Solid hiking here. We went during a beautiful day and enjoyed getting lost on the trails for an…read morehour or so. The mansion is closed for renovations, but there was more than enough to enjoy without it.

After almost two years living in Norwalk, I finally discovered this shady oasis from All Trails…read morewhen dog sitting. The trail system is super well maintained and an easy loop to follow. There are multiple green spaces and designated dog areas around the mansion. Cranbury park is super shady and a quiet place to unwind from city noise.

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!

What a treat! If you live in the area, you need to put this on your summer to-do list. I've lived…read morein the area for five years but didn't learn about this cruise until this summer. Be warned, book tickets online and in advance. They sold out for day/time we wanted to take the cruise, but there were 20 tickets still available the night before. Plan accordingly. We arrived for a 3:30 cruise on a beautiful August afternoon. The cruise seemed to be full, and there was a mix of couples and families on the boat. The boat ride is smooth and relaxing. The boat staff was offering a "guided" tour, but it was tough to hear, so I gave up trying and just enjoyed the experience of being out on the water. The boat ride is about 30 - 40 minutes each way. You won't get wet, at least we didn't, and there are enough seats/room for everyone. Once you arrive at the island, you have about 1.5 hours to explore. They have a guided lighthouse tour, a small concession stand, a small beach (not one that you would lay out at, so no need to bring a suit), volleyball courts, nature trails, etc. This entire experience is set up to be calm and relaxing. There isn't too much to do on the island, but that's kind of the point. You are only there for 1.5 hours, and there's no way you can get that bored in that period. Just unwind and take in the scenery for a few minutes, it will clear your mind. They offer limited food at the concession stand, but you can always bring your own snacks as well. Next time, I will bring a few snacks for us, especially since our trip was over dinner time. The bugs - BEWARE. They don't spray for mosquitos, and as a result, they are everywhere. I didn't know bugs would be a problem in advance, but the cruise provides spray upon arrival for free! I brought my own SPF, but they also provided that as well. The staff is lovely and do anything they can to make your experience as pleasant as possible. This is the perfect low-key day trip, and I highly recommend it to anyone in the area.

It's always incredible to read about stuff in a town's history that goes back to the 1600's…read more But having said that, this is a strange marker because it describes a lot of things that didn't happen. For example, a guy named Daniel Patrick was deeded some land by the Indians in 1640, but no one settled in that new land. Also, a guy named Roger Ludlow got some more nearby Indian land, but no one settled there either. That's a pretty sizeable amount of room on this plaque describing non-settlements. Some Hartford families finally settled in the areas in 1651. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has the same inscription on both sides. . It's located on a strip of grass between a cemetery and a funeral home. The marker dates to 1977 and is in a distressed condition. The white lettering is in pretty good shape but the blue background is showing obvious signs of chipping, peeling, and fading. The plaque's full inscription reads: First in recorded history came a navigator, Adriaen Block, in 1614 who called the Norwalk Islands "Archipelago." In 1640 Daniel Patrick from the New Haven Colony obtained a deed from local Indians conveying land on the west side of the Norwalk River. But that colony sent no settlers to the grant. Roger Ludlow of the Connecticut Colony, perhaps to halt further penetration by Patrick's claim towards his Fairfield settlement, secured and Indian grant of land on the east side of the river in 1641. Neither Patrick nor Ludlow settled here. In 1651 Nathaniel Ely and Richard Olmstead led thirteen families from the Hartford area to the Ludlow grant. The first homes rose on both sides of a path, now East Avenue near its intersection with Fort Point Street. On September 22, 1651 the General Court of the Connecticut Colony decreed "that Norwauke shall bee a Towne." Erected 1977 by City of Norwalk, Norwalk Historical Commission & the Connecticut Historical Commission.

In some parts of the country, it's called a minecart, a mine cart, a mine trolley or a mine hutch…read more Basically, it's sort of a rolling wagon that back in the day was used to pull ore and stone out of a mine on a mine railway. They've become obsolete, as technology has advanced to conveyor belts and the like. So minecarts have become a relic of the past or a movie prop like the one used in the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom movie You'll see this very cool monument overlooking the waterfront in downtown Westport. The monument and plaque were dedicated by the Gault Energy Company, who have been around for over 150 years and are headquartered here in Westport. The monument includes an authentic coal cart that was used in the late 1800's. It was pulled by mules to unload and move coal from the Westport shipyards. It's a very cool nod to history.

Norwalk, Connecticut was founded in 1649. The Norwalk…read moreHistorical Society together with the Norwalk Library do a great job in preserving the history of the town. They have records, books, charts, weapons, clothing, etc. It is housed in the Old Town Hall building (c.1835) with several historical buildings that have been relocated to behind the Town Hall. The historical graveyard is interesting. There is even an old gravestone with a big tree growing around it. Worth a trip !

I love me some libraries, and even though I live in Norwalk, and our librarians are phenomenal, A+…read morelibrarians, the selection on the shelves is nothing like Westport's, which is vast, in depth, and delves far more deeply into subject matters. Their librarians area also A+ phenomenal, though I do find the ones in Norwalk are a little more loose - as in they have a bit more of a sense of humor. That might just be me, and my type of humor - and also that I don't look like I fit in (really in CT in general, but especially in Westport.) That said, I actually like Westport. It is a rich town, but they are a generous town with their resources, and one of those ways in which they are is they allow reciprocity with Norwalk residents so we can utilize their library. This huge, two floor structure is so much more thana mere library - it has a state-of-the-art recording studio that far surpasses ones I have used or recorded in (and I have released three CDs and been on three compilations), a large stage for performances and lectures (including the epic Verso Fest, which happens annually -- and is affordable, even for people who do not have a lot of disposable income), a band shell on the property with free shows - and not wildly expensive larger name shows, a summer farmer's market (which is out of my budget by far too much, but that is not the library's doing), free parking, a gorgeous outdoor space to eat (from their fairly priced and delicious -- fresh -- cafe) overlooking the water, gorgeous grounds, and it is a wonderful escape -- all but from reality. I love their selection of law books. I love they have a wait list with your name waiting on the side of the book where you can just pick it up after they email you. They also have a section where you can borrow anything from a cake pan to a record player to a ukulele to a projector. They really care, and it shows. The fact that they allow the neighboring town that does not have these extensive resources to use them is just so amazing and I am so thankful for that. I love this library. Thank you, Westport, for knowing you are lucky to be where you are and for being so generous and welcoming to the have-nots in this world.

Best library in CT! They have a cafe and all proceeds go to the library. I got two yummy chocolate…read morechip cookies. Many different areas to get your work done. Right on the water and outdoor seating for nice days.

I was here to get some rubbings about 10 years ago when it was all overgrown. . . You had to start…read moreon Waverly Ave and work east through the brush and broken fencing to get to the then-obscure main strip, which features some of the highlights of this cemetery . . . the row of obelisks, John Rock Smith Monument, and stones for the Shipwreck victims of the (1895) Louis V. Place, and (1897) Nachum Chapin. Now, there is a crew of guys speaking to politicians, landscaping the grounds and raising money for restoration: They were recently featured on the back page of Sunday Newsday (click link below). A great graveyard. . actually there are five old cemeteries on this plot, with stones dating back to 1794, connecting moderne tymes with the olde-timey spirits of your Patchogue brethren. http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/lilife/ny-lftstory5334850aug19,0,3320412.story

From the owner: Auto entrance on West Main Street, just west of the YMCA/Blue Point Brewery. Pedestrian entrance…read moreon Waverly Avenue. Collectively known as “Lakeview Cemeteries”, the property holds five historic cemeteries dating to 1793. On Main Street, Lakeview and Rice cemeteries are owned by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. The western “Waverly Cemetery,” has gravestones dating to 1798, is legally “abandoned” and maintained by the Town of Brookhaven and Friends of Lakeview Cemeteries, a volunteer committee of the Greater Patchogue Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. PatchogueCemetery.org