A great place for an afternoon outing. Walk around the extensive grounds, enjoy the art, and have a…read moremeal in the glass-walled café surrounded by nature. We've attended a couple of their scheduled events. The beautiful, modern, minimalist auditorium incorporates the surrounding landscape seamlessly. Excellent acoustics and high-end electronic equipment help the speakers and performers give their best. A recent sold-out lecture by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer was inspiring, challenging and warmly entertaining. It was followed by a marvelous chamber music concert featuring a collection mostly contemporary works influenced by a connection with nature. Grace Farms' mission is to support nature, arts, justice, community and faith. It's a much-appreciated place to refocus and refuel in these difficult times.

I am OBSESSED with Grace Farms. This is the perfect day trip from NYC. It was only an hour and a…read morehalf by train to New Caanan and a 15-minute car ride to Grace Farms from the train. We had an amazing experience here. It was amazing to be surrounded by nature and gorgeous architecture/ interior design as well! Obviously loved the food as well and would recommend Grace Farms to everyone.

Great place for a hike. My son and I really enjoyed the trail. It wasn't that easy to follow but…read moreit was a nice work out going up and round. Will definitely go back!

No. Dogs. Allowed…read more Nothing indicates this until you actually drive into the parking lot. A beautiful day for a hike but had my dog along so it was a no-go. Doubt I'd try to return since it's not dog-friendly.

Solid hiking here. We went during a beautiful day and enjoyed getting lost on the trails for an…read morehour or so. The mansion is closed for renovations, but there was more than enough to enjoy without it.

After almost two years living in Norwalk, I finally discovered this shady oasis from All Trails…read morewhen dog sitting. The trail system is super well maintained and an easy loop to follow. There are multiple green spaces and designated dog areas around the mansion. Cranbury park is super shady and a quiet place to unwind from city noise.

The Woodcock Nature Center is nestled in a residential area on the border of Wilton and Ridgefield…read more It is a great spot to take a hike, play at the playground at pond with the kids or see some animals. Just outside the nature center building are the birds of prey (owls and hawks) and inside they have snakes, fish, turtles and lizards. You will see birds, squirrels, chipmunks and ducks out on the hiking trails and pond. The nature center offers programs for toddlers through teens, with on-sight and off-sight programs. They offer summer camp, vacation week camps during the school year and holiday activities. The summer camp is a mix of outdoor activities, time with the animals and craft activities. Older children may choose to do a trip out on the pond with a canoe or a sleepover with a parent. Overall it is a great nature center, it is just a bit off the beaten path. No frills like the one in New Canaan, but honestly it is about the nature, right?

I sent my two kids ages 3 and 5 to a week at the summer camp program that the Nature Center offers…read more I was so impressed with this program. Both my kids loved it and are ready to go back next year. The staff is so friendly and super organized. From the entrance into the parking lot right up until I dropped off my kids in the center, there was assistance of where to go and lots of welcoming smiles for my kids. My son and I went to the campout on Friday night of his camp week. We both had a blast. Again, super organized but laid back enough that we really enjoyed ourselves. I highly recommend this program. We'll be back to explore more that the center has to offer.

Nice playgrounds, walks, tennis's courts. Charming part of Norwalk not often fully seen. For added…read morebonus walk past the playground area down the hill across tracks to enter more trails along the water, will even connect to another playground if you're with the kiddos. Usually not busy outside of museum.

It's certainly a very pretty mansion. However, they should get a loud microphone because the poor…read morelady who showed the house couldn't be heard and she got a cone to speak louder but that wasn't very helpful and even if it were, she had a hard time holding it up. Bit of a bummer for the price as we couldn't hear most of what she said.

I took my little almost 3 year old here one summer weekend. Apparently, I wasnt the only one that…read morehad that idea cuz it was packed! There was plenty of parking throughout the park, including some improvised parking near the tennis courts. We headed for the nature trails which were well-maintained. There were SO MANY BUGS in the trails so come prepared! After spending a bit of time in the trails, we hit the playgrounds. There is one gated area for smaller kids and a bigger playground for big kids. They also have public restrooms near the little grill they have by the baseball fields. The bathroom was clean.

Amazing park- large walking routes, outdoor Tennis courts, dog park, pool, carriage house, ice rink…read more and public theatre.

I love this park. It is located right at the edge of the town, but close enough to the center. They…read morehave a lovely garden that reminds me of an English garden within the park, and a gazebo near it, beautiful large ancient looking trees and the cvs is just near it if you need to pick up water or nuts to eat in the park. We often catch a latte at one of the cafes on the Main Street, then walk to the park enjoy it and head back out...

Ridgefield is consistently recognized as one of Connecticut's best towns. One of the primary…read morereasons is the ambiance of Main Street with its fountain, stately homes, quintessential New England Main Street, and the beauty of Ballard Park. The five acre park was donated to the town from the estate of Elizabeth Ballard in 1964 and has been the site of countless events including concerts, parties, town events and quiet reflection. Stately trees, formal gardens, ornamental shrubs and flowers reflect the beauty of changing New England seasons and provide a safe, central place for contemplation and recreation. In order to preserve, protect, and improve the park's functionality, the Friends of Ballard Park Project are working with the Town of Ridgefield and the Department of Parks and Recreation. Together, we have developed a plan to rehabilitate some areas that have been subject to heavy use and improve areas of the park that are used less often.

After you park, cross the road to the little red house. Here starts your journey at the ranger…read morestation and an art gallery in one. Art kits and a stack of cushions are found on the porch, and three different Junior Ranger activities --and a unique JR badge--await. The grounds are open even when the buildings aren't, so enjoy the scenery, but remember that the bathrooms are only seasonally available. This is a perfect spot for a picnic, so plan on making the time here! Depending on docent rotation, JA Weir's and Mahonri Macintosh Young's studios are also open seasonally. As an American Impressionist spot, you might find easels throughout your walk, and those artist kits will have you joining the plain air painters.

Weir Farm is a wonderful, beautiful property for a hike, a stroll, a walk or a picnic. The farm…read moresits atop a mountain and dates back over 100 years. There are educational programs and exhibits throughout the year. It's pure New England charm, operated by the US National Park Service.

Lovely park along the Norwalk River with some great walking/jogging trails. A few steps and lots of…read morehills for those looking for a bit of a challenge. The park's paths are long enough to get in a decent workout. Childrens playground in the front of park near the parking lot. Park is clean and well kept. The free parking lot accessible from North Water Street accommodates about 25 vehicles. Walking distance to/from the Maritime Aquarium...great stop before or after your visit there.

This is a fantastic little park, adjacent to the Norwalk Aquarium on Water Street…read more There's a small free parking lot and a playground, which is kind of in a difficult spot right now because unfortunately construction workers nearby are using it as their parking lot to avoid the parking fees, but there's street parking along Water Street, or you could park in the garage for the Aquarium. Anyway, like I said there's a nice little playground structure, and there were kids having a fun time when I visited. Beyond that, there are a couple of trails that lead out into the park itself, which is a large mound. This mound was, once upon a time, the town garbage dump. But as so often happens around the country, yesterday's garbage dump is today's cool park, and that's definitely the case here. There's a path that goes around the bottom, and another trail that links to that, going up the top of the mound. There's a lot of interesting art sculptures from the top, and views of the Norwalk River and surrounding area. There's another trail that links into and is cosigned as both the Norwalk River Valley Trail and the Norwalk Harbor Loop Trail. Both of those trails link this park to the Pine Island Cemetery, Matthews Park, and the Stepping Stones Children's Museum, on the other side of 95 and the RR tracks. This is definitely a great park to visit and to work off some energy if you have kids that just haven't been tired out enough by the Aquarium.

Excellent local park with lots to do for all ages. For the kids, there's an awesome playground with…read morefairly new stuff to play on. Theres a basketball court and a nice little hike down to the lake. It's really pleasant and not that crowded outside of summer day. Great spot to spend an afternoon!

The new playground is beautiful and so many parts. Floor is safe too. Went to old playground…read moretokwhich was also quite nice