Amazing restoration of this lighthouse began in 2018 when the Pettee family won the bid to purchase…read morethis deterioted lighthouse. They have meticulously brought this lighthose back to life from the outside in and offer public and private tours, overnight stays, and private events. We were fortunate to have snagged a tour through the Norwalk Seaport Association, owners and keepers of the Sheffiield Island Lighthouse. We spent 2 hours touring the lighthouse and it was impressive to see and learn all about the ligjthouse history and the massive renovations. The Pettee family were gracious hosts The is an Osprey nest and weather tracking equipment. It was a wonderful trip and tour! Check out their website for more information or for the 24 hour Osprey camera.

Pirates boulders and…read moreshipwrecks Green's Ledge Lighthouse is located about a mile off the coast of Norwalk. It was completed in 1902 and replaced the Sheffield Island Light that was only in service for less than a year when it was decommissioned. Not exactly cost effective planning. The light is a classic spark plug or coffee pot design that was common at the time. Strong, relatively inexpensive and easy to build, these lights were made of brick, concrete and cast iron and constructed on land and then towed to the required location. The light is about 50 feet tall and originally had a 5th order Fresnel Lens that was later upgraded to a 4th order lens. Because the area is so treacherous and filled with boulders and other hazards the light was automated in 1972 and still remains an active aid to navigation. Even today boats still manage to get in trouble out there and end up on the rocks. The name on the light supposedly comes comes from an old pirate that sailed with good 'ol Captain Kidd. Green was caught on one of his adventures and hung nearby and the ledge and light is named in his "honor". Of course people have claimed to have seen his ghost lurking about the area The lighthouse can't really be seen from land and even if you go out in a small boat or yak care must be required to avoid the numerous hazards lurking just under the surface of the water. A cool and lonely little place, if you do venture out there just make sure you watch out for the boulders and pirate ghosts.

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.

This was our 2nd visit to the Sheffield Island lighthouse which is owned and kept by the Norwalk…read moreSeaport Association. They offer almost daily tours of the island and the lighthouse during the summer months. The staff were all very knowlwdgeable and passionate about the area history. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy. The grounds are free to roam and its quiet and peaceful. There are a lot of bugs so be prepared. The boat ride there and back was smooth and pleasant with information given on all the various islands and history. Be sure to ask for your lighthouse stamp! A great way to spend the day!

I took the Norwalk Seaport Association's ferry/tour to Sheffield Island with my husband and some…read morefriends when we drove down the coast of Connecticut for a few days over the Fourth of July weekend. It was one of the highlights of our trip! The ferry ride takes you out into Norwalk Harbor and Sheffield Island, passing a few small lighthouses and islands. The ferry ride to the island is narrated, with history of the area and some stories about some of the homes and homeowners in the area. When you arrive at the island, you get a little under an hour to spend your time how you choose. You can take a tour of the lighthouse with a member of the staff from the ferry, you can walk along the nature trails on the island (although they warned us of a tick problem they were experiencing on the island when we visited), or you can just relax on the island. We opted to relax. We had brought two chilled bottles of wine with us, and we walked over to some Adirondack chairs that were in the shade of a tree. We sat in those chairs, enjoyed our wine and view, and relaxed for pretty much the whole length of our visit. We did do a little walking around in the last 20 minutes or so we had on the island. The lighthouse is beautiful, and there's a plaque/sign you can read in front of it if you don't take the tour. The views are really lovely: blue skies, blue water, sail boats... FYI: The tours are offered between Memorial Day and Labor Day only. It's about a half hour on the ferry each way, so you get about 1.5-2 hours on the island. You can bring food and beverages. There are bathrooms (composting portable bathrooms) on the island. There is a covered area with picnic tables on the island, but it's a little off the water without much of a view. The three Adirondack chairs we scored were the only ones along that part of the island, and we only got to them because we were first off the boat. I do wish they had more chairs that could be moved - to shade, better views, etc. We lucked out by getting to them first. Bringing a blanket would be a good idea, because I'm not sure if they'll let you bring your own camping chairs or not! Our roadtrip was great, but it was jam-packed with activities. This ferry tour to Sheffield Island was relaxing. A chance to sit and enjoy a beautiful place for a few hours. It really was one of the highlights of our trip. I highly recommend it.

"But the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency All…read morenon-believers and men stealers talkin' in the name of religion And there's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend" (Bob Dylan) You've probably seen maps of train or subway lines before. A spaghetti like graphic of different colored lines, sometimes running parallel to each other, sometimes crisscrossing each other like a spider web on LSD. So how do train lines manage all that switching and changes of direction without crashing into other trains? It's all computer driven today, but way back in the day things were done manually by throwing huge levers in a Switch Tower, and you can learn all about it and see the 100+ year old equipment in this very cool free museum. The museum is on three stories, and you have to walk up a metal staircase all the way to the top because that's where the tour starts. Our guide on the 3rd floor was John and he was fantastic. We saw the gigantic old switches, and he did a great job explaining the technology of the day and how it changed over the years. Next, we walked down to the second floor where Joe took over and he explained the switches and system in deeper detail. Finally, we walked down to the gift shop on the first floor with all sorts of railroad memorabilia, mugs, and hats are available for sale. John and Joe are volunteers, and their love of trains was quite evident. If you like learning about how mechanical things work, or you have a train buff in your family, you really can't go wrong with a visit to this niche museum.

Wonderfully restored historic building. The tower and docents were excellent....knowledgable,…read morefriendly and you could tell, very much train enthusiasts. The tour was quite interesting and satisfying. GO....you'll learn something...about how they used to 'switch' trains on the New Haven line

Went to go see The Invite last night in theater room 8…read more The attendant was very helpful and friendly, was helping an older couple who didn't know how to purchase tickets from the machine before he scanned ours. The seats are reservation only and if you order tickets in advance online, you reserve which seats you want to sit in just like everywhere else nowadays. Our seats just happened to be nonworking so I went out during the half hour of ads runtime to let the attendant know if anything can be done. He was very nice and apologetic, placed two calls and spoke to different people and said there unfortunately wasn't. He offered two vouchers or a refund but I declined since, like everyone else, I don't really go to the movies anymore. The way I see it, it's not going to kill me to sit in a squishy seat that doesn't retract since I'll be dead and in the ground in about 35-40 years, I can put up without a footrest for two hours. Low and behold, three AMC workers came into the theater and were searching all the rows and then came to fix our seats. It had to do with some hidden plug under the chair or seat itself and everything was all of the sudden fixed so thank you to the young attendant out front for being able get our seats fixed. The squishy seats when adjusting make farting-like sounds. I'm not sure if I was the only one in the theater who found it funny, but I couldn't stop giggling over the ripple sound effects. I noticed a couple of other theatergoers laughed also so I was not alone. The chairs are very wide and can accommodate all sizes of butts. If airplane seats were this wide and soft, there would be less airplane fights on Instagram. The theater itself was very clean. The Invite was entertaining, the storyline and character study familiar. While Oliva Wilde and Seth Rogan were a little too caricature, Penelope Cruz was fantastic and so was Ed Norton. Penelope's hair was gorgeous and I was very jealous. Towards the end when both Wilde and Rogan come to that quiet moment of self-realization and unity, it was kind of marred by the action packed sound from the theater room 7. The film's ending was supposed to be reserved and contemplative but was instead populated by a very faint CRASH THUNDEROUS ROAR KAPOW KAPOW THRUSH WOOSH sounds of whatever was happening nextdoor. The parking lot entrance directly below The Landmark building on Broad St was only $3. We parked at 5:45 pm for an early dinner and didn't leave until 10 pm, well worth to park here and not in the mall. You can go for an early dinner and walk around Bedford St, inside the mall or the actual plaza of The Landmark Building which I highly recommend as it's extremely beautiful and which, by the way, the architect of this building as well as many other Stamford's recognizable buildings was my childhood neighbor.

Should have known better but my local non profit cinema house is closed for renovations. Popcorn…read moreterrible with fake butter "flavor". Seats were the overstuffed type with food trays but mine did not recline. Previews went on forever then a string of ads. This was after the pre show ads and info bits went 5 minutes into the scheduled show time. Sound way too loud. And then the mouse that scampered the width of the theater in the aisle in front of me. Won't be back.

A very benevolent…read moreghost Penfield Reef is a nasty place. The long, curving and extremely treacherous reef has claimed many a ship over the years and decades. Even today with the lighthouse and modern navigational aids several boats every summer manage to find the reef. The reef was well known and feared by mariners but it wasn't until 1874 that the present lighthouse was finally constructed. It is made of granite and wood and is one of the very last "unique' lights. Most of the ones built after it are the cheap, efficient, spark plug cast iron ones. Since the reef has claimed so many victims over the years it's a pretty spooky place. The reef has very sharp rocks that are just under the surface at low tide and even in a small craft like a kayak one has to be very aware of what is lurking just under the water. The area got even spookier in 1916 when the lighthouse keeper, Fred Jordan, decided to row ashore and see his family for Xmas. Well the area can get really feisty, really quickly and poor Fred got blown out to sea, never to be seen again. Even since that time people have claimed to have seen Fred. Sometimes rowing around the reef near the light and sometimes at the lighthouse itself but always looking seriously spooky. Fred never seems to bother anyone and it fact in 1942 he is even credited with saving some young boys that got lost out by the light in a small boat. They said a strange man in a small dory guided them to shore. They said the man that saved them didn't say anything and wouldn't come ashore even though the weather was getting really bad. The boys recognized that their savior was good old Fred from an old picture that was shown to them. Whether or not you believe the stories of Fred is up to you. This unique lighthouse that stands about a mile off shore, on the end of a very nasty reef is still a very spooky and cool place. If you go out there you better keep track of what is lurking just under the water and make sure you wave if you happen to see a guy in a small boat. A very spooky looking fellow named Fred.

I would like to visit PENFIELD LIGHTHOUSE.I am a author of a triology series about a haunted…read morelighthouse.MY first book of the triology has been released by LULU.COM AVAILABLE UNDER MY AUTHOR NAME RICHARD SATTANNI.THE title of the first book is''TALES FROM THE HAUNTED LIGHTHOUSE''A series of mysteries focused around a fictional lighthouse with ghost visits,sharks,sea monsters,as well as mermaids and of course murders of various nature,A good read for SUMMER wheter at the beach or at home in a hammock.UNFORGETTABLE characters,photos and great story lines.ORDER yours today. SINCERELY RICH SATTANNI/AUTHOR

All time FAVORITES!!! For every occasion and mood!!! Like literally happy sad depressed and…read moreexcited!! Come here and relax it's so beautiful! They have safety rails now too lol

I came here on a fall afternoon as the sun was setting. It's a bit of a drive up to the castle from…read morethe entrance of the park but not too bad- about 10-15 minutes. I like that there are stairs inside the castle. What a beautiful view from the top! The foliage was a bit past peak but still gorgeous. It was windy and chilly but totally worth the views!

If you like touring historic mansions, this place is superb! Our docent Midge was extremely…read moreknowledgeable and an excellent storyteller. She demonstrated a passion for the history of the mansion, the time period, and the complicated inter-relations between the involved individuals which was truly inspired and fascinating. She answered all our tour group's questions with great skill and delight. We reserved our spots online for the 90-minute noon tour today, featuring the first and second floors, the main entertainment rooms, bedrooms, and servants' quarters. On-site parking for free. The mansion has been closed for two years to renovate the electrical/HVAC system and recently reopened for public tours. They'll be opening the basement floor to show the bowling alley and vault sometime next year. If you're in the area on Dec 14, they'll be open for a festive Christmas event.

Wow!!! What a great museum. A coworker highly suggested it and I wasn't disappointed. It's truly…read morebeautiful, one of a kind. You are required to take a tour and there are one hour tours of just the downstairs or two hour tours of the first and second floor. I did the first and second floor and I would highly suggest that. Additional, my docent was A+++!

Such a cool place! I heard about this place the other day, and decided to stop by. I'm so glad that…read moreI did! As a musician, I found this place to be fascinating and learned a lot about Percy. It's so neat that he lived in WP!

This is former President Theodore Roosevelt's historic summer home estate, featuring preserved…read morebuildings, informational placards, and guided tours. The grounds are completely free to enter, with ample parking, well-maintained porta potties, and a small museum offering additional information and bathrooms. We've visited both in the winter and recently in the spring, and each season offered a different experience. On our latest visit, we took the short, manageable trail to the beach area with our dog. Walking among the towering hundred-year-old trees felt magical, almost like stepping back in time. The beach views were incredibly serene, and we even got to witness two deer running freely through the forest, chasing each other. This place is more than just a historic site, it gives you an awe-inspiring feeling. Between the peaceful scenery, rich history, and natural beauty, it felt like we were transported to another time. Absolutely recommend a visit here.

Honestly slightly embarrassed to have learned about this spot from guest visiting when it is so…read moreclose to where I am based. This spot is Theodore Roosevelt's family summer home. The house itself can be toured with timed guided tours Friday through Sunday. These open for reservation 9:30a online for the same day and ate usually sold out in minutes so plan accordingly! I can't comment on the house since I did not snag tickets when I naively went. However, the grounds are beautiful and the walk down to the forested loop trail with the beach outlet to the harbor is stunning. There is also a museum onsite that is free to visit and enter. It contains history of the family's home life, initial political career in NY state, and Vice Presidency and Presidency, issues he championed, and post Presidency conservation work and legacy.