Although Darien is considered a bedroom community you will find bagel shops, boutiques, bistros, and specialty stores.
Darien does have several historic businesses such as Ring's End Lumber and the family-owned Nielsen's Florist & Garden Shop.
You will
also find 2 beaches, 12 parks, 3 country clubs, a beach club, a yacht club and a hunt club.
Pear Point Park
This wonderful beach is located in southern Connecticut in the city of Darien. There is a fee to get on this beach and you can find the latest rates when you contact the city of Darien for more information. It is located on Pear Tree Point Road.
Pear Tree Point Beach is an 8-acre beach loaded with amenities including picnic tables and grills, a bath house, a gazebo, and a concession stand in addition to two great beaches. It also features an excellent boat launch ramp.
Facilities include Boat Launch Ramp, Car-top Boat Access,Food Concession,Handicapped Access, Picnic Area
Sanitary Facilities (seasonal). Activities include Bird and Wildlife, Boating, Fishing, and swimming.
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Cherry Lawn Park
Cherry Lawn Park is a magnificent park that covers 27.5 acres off Brookside Road. The park offers a variety of passive and active recreational opportunities. There are 4 tennis courts, a basketball court, community gardens, the wonderful playground area, a natural pond, gazebo, walking trails, a multi-use field (Casey Field), a softball field, several picnic areas and a public restroom. The park is also home to the Darien Nature Center.
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Arts & Musuems
Arena at Harbor Yard
I-95, Exit 27. Arena at Harbor Yard plays host to music, sports and entertainment. The 10,000-seat arena is home to the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Fairfield University Men's and Women's Basketball. Popular events include Disney on Ice, Boston Pops, WWE Wrestling, and more. Admission.
Carriage Barn Arts Center
A unique Nineteeth Century stone barn on the grounds of a former estate is home to the exceptional exhibition and performance space of The Carriage Barn Arts Center in Waveny Park, New Canaan, CT. The Carriage Barn is sponsored by the New Canaan Society for the Arts (NCSA), a member-supported, non-profit community cultural organization.
Darien Arts Center
A nonprofit arts center which offers dance and art classes and private music instruction for children and adults. The DAC sponsors the Darien Players Community Theatre, The Connecticut Choraliers, Cabaret, theatre and dance performances as well as art shows.
Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art
It is the mission of The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art to be a national leader in the exhibition of significant and challenging contemporary art with an emphasis on emerging and mid-career artists, a world-class innovator of museum education programs, and a vital cultural resource for our community.
Artists' Market
Artists' Market is an oasis of art, an exciting blend of a gallery, a museum, and a busy framing workshop. Here you'll find artistic creations in a variety of media: classic contemporary handmade American crafts, exquisite fine art and photography as well as custom framing for those who want to show off something special or preserve heirlooms for future generations.
Southport Harbor Gallery
Artists' Market is an oasis of art, an exciting blend of a gallery, a museum, and a busy framing workshop. Here you'll find artistic creations in a variety of media: classic contemporary handmade American crafts, exquisite fine art and photography as well as custom framing for those who want to show off something special or preserve heirlooms for future generations.
Golf
If you love playing golf then you're going to love playing in and around Fairfield County.
Birchwood Country Club
The 9-hole "Birchwood" course at the Birchwood Country Club facility in Westport, Connecticut features 3,157 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 36. The course rating is 37.3 and it has a slope rating of 131. Designed by Orris Smith/(R) William F. Mitchell, the Birchwood golf course opened in 1900
Longshore Club Park Golf Course
The 18-hole "Longshore" course at the Longshore Club Park Golf Course facility in Westport, Connecticut features 5,845 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 73. The course rating is 69 and it has a slope rating of 115 on Rye grass. Designed by Orrin E. Smith, the Longshore golf course opened in 1922.
Country Club of Fairfield
The 18-hole "Fairfield" course at the Country Club of Fairfield facility in Fairfield, Connecticut features 6,358 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 70. The course rating is 71.6 and it has a slope rating of 133. Designed by Seth Raynor, the Fairfield golf course opened in 1914.
Silvermine Golf Club Inc
The 18-hole "Silvermine 2" course at the Silvermine Golf Club Inc facility in Norwalk, Connecticut features 6,077 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 70. The course rating is 65 and it has a slope rating of 107 on Blue grass. Designed by John E. Warner, the Silvermine 2 golf course opened in 1954.
Woodstock Nature Center
The Woodcock Nature Center has been a private non-profit source of nature and environmental education in Southwestern Connecticut since 1972.
Located on 149 acres of state-protected land, the Woodcock Preserve includes a pond, wetlands, and 3 miles of publicly accessible woodland trails. The Center is home to a variety of living local and exotic creatures including snakes, frogs, and lizards. We also house a handful of injured birds of prey.
Historical Sites
Bates Scofield House
Headquarters of the Darien Historical Society, this saltbox was built in 1736, and is now maintained by the society with exhibits of 18th century furniture, costumes and a quilt collection. A working herb garden is grown outside the home. Small admission fee for tours.
Fairfield County offers many great beaches along the Long Island Sound. You will find facilities such as
beaches with pavilion and concessions, marinas, tennis courts, softball fields, horseshoe pits, playgrounds,
skating rinks, picnic areas, walking paths, biking trails, fishing, rest rooms and more.
Weed Beach
Weed Beach is truly a fantastic place to visit, go for a swim or just spend the day relaxing. Weed Beach encompasses 22 acres off Nearwater Lane (just off Rte. 1). The park includes a bathing area, picnic areas, 6 tennis courts (home to the popular Future Stars Tennis Lessons), 5 paddle tennis courts, children's play areas, a bathhouse, a fully operational concession stand, and the Darien Junior Sailing Program.
Winter is the sleepiest time of the year in Fairfield County. But once Spring has sprung
the Housatonic Valley and coastal towns come alive with food, frolic, and festivities that last throughout spring, summer, and fall.
Beardsley Zoo
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo provides a wonderfully wild experience for families, students and you! We have a proud history of over 80 years as Connecticut's only zoo.
Maritime Aquarium
Maritime Aquarium
The Maritime Aquarium inspires people of all ages to appreciate Long Island Sound and protect it for future generations. A vibrant and entertaining learning environment, the Maritime Aquarium achieves this goal through living exhibits, marine science, and environmental education.
Shopping
Darien Shops
If shopping is your vice, prepare to indulge. From boutiques and shopping malls, to the upscale shopping districts of Westport, Greenwich and New Canaan, you can ?shop 'til you drop? in Coastal Fairfield County.
Cherry Lawn Park is a magnificent park that covers 27.5 acres off Brookside Road. The park offers a variety of passive and active recreational opportunities. There are 4 tennis courts, a basketball court, community gardens, the wonderful playground area, a natural pond, gazebo, walking trails, a multi-use field (Casey Field), a softball field, several picnic areas and a public restroom. The park is also home to the Darien Nature Center.
A unique Nineteeth Century stone barn on the grounds of a former estate is home to the exceptional exhibition and performance space of The Carriage Barn Arts Center in Waveny Park, New Canaan, CT. The Carriage Barn is sponsored by the New Canaan Society for the Arts (NCSA), a member-supported, non-profit community cultural organization.
Fairfield County offers many great beaches along the Long Island Sound. You will find facilities such as
beaches with pavilion and concessions, marinas, tennis courts, softball fields, horseshoe pits, playgrounds,
skating rinks, picnic areas, walking paths, biking trails, fishing, rest rooms and more.
Fairfield has some of the best boating waters on Long Island Sound.
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