Tag: stamford

Classic Schooner Sails SoundWaters Opens this Weekend!

Anyone who has ever dreamed about gliding full sail on a classic schooner should visit SoundWaters, an environmental education organization located in Cove Island Park in Stamford. They offer regular sails on the SoundWaters, an 80-foot three-masted replica of a 19th Century sharpie schooner, which leaves from Brewer Yacht Haven Marina in Stamford.

Afternoon sails from 3 to 5 p.m. on selected dates from June through August are great for families with children age 5 and up, offering the chance to help hoist the sails and raise the trawl to discover who lives underwater. This summer, afternoon sails are offered on the following dates: Sunday, May 29, Sunday, June 12, Saturday, June 25, Sunday, June 26, Sunday, July 3, Saturday, July 9, Saturday, July 16, Sunday, July 17, Saturday, July 23, Saturday, July 30, Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14.

Sunset Sails on selected weekends and weeknights from June through August are intended for adults, who are invited to bring dinner and their favorite beverages on baord and relax while watching the sun go down. These sails are intended for Adults, as alcohol is often brought on board. Sunset Sails are offered 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm on the following dates this season: Sunday, May 29, Sunday, June 12, Saturday, June 25, Sunday, June 26, Tuesday, June 28, Sunday, July 3, Wednesday, July 6, Friday, July 8, Saturday, July 9, Friday, July 15, Saturday, July 16, Sunday, July 17, Wednesday, July 20, Friday, July 22, Saturday, July 2, Wednesday, July 27, Friday, July 29, Saturday, July 30, Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14.

On July 2 Soundwaters is offering a “Fireworks Sail”, that is truely an unforgettable event that is set against the dramatic backdrop of Long Island Sound from 7:30 pm – 11:00 pm. Tickets for this very special sail are $75 per person.

Tickets for Afternoon and Sunset Sails are $30 per person and all children must be at least five years old. To reserve your space please call 203-406-3335 with a credit card. Prior to the day of the sail, tickets are also available at the SoundWaters Center in Cove Island Park and can be purchased by credit card, cash or check. Spaces on day of sail are available first come first served. Passengers can pay in person (cash or check) on the day of sail dockside (Brewers Yacht Haven Marina). Note that these spaces are not guaranteed. For any additional questions or if you would like to make advance resevations phone (203) 406-3335 or email hstarks@soundwaters.org.

To reach the Marina coming from the North on I-95:-Take I-95 South to Exit 7. Merge onto N State St (merge into the middle lane, the far left lane will take you back to I-95 South). Turn left on to Washington Blvd (5th Traffic Light) Washington Blvd will turn into Dyke Lane Continue on Dyke Lane. Take a right onto Batemen Way. Turn left into Brewer Yacht Haven Marina and follow the pavement to the southwest corner of the marina. The Schooner SoundWaters is located at Dock S1.

Coming from the South on I-95: -Take I-95 North to Exit 7.-Merge onto S State St-Turn right onto Washington Blvd-Washington Blvd will turn into Dyke Lane- Continue on Dyke Lane.- Take a right onto Batemen Way- Turn left into Brewer Yacht Haven Marina and follow the pavement to the southwest corner of the marina. The Schooner SoundWaters is located at Dock S1.

The gate into Brewer Yacht Haven Marina is open Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm and Saturday 8:00am – 1:00pm. If your sail is after 5:00 pm on a weekday, after 1:00 pm on Saturday, or on a Sunday, a SoundWaters staff member will be at the entrance gate into Brewers Yacht Haven Marina 30 minutes prior to the start of the sail to check in passengers and direct you to parking. You must check in at the gate 5 minutes prior to the start of the sail.

JanetLeave a comment

Find Mothers Day Gifts That Keep Giving At Plant Sales In Connecticut’s Fairfield County

Flowers may be fine on Mothers Day, but plants that give pleasure all year may be even nicer. Best of all, consider a day out with Mom to choose her own special plant. Two exceptional plant sales at the Garden Education Center of Greenwich beginning May 7 and the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford on May 7, the day before Mothers Day, offers a day in beautiful surroundings in Connecticut’s Fairfield County and experts to help with the choices.

MAY GARDENERS’ MARKET

This is the Golden Jubilee celebration of the May Gardeners’ Market at the Greenwich Garden Education Center, located in Cos Cob. The 50th anniversary celebration will run the entire week of May 7 at this organization dedicated to promoting home horticulture. It will feature landscape designers, garden planners, noted plant, garden sculpture and furniture sellers, and floral designers all week, culminating in an extraordinary Gardener’s Market of spectacular plants on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The setting of the Center in the 91-acre Montgomery Pinetum adds to the day’s pleasures. The property, once a private estate known as Wild Acres, features over 80 species of beautiful pines. From the flagstone terrace of the Garden Center office, the view is manicured lawns ending at a reflecting pool, framed in spring with masses of tulips, daffodils and early azaleas. Peony and primrose gardens always are at their best in May. The Garden Education Center of Greenwich is located at 130 Bible Street, Cos Cob. Phone 203-869-9242 or see http://www.gecgreenwich.org for further details.

SPRING PLANT SALE

Not far away in North Stamford, the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens will be holding its own semi-annual plant sale, on Saturday, May 7th from 8:30 a.m.-3:00p.m. Expert advice will be available to customers from Bartlett staff and Master Gardeners from the University of Connecticut. Specialty made Herb Baskets will be available for purchase just in time for Mother’s Day. Hours are seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Proceeds help support the Arboretum, another exceptional 91-acre spot for strolling. The property features the best of Connecticut’s native landscapes, with award-winning Champion trees, themed gardens, red maple wetlands and boardwalks, ten woodland walking trails, and varied wildlife. Magnolias, rhododendrons and conifers are among the specialties at the Arboretum that is conveniently reached off the Merritt Parkway Exit 35.

The Visitor Center houses a horticulture resource library, an art gallery and a plant clinic that remains open during the growing season. The Bartlett Arboretum is located at 151 Brookdale Road in Stamford. For information: 203-322-6971 or see http://www.bartlettarboretum.org.

JanetLeave a comment

DIRECTIONS-TO-GO MAKE EXPLORING EASY IN CONNECTICUT’S FAIRFIELD COUNTY

Connecticut’s Fairfield County is filled with autumn color and unexpected discoveries—if you know where to look.  New virtual tours on the region’s web site make sure that visitors know exactly where to go and how to find the best routes.  To make it even easier, three scenic routes with exact directions to each tour stop now can be e-mailed or down-loaded directly from the web site to computers or to an I-phone, I-pod or Blackberry, ready to take along on the road.

The recommended routes cover something for every interest–history, scenery, drives, and hikes, gardens and shopping. They can fill a full day or be divided into shorter segments. A sampling of the pleasures in store include:

Route One: Audubon, Architecture and Art

The towns and leafy residential back roads of Greenwich and Stamford are the destinations.  In Greenwich, stops vary from browsing the shops on Greenwich Avenue, known as Connecticut’s Rodeo Drive, to strolling the 285 wooded acres of the Audubon Greenwich.  The art and natural history exhibits at the Bruce Museum vie with the history of 17th century Putnam Cottage and the Bush Holley House, circa 1728.  Stamford offers the chance for cruises on Long Island Sound, prize antiquing, the modernistic architecture and stained glass of the famous “Fish Church,” the Stamford Museum and Nature Center with its picture-perfect Hecksher Farm and 80 acres of wooded nature trails, and the adjoining Bartlett Arboretum with another 91 acres to explore.  More scenery waits in a final back roads drive from Stamford to New Canaan and its nature center.

Route Two: Beaches, Birds And Beauty

Westport, Fairfield and Easton have many attractive stops.  Westport travels include a drive beside the Saugatuck River and stops at beaches on Long Island Sound, along with the Westport Arts Center, Historical Society and the formal and herb gardens at Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens.  Among the sights in historic Fairfield are the town green and its beautiful Colonials, the town museum and history center, the 18th century Ogden House, Walsh Art Gallery at Fairfield University, and the Connecticut Audubon and Birdcraft Museum, with a six- acre bird sanctuary.  Rural Easton leads to more historic homes, a school dating back to 1795 and drives along Route 59, a designated scenic road passing the sparkling Aspetuck Reservoir.  A portion of the Aspetuck Trail in Easton is open for hiking.

Route Three: Lighthouses, Oysters And Landscapes

Nautical Norwalk and Rowayton and wooded Weston and Wilton make up this tour. Norwalk, once known for its oysters, has newer lures such as the Stepping Stones Museum for Children, the Maritime Aquarium, cruises to Sheffield Island with its historic lighthouse for picnics and walks, the shops of SoNo (South Norwalk) and the buildings of the Mill Hill Historic District.  The riverside village of Rowayton with the look of a typical New England coastal town offers atmosphere, historic houses and an art center. Devil’s Den in Weston is Fairfield County’s largest nature preserve providing 21 miles of hiking trails through diverse habitats and the Great Ledge with spectacular views.  Weir Farm in Wilton, the summer home of the late impressionist painter J.Alden Weir is the only US National Park devoted to American painting, with a setting worthy of a painting.

For detailed routes and further information about the many attractions of Fairfield County, see www.visitwesternct.com.  For a free brochure contact the Western Connecticut Visitors Bureau, PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759, (860) 567-4506.

JanetLeave a comment