A community center in many towns and cities is an out dated school or an old industrial building…read morewith a meeting room or a gym. In Ridgefield Ct. a beautiful estate hosts the community's events. Known better as the Lounsbury House, this beautifully preserved property is the place to have your wedding or event. Originally named Grove Lawn, the Lounsbury House at 316 Main St., was built in 1896 by a former Connecticut governor, Phineas Lounsbury, who was born and raised in Ridgefield. While he attended the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, also known as the Columbian Exposition, he saw a replica of the Connecticut State Building on display. He commissioned the original Bridgeport architect to build a replica of the Connecticut State Building, so that upon his retirement from politics, he would have it to serve as his residence in Ridgefield. The Georgian Revival house exhibits the elegance and style he wanted to reflect Connecticut's hospitality. Lounsbury and his wife Jenny lived and entertained their friends at the house until his death in 1920. Since they did not have any children, the house was passed onto their heirs. Eventually, the house was purchased by the Town of Ridgefield. In 1953, it became the Ridgefield Veterans Memorial Community Center. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Lounsbury House is a non-profit association and proceeds from its fund-raisers, membership fees and rentals go towards the preservation, maintenance and operational cost of the home. I was present for the Ridgefield "Gone Country" barbeque contest which raises funds for the local Rotary club. The association hosts house tours, concerts, luncheons, picnics, fireworks and more. The July 20, 2018 Lobster & Clambake featuring 1 1/2 lb Maine lobsters, steamers and muscles is not to be missed.

From the owner: Lounsbury House, a Ridgefield landmark since 1896, is a place to celebrate life's memorable…read moremilestones. Since becoming the town's community center over 60 years ago, the House and classical gardens have served as an exceptional venue for weddings, corporate meetings, art gatherings, festivals and special events for all seasons.

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.

Always a terrific experience, attending a concert at the Ridgefield Playhouse. My only complaint is…read morethat in recent years, the prices have gone through the roof, and many times are no longer in my budget. Still at the end of the day, I'm thrilled to have Ridgefield Playhouse as part of my community.

Expensive popcorn, high prices on drinks and candy. We enjoyed the show! Rock of Ages performance…read morewas a great experience. Professional performance

My boyfriend and I went for a mini vacation in Norwalk, CT and I booked the Sunset Harbor…read moreLighthouse Tour which we went on this past Sunday evening from 6:30-8:30, on 8/10/25. This tour was definitely a highlight of our trip! Captain John and Charlie were great and all the passengers aboard had a great time! We passed three lighthouses-Peck Ledge LH, Sheffield Island LH and Green's Ledge LH. Charlie, co-captain of Captain John, had just toured the inside of Green's Ledge LH the day before which is listed on Airbnb for $6,000! He went around the ship showing everyone the floor plan. It especially exciting to be on the Long Island Sound and to see the red and white towers from Northport, since I live on Long Island!! We were able to see several different viewpoints of the sunset and osprey nests as well. Definitely recommend to residents of Norwalk AND tourists alike!

Like a lot of other dork type middle age dudes I'm a sucker for a good lighthouse. Actually I've…read morebeen to a few clinkers which says that I'm apparently I'm also a sucker for a bad lighthouse as well but there's no need to worry about that at Sheffield because it's all good here. So if you want to come you've got two legal options. 1. Show up via kayak (or I suppose boat then taking a short swim) during hours when they are running tours and you will be met on the shore by a volunteer who will ask you to pay a few dollars for the privilege of taking the lighthouse tour/hanging out on the island. 2. Or, you come via the regularly scheduled boat that runs from the dock on North Water Street in Norwalk from late May until the end of September. There are various public & private decks for parking all around the area so it shouldn't be too hard to find a close space. I don't remember what the price is for option #1 but for option #2 the below currently apply: Adults: $22.00 - Children 12 & Under: $12.00 Senior / NSA Member $20.00 Active Military with ID $10.00 Children 3 & Under: $5.00 Family 4 Pack (2 Adults, 2 Children) $55.00 A few random facts: Boats depart weekends only every year over Memorial Day weekend and eventually go daily from July until Labor Day and then back to weekends only until the end of September. Check seaport.org for the current schedule and for special events such as their clambakes. Once you get to the island you get to take a brief tour of the lighthouse which was built in 1868 (downstairs only for now as the upstairs tower portion is being worked on and hopefully tours will be allowed there in the not to distant future once they get the stairs in better shape along with figuring out a way to dissipate the heat which we were told was well over 100 degrees the day we were there in August) and you can also walk through the nature trail via the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge. If you are going to walk on the nature trail or along the beach that fronts Sheffield Island Harbor just know that things are "wild" and that you will get eaten alive by flies, mosquitoes and I wouldn't be shocked if the trees had lots of ticks. The lighthouse was relit in 2011 for the first time in 91 years. Why Sheffield Island? The island was named after Revolutionary War veteran Captain Robert Sheffield who bought the island in 1804. He married Temperance Doty, a Mayflower descendant and such started the current lineage of the island's name. The 47 acre island is private property that is primarily owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the Norwalk Seaport Association depending upon the website owning only three or four of those acres. You will be reminded a few times of where you can and cannot walk. Speaking of an area you can't walk by it would be the dilapidated house on the right near the dock. That house is still owned by the Stabell family who sold the island to the Norwalk Seaport Association in 1986 for 700K. I forget the exact story we were told but it's something along the lines of the "home" (more of a dilapidated shack) cannot be renovated because of Fish and Wildlife Service rules and if they raze the structure they lose the land so the shack stands as is. The island itself is around a mile and half from the dock in Norwalk and the boat is kept at a country club pace in both directions which equals about 40 minutes to make the trip in each direction. This is fine as one of the crew did a fairly good job or telling everyone about some of the various islands & lighthouses & birds in the area and about the local shellfish industry. Past that it's just sit back and relax on some of their picnic benches and have a picnic or don't do a damn thing except the enjoy the beautiful view. Either way it's awesome.

Philip is amazing, he is personable, entertaining and the best magician in the Tri State area. If…read moreyou are looking for some fun for any age, Philip is your guy.

I hired Phil to perform at my daughter's Bat MItzvah luncheon. He did a wonderful job…read more This was a pretty diverse audience -- jaded post-Millennial middle schoolers, 40-something parents and 70-something alterkakers all under the same roof. Phil effortlessly moved from group to group entertaining with close-up sleight of hand. If I needed to find him in the room, all I needed to do was look for a crowd of pre-teens -- he was always right in the middle of it. I'm a big fan of sleight of hand and Phil is excellent. There are some crappy strolling magicians out there, but Phil is a consummate pro. A magician's magician if you will. In addition to the great performance, Phil was also VERY easy to work with leading up to the event. He was responsive to both e-mails and phone calls and flexible when we needed to make some small changes to the schedule. If you've ever thrown a Mitzvah party you'll know the value of a reliable professional. Hiring Phil gave us a great entertainer with no worries or angst. Highly, highly recommended.,

I HAD to go back to this because it's such an amazing experience. I'm sure they do more than "Fall…read moreFoliage" trips but that's when I visited in the past. Despite my best efforts in the past to do Fall train rides, which turned out to be disappointing only because there was never any good colors on trees, this by far is the very best fall foliage experience I've ever had in my life. You get great views of the tree color transitions and just great photo opportunities. It does get cold on the water so bring a jacket. Experience is as excellent as last time with beverages and snacks for purchase. If you enjoy fall colors, great scenery and boats then you have to do this at least once.

A peaceful Hudson River cruise from Peekskill to Bear Mountain. Beautiful views and a truly…read morerelaxing experience! Such a wonderful way to spend the day. Very pleased with this cruise!

I am one of the fortunate, I was able to schedule an affordable session with medium Thomas John…read more I'd seen him on TV and was surprised I could get a zoom session with him late September. Other mediums had a year plus wait list. I received a text stating we could zoom next week. Yes we had some rescheduling due to unforeseen events but eventually locked in a date/time. I didn't know what to expect other than I wanted to see what loved ones came through. He was 99% spot on for the people my spouse knew. He knew things one could not find on the net so I give him accolades for using his gift to help others.

He's a scam artist!!! Reschedule my reading 3x. Then the final time he canceled me again claiming…read morehe did a meditation before and couldn't read my energy. I should have paid attention to these reviews already posted. Luckily I paid with a credit card and was able to issue a charge back. DO NOT BOOK HIM!

My office and I went on a tour with Long Island Bike Tours for our annual summer outing August…read more2013. Not only was the tour a value (it included bikes, helmets, wine tastings, lunch, non-alcoholic drinks, and snacks) but also Tom, the owner, and his team were very accommodating to our strict schedule (we had come in from the City). He worked with us every step of the way and was very responsive. The tour was lovely and even paced. The wine was good (I got two bottles). We got personal attention and even a car to accompany us throughout the tour. We all really enjoyed the experience. Good wine, a nice relaxing bike ride, and great customer service. You can't go wrong.

Gifted my daughter with a North Fork Bike Tour...it was the perfect gift and we both enjoyed it…read moretremendously. Everything is provided to make this tour go smoothly - even rain ponchos! Our guide was professional, considerate and sensitive, mindful that Mom (me) had not biked in ten years. The roads traveled were absolutely beautiful, off the beaten path, so we got to enjoy scenery and neighborhoods that we otherwise would never get to see. The wineries were fun, the catered lunch was delicious, and the experience was awesome! Another bike tour is certainly in our future...