Fairfield County, CT
 

My wife and I (very active 69 and 70 year olds)will be spending the July 4th Weekend in Old Greenwich, CT.

Your recommendations about sights, activities and restaurants within a 1 hour drive (exclusive of NYC) would be appreciated.

Many thanks.

JAR

Will you be staying with family or friends? If so, they can tell you about access to the local beach, Tod's Point. If not, and you wish to spend time on the beach, a very nice peninsula, you can check with the Greenwich Town Hall about obtaining access, as you much purchase tickets for admission off-site.

Avoid the Beach House Cafe and Applausi in Old Greenwich. The Arcadia coffee shop in town is a delightful place to spend an hour or two.

You can visit the Audubon Center in the northwest corner of Greenwich (the town itself is about 50 square miles); you can also drive around and gape at some of the old-money mansions and some of the new-money, gaudy places.

Most of the restaurants in town have become overpriced and not a great value for the money. However, the (very expensive) restaurants "Rebeccas," in Glenville, and "The Homestead Inn," in Belle Haven, are worth every penny. "Thai Basil," on Railroad Avenue at the bottom of Greenwich Avenue, is a nice place for lunch.

Thank you for your recommendations.

We are staying at a hotel.

I plan to check with the hotel's tour desk, but thought if any Fodorites had personal knowledge about activities, we would value their opinions.

JAR

gaia, and meli melo (for breakfast crepes and fantastic coffee) are both very good in greenwich. in nearby rye, there is ruby's, (american/seafood) watermoon (panasian) and aurora (italian). enjoy the area!

I like Ruby's in Rye, too. Not a fan of Watermoon - too noisy.

joela, suburban hotels (is this the Hyatt?) don't tend to have well staffed "tour desks". You can certainly get good ideas for some local restaurants and major sites, but don't expect much.

Some ideas in the general area
SoNo (South Norwalk)-- Maritime Center Aquarium, walking around the shops, restaurants , and waterfront area. I think they have boat rides to Sheffield Island nearby (lighthouse)--about 20 minutes drive

Ridgefield Connecticut--an upscale town with an interesting contemporary art museum. Also about 15-20 minutes away

Bruce Museum in Stamford (very close)--art and science museum

All of the places on the Connecticut American impressionist art trail are nearby and quite worthwhile, in my opinion. Details at http://www.arttrail.org

Here's a site with events and activities for the area you'll be in http://www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com/

Have fun!

Ridgefield is about 45 minutes away.

The Bruce Museum is in Greenwich, not Stamford.

Some nice restaurants in South Norwalk, but avoid weekend nights- it is a busy singles bar scene area.

Joela -- we just moved from Old Greenwich! It is a lovely town and there will most certainly be fireworks in Binney Park (although I believe they usually have them the weekend before July 4, so you may miss them). I agree with going to Tod's Point. There are many good restaurants on Greenwich Ave, I like Elm St. Oyster House but they don't take reservations. Not sure why Schrink said to avoid Beach House Cafe, we've always liked it for a simple meal. There are also lots of restaurants in Stamford along Broad St, etc. You might enjoy Napa & Co.

Are you staying at the Harbor House Inn? If so, I'd be interested in hearing how it is.

Thank you all for your helpful responses.

We are staying at the Hyatt and appreciate your advice about activities and restaurants.

JAR

Sorry about the misleading driving times! I think I must have been measuring how long it takes from New Canaan, not Old Greenwich

Joela -- I think you will like the Hyatt. It is a pretty hotel and won't be that busy on a weekend, I bet. They have a fancy buffet brunch at Winfield's that's pretty nice. It's a zoo on Easter & Mother's Day, but you should be okay on July 4.

Valbella's is just down the road. Very good Italian food, with very high prices to match. Palomino is also just down the road. I think it's gotten some mixed reviews, but it sounds interesting. You might want to poke around the shops in OG. Enjoy!

You'll be right on the border of Westchester. Buy a copy of Westchester magazine. This issue is the Best of Westchester. You'll be able to see what all the locals consider the best.

If you want to go to an Indian restaurant that is fabulous and unlike any other, go to Zafran's in Yonkers. Ask for the rack of lamb that is not on the menu.

Good luck.

joela
I think you can get single visit beach passes to Greenwich Point (referred to as Todd's point in other posts) in Old Greenwich at the Civic Center in OG
http://greenwichct.virtualtownhall.n...kPasses/passes

There are also some town beaches reached via ferry from greenwich Harbor. I like Great Captain Island

There are fireworks at Binney Park in Old Greenwich July 5th. Also Greenwich Point but I would think traffic there would be bad\

The Bush Holley House is another museum/historic site you might enjoy
http://www.hstg.org/content/view/18/240/