens Ledge Lighthouse is now open to the public. The Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society – a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization led by local Rowayton, Darien, and Norwalk residents, acquired the lighthouse from the Federal Government in 2016. The restoration of the lighthouse has been funded entirely by private donations and made possible by the support and volunteer efforts of many individuals and businesses throughout the community. For more information about the Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society www.savegreensledge.org

About the Seaport Association

The Seaport Association in Norwalk was founded in 1978 by a group of local citizens who had the vision to revitalize South Norwalk and preserve Norwalk’s maritime heritage. The Seaport Association offers a cultural, environmental, and historical journey to the Norwalk Islands. The Sheffield Island Lighthouse and the Light Keeper’s Cottage provide a unique historical and educational venue that strives to increase awareness, appreciation, and consideration for the environment and how the preservation of historic buildings contributes to our quality of life. The combination of the Lighthouse and the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge offers an unparalleled opportunity to educate children of all ages and adults about the importance of preserving Long Island Sound, our environment, and our maritime heritage.

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Fall After School Programs@ Glebe House

If you are looking for a fun and educational after-school activity for your kids look no further than the Glebe House Historic House Museum and Jeykll Garden located on Hollow Road in Woodbury. Give your kids the opportunity to become part of living history at the Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden – join the Marshall Children Young Docent Program. Here is your chance to really learn about what life was like for families who lived here in Connecticut during the Revolutionary War. You will learn to conduct guided tours of the museum in period costumes and will be taught candle making, quill writing, and other colonial crafts so that you might teach them to other children. You will be doing colonial cooking, visiting area museums, and having lots of fun immersed in the history of the historic house museum on the most historic street in Woodbury.

The Marshall Children Young Docent program is named for the nine children of John and Sarah Marshall who lived in the Glebe House from 1771-1786. These young docents are our greatest ambassadors in the community and participate in events like the Memorial Day Parade and the Woodbury Christmas Festival. All Hollow’s Eve, a wonderfully scary event now in its 21st year would not be the same without the inclusion of our young docents in the roles of some of Woodbury’s early citizens.

The program is open to children 6 & up and meets on select Thursday afternoons from 4:00 – 5:30. The upcoming Fall Session begins on Thursday, October 6th, and will include six meetings.
This is a wonderful opportunity to meet children from all over the region who share your interest in local history. You will become a significant part of the museum experience and enrich those who visit by sharing your enthusiasm and new-found knowledge.

*All CDC and State Health & Safety guidelines will be followed.

Please call the Museum Director for more information and to register at 203-263-2855. Information, registration forms, and scheduled dates are available on our website at www.glebehousemuseum.org.
The cost for the Fall Session is $125/Members and $150/Non-Members. There is limited space available. Registration will remain open until all spaces are filled.

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Labor Day Sale @ Hitchcock Chair Company

Fall is quickly approaching – it’s time to think about the holidays and family gatherings. Visit the Hitchcok Chair Showroom at 2 School Street in beautiful Riverton, Connecticut, and browse our beautifully handcrafted furniture; all made here in the USA.

The sale takes place September 2-4 and there are great savings on dining and living room sets. Enjoy dinner for two, or gather friends and family for a feast around their casual dining set. Another option is to complete your family room with Hitchcock’s Rocking Chairs, End Tables, Coffee Tables; Benchs, and elegant and comfortable Lancer upholstery. There are many items to choose from!

Afterward, stop for lunch or dinner at the Old Riverton Inn which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Inn sits on the National Wild and Scenic Farmington River. This historic tavern has been a stagecoach stop for centuries.

If the walls could talk they might tell tales of the early days when the Inn was known as Ive’s Tavern, a welcome sight on the old Albany to Hartford Post Road. They might mention the many restorations and expansions through the years, and certainly, they would speak about the growth of furniture making in Riverton, where the famous Hitchcock chairs were produced for over a century. A favorite story would tell of Harper Lee’s many visits because she so enjoyed the area as a place to write. There were several rival stage companies in operation between New Hartford and Riverton. Each stage driver stopped at his favorite inn, where he received special favors in return for bringing his passenger to that tavern.

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Jazz in the Garden @ Torrington Historical Society August 26

Renowned Torrington saxophonist Kris Jensen and the Kris Jensen Jazz All-Stars will present an evening of music drawing from the great American songbook in a program ranging from swing standards to blues, soul and pop. The Jazz All-Stars will be joined by Linda Ransom, vocalist. Musicians include Doug Schlink on piano, Stephen Porter on bass, and Jocelyn Pleasant on drums.

The concert series, located on the grounds of the historic Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, 192 Main Street, is sponsored by Northwest Community Bank and Union Savings Bank. Attendees should bring a lawn chair or blanket and are welcome to bring refreshments. Tickets for all concerts are $15 for Torrington Historical Society members and $18 for non-members. In the event of rain, the concert will be held at Five Points Arts Center, 855 University Drive in Torrington. For tickets click here

Sponsored by Northwest Community Bank & Union Savings Bank

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14th Annual Blackberry Festival @ White Silo Farm

Sweet yet tart blackberries are good for you! They are packed with vitamin c, high in fiber,a high source of manganese, vitamin K, and high in antioxidants. One could almost consider blackberries a superfood.

At the White Silo Farm on 32 Rte. 37 in Sherman, they also consider blackberries fun and are once again hosting their annual Blackberry Festival on August 13 and August 14th from 1-4:30 pm. The cost is $25 per person for a 1 ½ hour reservation.

The ticket cost includes four items made with fresh Blackberries – Shredded hoisin blackberry chicken tacos (vegetarian option available), blackberry rhubarb chutney and goat cheese crostini, blackberry arugula and kale salad, and blackberry tiramisu. Guests with reservations will have priority seating if it is raining.

Reservations are limited and can be made on whitesilowinery.com website. Music with Greg “Cowboy”, Saturday 1-4:30 PM and Marty Meyer, Sunday 1-4:30 PM. This is a child and pet friendly event.

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Celebrate Summer 2022 @ Weekend in Norfolk August 5, 6, and 7

It’s summertime, and that means road trip season… Time to hit the open road and see the sights. For the ideal “nearcation” and the perfect alternative to those hot, crowded city streets, Norfolk, Conn.’s 7th annual Weekend in Norfolk (WIN) is close at hand in beautiful northwest Connecticut.

WIN is a small-town festival with the perfect mixture of easy family fun and sophisticated things to see and do. Once in town, people slow down and linger over all the activities that are easygoing, friendly, and, best of all, mostly free. Everything is close together or just a short walk away through this lovely, historic village; it’s easy to relax and enjoy everything. And WIN offers endless opportunities for summer fun. You can get married or renew your vows on the Village Green, discover the town’s vibrant art and music scene, get soaked playing water soccer, get a 3-card Tarot reading and connect with nature by learning how to fly-fish. At WIN, you and your family and friends will have a “winning” time… because there’s something to please everyone. WIN is ready to welcome you on Friday, August 5; Saturday, August 6, and Sunday, August 7 when Norfolk’s red carpet will be fully rolled out!

Highlights – Friday, August 5, 2022
On Friday, August 5, give your kids the lay of the land, by taking a short walk around Norfolk Green, one of the most beautiful in the state. The fountain at the south end of the green is picture-perfect. The marble fountain was designed by famous architect Stanford White in 1889 and has two basins including one for small animals! Don’t forget to stop by the library, the Norfolk Hub, and the Guilded Artisan to view the art shows.

A highlight of the day is the stained glass tours. View the intricate windows created by Franz Mayer of Munich at the Immaculate Conception Church from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the beautiful windows at the Battell Chapel created by D. Maitland Armstrong and Louis Comfort Tiffany from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. If you are in a romantic mood, you are invited to get married or renew your vows on the Village Green – bouquets are supplied and a justice of the peace, ring bearers, and witnesses are on hand! The fun continues with an opening reception at the Art Barn Gallery on the magnificent Battell Stoeckel Estate from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. while kids are invited to a hula-hoop event on the Village Green from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. As for music, get ready for a free concert on Station Place by the Grantville Dawgs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The evening concludes with a ticketed concert at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival Shed.

Highlights – Saturday, August 6, 2022
For those who didn’t get up early to take the Hike-the-Peaks challenge or the self-guided walking tour of Norfolk’s historic houses, the fun begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday with the Farmers Market on 19 Maple Ave. This lively gathering offers fresh fruit and vegetables, cooking demos, as well as an interesting array of arts and crafts. New this year, the Farmer’s Market has planned a special event just for kids! Talk about engaging and exciting fun that includes a scavenger hunt, corn hole toss, candy jar guess, face painting, giant bubbles, free hot dogs and sodas for kids, plus prizes! For the outdoor sports enthusiast in your family, don’t miss the fly fishing lessons at 9 a.m. and 12 noon with expert fisherman Doug McDevitt who will demonstrate the art of casting and share many insider tips and tricks that will help you land the big one! New this year for sleuths and treasure hunters is the town-wide tag sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., maps will be available online and at WIN’s information center, 2 Station Place.

Another new and exciting event is the grand opening of the Connecticut – Asia Cultural Center, which consists of three floors, each dedicated to one Eastern religious culture including Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist cultures. If your children love water, don’t miss the popular fire hose water soccer game that begins at 12 noon at the Town Playing Field on Mountain Road. The day is rounded out by free three-card Tarot Readings by the Healing Nest from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Art lovers will enjoy the tour of stained glass windows at Immaculate Conception, Battell Chapel, and the Church of Transfiguration that begins at the Battell Chapel at 12:30 p.m. There is also a special guided walk of the historic Main Street with the Director of the Norfolk Historical Society Museum at 2 p.m. Afterward, visit the museum to see their exhibit called Main Street: A Look Back 100 Years.

Saturday night is the Family Fun Day and Movie event ($10 per family) from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Botelle School. The movie will be Disney’s Encanto, which tells the tale of an extraordinary family living in a magical house in the mountains of Columbia. There will be loads of fun for kids including face painting, a bounce house, candy, drinks, snacks, and much more. For classical music lovers, there is a ticketed concert at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival Shed from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Highlights, Sunday, August 7, 2022
Sunday begins with the Church of Christ Congregational outdoor worship service on the Green from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The art galleries in town will be open all day and stained glass window tours will be offered at the Immaculate Conception Church from 12 noon to 1 p.m. and at the Battell Chapel from 12 noon to 3 p.m. A fly fishing lesson at Wood Creek Pond from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. is perfect for sports lovers and hiking the many trails in Norfolk is a great way to reconnect with the great outdoors. An afternoon highlight for kids is a magic show called “Magic Moments” with Master Magician Brian Lazotte at the Berkshire County Store. And if you are wondering what fun the future holds, don’t miss the three-card tarot reading by Healing Nest from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. There is also a special guided walk of the historic Main Street with the Director of the Norfolk Historical Society Museum at 2 p.m. Afterward, visit the museum to see their exhibit called Main Street: A Look Back 100 Years.

Visit the WIN website for up-to-the-minute details about Weekend in Norfolk -your perfect family road trip to Norfolk, Connecticut, don’t forget to make sure your cell phone is charged up for Instagrammable photos of good old-fashioned summer fun!

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