Things To Do In Stamford, CT

Stamford Museum & Nature Center: Deep in the woodland of North Stamford, the Stamford Museum & Nature Center mixes art with nature, history and agricultural sciences. It all sits in 118 acres on the grounds of the half-timbered Bendel Mansion, built in a mock Tudor style in the late-1920s. In this fine building you can look around a diversity of galleries for contemporary art exhibitions, the Natural History of New England, antique farming implements, totem poles, vintage pedal cars, prints by the likes of Warhol and Dalí and work by prominent local artists like Gutzon Borglum and Reuben Nakian. Outside is a glorious sculpture collection and the 10-acre Hecksher Farm, celebrating New England’s rural heritage, and keeping a range of heritage breeds and non-indigenous species like alpacas, burros and llamas. The Overbrook Nature Center meanwhile has interactive wildlife exhibits and is served by trails that wind through 80 acres of parkland and connect with the neighbouring Bartlett Arboretum. Don’t miss the Edith & Robert Graham Otter Ponds, keeping playful North American river otters.

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens: A botanical attraction described as a “living classroom”, the Bartlett Arboretum holds more than 3,500 specimens planted in 12 different gardens close to the Stamford Museum. Most of what you’ll see has been gathered from New England, but there are examples from the Caribbean, Africa, Mexico and the South-western United States. The earliest of these were planted more than a century ago while the most recent have been here more than 50 years. Take a wander in the Frank Bartlett Heisinger Conifer Garden and the Mehlquist Garden for its azaleas, rhododendrons and Japanese Andromeda, all under lofty hardwood trees. Woodland Treasures is brimming with more than 100 species in less than an acre, while the Alice Smith Fern Allée is flanked by 60 kinds of fern, and the quaint Cottage Garden is arranged like a British garden from the 1700s.

Philip Johnson Glass House: There’s an icon of modern architecture in New Canaan, a simple drive east of the Stamford Museum. A single open plan room with glass walls on a slender wooden frame and brick base, the Glass House (1949) was designed by Philip Johnson, and is a study in minimalism, geometry, reflection and transparency. The house’s only concealed element is the bathroom, which is housed in a brick cylinder. The Glass House was designed as a weekend retreat for Johnson, who used the property for almost 60 years until he passed away in 2005. You can take an informative guided tour via the visitor centre in downtown New Canaan, which entails a shuttle and a 3/4-mile walk through the estate and a visit to some of the other structures on the grounds, like the Brick House where Johnson’s guests would stay.

Cove Island Park: In the very south-east of Stamford, Cove Island is the site of a 19th-century factory manufacturing bleached minerals, dye extracts and liquorice. The mill was razed by a famous fire in 1919 and over the next few decades was developed into a park. It would be easier to list the things that Cove Island Park doesn’t have, but the main draw in summer is the pair of sandy beaches. These are accompanied by a children’s playground, a sweeping lawn area, a cycling path, a mile-long walking trail and a state-of-the-art nature centre. Anglers can cast their line along the secluded rocky shoreline, while there are spots along the Cove River and at Holly Pond where you can spot birds: The park is listed as an Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society, with more than 287 species recorded.