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+++!

Any art enthusiast, artist or anyone who can appreciate art will find this museum worth a visit…read more Whether to enjoy an exhibition or a special event, it will not disappoint. The art is nicely curated and changes often. MoCA/CT is located right off the Merritt Parkway on the Norwalk/Westport line and has adequate on site parking. The staff is always friendly and helpful. There is a small merc shop that has some neat things that would make nice gifts too.

This is a wonderfully curated small museum tucked away in a suburban neighborhood. If you…read moreappreciate contemporary art, it's definitely worth your time. If you're new to contemporary art, check it out and you might find a new appreciation of a powerful subset of the art world.

Came here with family on a 2 hour weekday tour…read more Our tour guide Sara(h?) was very informative, clear and engaging. She made the experience great. She also made sure guests who needed to take breaks and sit were accommodated. The compound itself is incredible. The buildings, vision, art collections - all very interesting. Even if you're not super into art, I bet you would enjoy the diversity of things to see here. Highly recommend!

I recently spent a long weekend in Connecticut with my husband and some friends. The impetus for…read morethe trip was - in part - to visit the Glass House. It definitely lived up to my pretty high expectations. So what is the Glass House? Also known as the Johnson House, it's a house designed by American architect Philip Johnson for use as his own residence. Johnson lived at the house (and the rest of the property, more on that below) on weekends for over 50 years. The house is one glass-enclosed room, which includes a kitchen, dining area, bedroom, and living space (as well as one bathroom that is contained within the black cylinder in the right side of the structure. Because the house is almost entirely of glass, you can see through it to the landscape beyond, making it blend in to its surroundings and beautiful but different in each season. The house is an important piece of American architectural history and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997. Now owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, you can sign up for a tour to visit the home - you cannot visit or even see the house without signing up for a tour (the house is not visible from the street!). Tours are available April-December, typically, so check dates before you book a tour. They offer several different tour options: a 1-hour "Glass House Tour," which allows you to see the Glass House and the Brick House; a 2-hour "Glass House + Galleries Tour," which allows you to see the Glass House, the Brick House, the Painting Gallery, the Sculpture Gallery, outdoor sculptures, and Da Monsta, a visitor center and exhibition space); an extended tour lasting 2.5 hours; a self-guided tour (currently offered on Sundays only); group/private tours; and an in-depth 3-hour tour. The website has all of these options spelled out so you can choose the option that is right for you. We selected the 2-hour "Glass House + Galleries Tour," and I'm so glad we did. I wouldn't have wanted to miss the painting and sculpture galleries! You meet your tour at the visitor center (there isn't parking there, but there are paid lots nearby) - you cannot drive yourself to the property. Then you board a little shuttle bus with the rest of your tour and you're on off on a very short drive to the property. We walked down a path, while our guide pointed the studio and a few other notable things on the grounds (a Donald Judd sculpture that is enormous and very cool, just in front of the house, being one). Then you're at the Glass House. First a view of the outside while the guide explains the architecture and context of the design. Then you can wander through the interior of the space. It's minimalist (duh), but it's also incredibly beautiful. I found it an inspiring design. (FYI - no air conditioning in the house, so in the summer, it can be quite steamy in the house.) Since we were there for the Glass House, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed touring the other spaces! Then we were off to the Brick House, the Glass House's opposite, just a few steps away. The Brick House was such a pleasant surprise; it has a bedroom, reading room, and bathroom, connected by a skylit corridor. The design of the Brick House is so different from the Glass House (bright, colorful, lush - that bathroom with all its marble, that colorful reading room, and the vaulted ceiling and Fortuny-covered walls of the bedroom!?), but I loved it entirely. I could certainly see why Johnson would have spent quite a bit of his time in the Brick House. Then our guide pointed out a few more features and sculptures on the grounds before we visited the Painting Gallery. The gallery contains works by Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and more, so it's worth a visit to see what they have on exhibit. But it also features some amazing design features! The exterior of the gallery is a grass-covered mount, and the gallery's art is displayed by use of a rotating "poster-rack," which is operated manually (Johnson preferred to view six works at a time, but the system allows for the storage of 42 paintings). Then it was time for a visit to the Sculpture Gallery - another incredible building (this one inspired by the architecture of the Greek isles). Because I'm running out of characters (I have a lot to say about this experience), I will just say that the our tour ended at Da Monsta. Then it's back to the visitor center via the shuttle bus, where you can do some shopping at their very cool design shop. Our tour guide was lovely - informative, interesting, incredible well-versed in everything Glass House-related. It was a hot day, so I got a bit sweaty and overheated at times, but it was worth it to visit this bit of American architectural history. It was an American travel bucket list item for me, and I'm so glad to have made it there finally. I'd go again!

The ultimate printmaking center! Art gallery, residency house, and studio space this place has it…read moreall. Extremely well run facility was very helpful staff and interns. The classes and workshops are the best!

Passing through Greenwich, we wanted to do something but it was too cold for anything outside, we…read moresaw this on the map and decided to stop in. We went on a Saturday at 3 & it was pretty busy, there was a small event for kids so there was a few areas set up for activities. This museum is so beautiful, the grounds and maintained well and there's even installations outside. Inside there was a nice shop & cafe on the lower floor, with most the the museum on the third floor. It took us about an hour to see all the exhibits! Also the staff was so nice & informative, shoutout to Larry!!!

The museum was great and the food at the café was excellent…read more However, the service at the café was horrendous super slow, disorganized. It took 45 minutes to get 2 simple sandwiches with a salad. Management needs to step in.

We went here for the Friday nights Dark Side of the Moon Pink Flyod laser light show. Entrance to…read morethe show includes access to the observatory at 8pm. We and others had some difficulties finding the exact address for the show which turned out to be at 115 Scoffield Rd, just a bit up the street. There was plenty of parking available even with a full house The show was great, the $15 fee quite resonable, and the staff was friendly and helpful. We purchased tickets in advance on line. I look foward to going again and investigating all the other opportunities here.

Lots to see! All on one campus you find a farm full of livestock, an art gallery with works from…read morearound the globe, a quiet woodsy escape traversing behind Henri Bendel's gorgeous former home (and who wouldn't want to have their event in that holiday-lit banquet space?). The playground is adorable (seasonally open we guess as it that log tunnel entrance was closed on our December day), and speaking of adorable, a pair of otters steal the show. This is a family friendly spot with the farm, and a private kids party was being hosted indoors at the farm. This is also a great hiking spot with an accessible boardwalk river trail, and some blazed trails throughout. Signage said to beware of bees in summer, but our autumnal-feeling day was fine of course. Modern sculptures were found throughout the campus, with plenty of parking at the house and farm sides each. The planetarium is now in a fresh built shingled space, but alas was not open our December day. Despite this we still had a great visit. Alas, even if you have AAA, museum reciprocal membership, or other usual discounts, there do not appear to be visit discounts here, but if you're local you may as well become a regular and join this unique space.

"If a man could be two places at one time I'd be with you…read moreTomorrow and today Beside you all the way" (Bread) The Fairfield Art Museum has a split personality! That's because their wonderful painting and sculpture exhibits can be found in two separate and distinct buildings. The two locations are known as the Bellarmine Hall Galleries and the Walsh Gallery. You can walk from one to the other by following Bellarmine Road, it was a fairly easy walk. The Bellarmine Galleries are on the lower level of Fairfield University's main building. The space had previously been used for basement storage and underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation that opened the museum in 2010. They have some permanent exhibits dating from antiquity through the centuries, and many of them are religious themed. The paintings and artifacts are beautiful. The rotating exhibit displayed photographs. 'Famous & Family: Through the Lens of Trude Fleischmann'. She was a groundbreaking photographer that lived from 1895-1990. She loved taking portrait photos and I saw portraits of Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Leopold Stokowski among the 100 photos on display. The second museum space is known as the Walsh Gallery, and you'll find it inside the Quick Art Center. It's used to showcase special exhibitions and today's exhibition featured selections from Ireland's Great Hunger Museum. The exhibit looks at the impact of the Irish Famine of 1845-1852 through artwork produced by Irish and Irish American artists. Some of the paintings and sculptures were truly haunting, especially "Famine Ship", a sculpture crafted in 2000 by John Behan. His sculpture looks like an ordinary three masted ship, but if you look closely at the masts and the riggings you'll unveil dozens of intertwined bodies representing those that perished along the journey from Ireland to America. There was a guard and a very helpful docent in Bellarmine, and a guard with no docent at Walsh. Both halves of the museum are free and the walk along the campus from one to the other was very scenic and enjoyable. In fact, the art on Fairfield's campus isn't restricted to the museum. We saw plenty of public art sculptures all over the university grounds.

This museum is split between two buildings on the Fairfield University campus. I suppose they're…read morewithin walking distance of one another, but it would be a longer, uphill walk and both have parking nearby. The Bellarmine Hall Gallery is on the basement of a beautiful stone building sitting on top of the hilly campus. There is handicapped parking off O'Neil Way, and parking directly in front of the building (four spots). The hall has a lot of beautiful religious art from the 1500s, 1600s.. They are associated with the Met, and have other small examples of art from other cultures, some dating back to BCE. There is also a rotating exhibit, which at this time, the rotating exhibit is Japanese lacquer boxes. The Walsh Gallery is located in the Quick Art Center, and seems to be rotating exhibits. At this time, they have pieces from six Cuban artists. Both Galleries have extremely beautiful pieces and detailed descriptions explaining what you're looking at. Admission is free. Since both Galleries are on campus, check before going to make sure nothing has changed due to school breaks.

It's easily one of the best children's museums, especially for toddlers and slightly older…read more They have a wide array of activities, including the fake bus of course, and a cool fake shopping area. I've never seen such a clean and well maintained children's museum. The staff is constantly putting things back - they're like waiters at a high end restaurant. Go.

So I haven't been to many children's museums yet but this one came highly recommended by some…read morefriends. I really enjoyed all the play stations here, this is definitely geared towards little ones around 3-5 years old. They have a tiny tot area where they have soft play area for babies and infants. Then they have an older area with miniature town, slide and other science stem activities. They also have a kitchens are, a music area, a play stage where they have story time. The water play area looks fun for older kids. They have a mechanical dinosaur inside. I hear in the summer they have bubble stations and outdoor fun foam play blocks. Looking forward to coming back.

"They took all the trees put 'em in a tree museum And they…read morecharged the people a dollar an' a half just to see 'em" (Joni Mitchell) The Fairfield Museum is undergoing renovations and we could just see two exhibits. The admission fee was accordingly waived for us. One exhibit was on quilts. The exhibits were drawn from their extensive textile collection. These colorful scenes of early New England life were gorgeous. If you ever wanted to know how quilts are pieced and stitched together or if you're just a quilt lover, you will enjoy this exhibit. The second exhibit was a biggie -it drew a TV crew (Cable Connecticut 12) into the room to film a segment. Guess who made a 2 second guest appearance in their piece? Ever seen those childrens books abiut "Busytown" by Richard Scarry? He was a Fairfield native and quite a few of Fairfield's businesses and landmarks ended up in those books. The exhibit is an immersive experience that allows you to select one of his animal cartoon figures and walk through the colorful streets of Busytown. You can teach your kids how communities work, what jobs people have, learn about transportation and all kinds of interactive exhibits- think opening doors and reading things inside the door. This has got to be a blast for kids or a nostalgic visit for anyone who grew up on Scarry's books.

Great local history museum! The front desk had great resources and the exhibits were wonderful.read more

We got a Groupon for this place, which makes the price a lot more reasonable. They don't open until…read more1 pm on the weekends, and on Saturdays they don't even give guided tours. Instead, they give an "augmented reality" audio tour which is kind of hit or miss. The house was preserved for the historical significance of the Townsend family, one of which was a spy for George Washington. I didn't feel there was a ton of information on the family though. Pointing their phone at the different objects in a room turned on audio about them, but only a couple of rooms in the actual house were interactive. The rest didn't have signs, and one loan employee was around to answer questions at the end. The exhibit in the visitor center was nice though. I just don't think the AR experience was really up to replacing a person, both in amount of information and the uncanny valley, unnerving portraits. There is street parking and a nearby lot that are free on weekends. The gift shop is minimal. It was an okay spot to visit, but I would recommend coming on Sunday or whenever they offer actual tours to get a more thorough understanding of the house and the history of the people who lived here.

We went here on a winter weekend, and were fortunate to have the builsings to ourselves. The…read morehelpful staff took out modest admission fee and explained that they don't do tours on Saturdays but they do have tour devices using augmented reality. That means that when you walk through the buildings, you scan the cell phone device on important paintings and artifacts and they talk to you with further information about who or what they are. The small building that contains the entrance is packed with paintings, dioramas, documents and artifacts. Next you walk to the main house, built in the 1730's, and housing the Townsend family. At the time of the Revolutionary War, Samuel had to make room for a British colonel. In spite of the fact that he sympathised with the patriots, he maintained good relations with his "Guest." At the time of the war, the house had eight rooms. One of his sons was one of the leaders of the Culpepper Spy Ring, Placing the home on the National Registry of Historic Places. Each room was elegantly decorated, with the exception of the space for the enslaved housekeeper. In spite of the fact that we didn't get a formal tour, the staff member tagged along with us and kept up a spirited conversation - even giving us a bonus look at the Victorian wing which doubled the size of the structure. The house is said to be haunted, of course. Very highly recommended. The full set of photos can be found at https://www.flickr.com/photos/terryballard/albums/72177720323110655