"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

Love it here! I love…read morethe lattes, artwork and the food. This space is so cool. They have limited parking and a nice outdoor space too. Inside, they have a coffee bar with amazing breakfast and lunch items. They have fresh pastries and coffee drinks. There is artwork throughout their space. I highly recommend this spot if you're looking for a good brunch or coffee spot.

We encountered this cool place while waiting for our tour of the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion to start…read more It's a great space with dual purpose of art gallery and cafe. Currently, the gallery space showcases "Being Seen" featuring 45 local artists' work, conceptualizing self-perception in multimedia artistic expression. We ordered mochas which were mild, very chocolatey but not overly sweet. If we lived here, we would definitely visit here regularly. They offer art classes on site as well.

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.

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!

A hidden gem right in your own backyard! Who knew? Sure they ship these ultra fresh oysters…read morewholesale all over the country because that's what this area is famous for, blue points, although they have their own unique name for them. Most excellent oysters! A little cute retail shop of all things coastal for enetertaining & decorating. But this is a RETAIL shop too! Ultra friendly staff who gave us a tour of the facility. Unbelievable! Such an impressive set up. Too, they've acquired quite an impressive, collection of all things oyster related: antiques, artifacts, tools, baskets, nautical maps, and a massive oyster tin collection from this past century, which is housed in the rear "museum". Come support these guys!

I love going to get seafood at the source, so i took my first vacay to drive out here and pick up…read moreSEVENTY oysters. these oysters were only 60¢ a piece, so we couldn't help but go a little crazy! we shucked a few at the oyster farm itself and then brought the rest back to finish up since it got way to cold to keep shucking outdoors. the first box was super light in flavor, not too briney, a bit sweet, slightly creamy, and had a really springy texture. the second box (even though they were the same oysters) had a much brinier profile! soooo yum and worth the price! FYI - these were the hardest oysters we've ever shucked. but well worth the effort and drive! if you're not as crazy as me, you can order them online to have them shipped to your door!

Absolutely amazing space, and such an incredible artist. Every time I see Oksana's art, my mind is…read moreblown and I'm overtaken by emotions. 10/10 recommend.

Oksana is an extremely talented and intelligent artist. The range of her talent is truly…read moreextraordinary. Her paintings range from fashion art, replete with 3 dimensional fabric and Swarovski crystals, all the way through to conceptual art which makes a powerfully relevant social statement. On a personal level, Oksana is a delight. She is easy to work with; accommodating and considerate from the very first meeting and thereafter. I have known her for several years and have 6 of her beautiful pieces in my home, ranging from watercolors to an oil painting which I commissioned her to paint. She has been a pleasure to work and am proud to be among her collectors. If you haven't seen her art I strongly recommend you do so; you're missing something very special.

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.