Museums in Fairfield County area
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Museums in Fairfield County area Admissions subject to change Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum 258 Main St., Ridgefield 203-438-4519 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 12-5pm Admission: $10, $5 students and seniors An independent, non-collecting museum that runs semester-long exhibits of contemporary art, the only one of its kind in Connecticut. The museum offers free (with admission) family art activities on weekends. The Barnum Museum 820 Main St., Bridgeport 203-331-1104 Hours: Thursday-Friday 11am-3pm Admission: FREE, but donations are appreciated Dedicated to the preservation of Bridgeport’s industrial and social history, including the influence of historical resident P.T. Barnum, founder of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Museum was damaged by a tornado in Jun 2010 and is still in the recovery process. To donate to the museum’s recovery, visit the website. Bruce Museum 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich 203-869-0376 Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 1-5pm Admission: $7; $6 students and seniors; free for children younger than 5; free for all on Tuesdays. A regionally-based institution that features art, science, and natural history in a dozen changing exhibitions each year. Permanent collections highlight the natural sciences. The Discovery Museum and Planetarium 4450 Park Ave., Bridgeport 203-372-3521 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm Admission: $9.50; $8 children ages 3-17, students, and seniors; free for children ages 2 and younger The museum offers many opportunities for hands-on science and space exploration. Exhibits focus on energy, sound and light, sports science, and space. Special area for preschool-aged children. Solar Legos: Let your imagination run wild with Legos. Solar panels provide the power to motors; you add wheels, gears, or whatever you want to try. The racetrack lets you and a friend see who built the fastest car. Earthplace, The Nature Discovery Center 10 Woodside Lane, Westport 203-227-7253 Hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday 1-4pm. Grounds are open daily, 7am to dusk. Admission: $7; $5 seniors and children ages 12 and younger. Grounds only: FREE. The 62-acre property features several nature trails, including The Universal Design Nature Trail, which is wheelchair accessible. The center includes hands-on exhibits that educate the public about nature and the environment. Kids can meet live animals during a Critter Encounter, do some nature crafts in the Natureplace clubhouse, and visit a few feathered friends at the Connecticut Birds of Prey outdoor enclosures.
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Museums in Fairfield County area Admissions subject to change Fairfield Museum and History Center 370 Beach Road, Fairfield 203-259-1598 Hours: 10am-4pm daily Admission: $5, $3 students and seniors, free for children younger than 5 The museum displays exhibitions and holds programs and activities that show how Connecticut developed into what is it today. Creating Community: 375 in the Past: A hands-on exhibit that explores the area’s roots from Native Americans, through the American Revolution, to the present day. Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk The focus is on Long Island Sound, the “Estuary of National Significance” just outside the doors. The Sound is an environment rich in aquatic life within sight of urbanized New York City. The marine population includes varieties of crabs, lobsters, mollusks (like oysters and clams), game fish, jellyfish, sea turtles, sharks and in the winter, visiting seals. Your visit will orientate you to the Sound from the shallow salt marsh into deeper waters. Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University Science Hill section of the Yale campus (Whitney Avenue and Sachem Street), New Haven 203-432-5050 Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 12-5pm Admission: $9; $8 seniors; $5 children ages 3-18 and college students See the Great Hall of Dinosaurs, the Hall of Minerals, Earth, and Space, the Hall of Native American Cultures, and the Hall of Mammalian Evolution. View past exhibits are available at peabody.yale.edu/explore/webexhibs. Stepping Stones Museum for Children 303 West Ave. (in Mathews Park), Norwalk 203-899-0606 Hours: 10am-5pm daily, closed Mondays from Labor Day through Memorial Day Admission: $15; $10 seniors; free for children younger than 1; free for all on the first Thursday of every month from 5-8pm; half-off admission Tuesday-Friday through March 28 from 3-5pm. The museum caters to children ages 10 and younger, with five main galleries, more than 100 hands-on activities, and traveling exhibits. Visitors can explore nature and science in the Energy Lab, discover architecture and design in Build It!, learn about health and their bodies in Healthyville, and more. Connecticut Science Museum 250 Columbus Blvd., Hartford 860-727-0457 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm Admission: $19; $16.50 seniors; $14 children ages 4-17; free for children younger than 3. Movie-only and combo tickets are also available. Note: Children younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Kids can explore science through 150 hands-on exhibits and daily programs in the educational labs and 3D digital theater. New exhibits include Digging Dinosaurs, Robot Humanoid, and Freeze Frame 360.
Museums in Fairfield County area Admissions subject to change Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum 258 Main St., Ridgefield 203-438-4519 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 12-5pm Admission: $10, $5 students and seniors An independent, non-collecting museum that runs semester-long exhibits of contemporary art, the only one of its kind in Connecticut. The museum offers free (with admission) family art activities on weekends. The Barnum Museum 820 Main St., Bridgeport 203-331-1104 Hours: Thursday-Friday 11am-3pm Admission: FREE, but donations are appreciated Dedicated to the preservation of Bridgeport’s industrial and social history, including the influence of historical resident P.T. Barnum, founder of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Museum was damaged by a tornado in Jun 2010 and is still in the recovery process. To donate to the museum’s recovery, visit the website. Bruce Museum 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich 203-869-0376 Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 1-5pm Admission: $7; $6 students and seniors; free for children younger than 5; free for all on Tuesdays. A regionally-based institution that features art, science, and natural history in a dozen changing exhibitions each year. Permanent collections highlight the natural sciences. The Discovery Museum and Planetarium 4450 Park Ave., Bridgeport 203-372-3521 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm Admission: $9.50; $8 children ages 3-17, students, and seniors; free for children ages 2 and younger The museum offers many opportunities for hands-on science and space exploration. Exhibits focus on energy, sound and light, sports science, and space. Special area for preschool-aged children. Solar Legos: Let your imagination run wild with Legos. Solar panels provide the power to motors; you add wheels, gears, or whatever you want to try. The racetrack lets you and a friend see who built the fastest car. Earthplace, The Nature Discovery Center 10 Woodside Lane, Westport 203-227-7253 Hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday 1-4pm. Grounds are open daily, 7am to dusk. Admission: $7; $5 seniors and children ages 12 and younger. Grounds only: FREE. The 62-acre property features several nature trails, including The Universal Design Nature Trail, which is wheelchair accessible. The center includes hands-on exhibits that educate the public about nature and the environment. Kids can meet live animals during a Critter Encounter, do some nature crafts in the Natureplace clubhouse, and visit a few feathered friends at the Connecticut Birds of Prey outdoor enclosures.
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Museums in Fairfield County area Admissions subject to change Fairfield Museum and History Center 370 Beach Road, Fairfield 203-259-1598 Hours: 10am-4pm daily Admission: $5, $3 students and seniors, free for children younger than 5 The museum displays exhibitions and holds programs and activities that show how Connecticut developed into what is it today. Creating Community: 375 in the Past: A hands-on exhibit that explores the area’s roots from Native Americans, through the American Revolution, to the present day. Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk The focus is on Long Island Sound, the “Estuary of National Significance” just outside the doors. The Sound is an environment rich in aquatic life within sight of urbanized New York City. The marine population includes varieties of crabs, lobsters, mollusks (like oysters and clams), game fish, jellyfish, sea turtles, sharks and in the winter, visiting seals. Your visit will orientate you to the Sound from the shallow salt marsh into deeper waters. Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University Science Hill section of the Yale campus (Whitney Avenue and Sachem Street), New Haven 203-432-5050 Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 12-5pm Admission: $9; $8 seniors; $5 children ages 3-18 and college students See the Great Hall of Dinosaurs, the Hall of Minerals, Earth, and Space, the Hall of Native American Cultures, and the Hall of Mammalian Evolution. View past exhibits are available at peabody.yale.edu/explore/webexhibs. Stepping Stones Museum for Children 303 West Ave. (in Mathews Park), Norwalk 203-899-0606 Hours: 10am-5pm daily, closed Mondays from Labor Day through Memorial Day Admission: $15; $10 seniors; free for children younger than 1; free for all on the first Thursday of every month from 5-8pm; half-off admission Tuesday-Friday through March 28 from 3-5pm. The museum caters to children ages 10 and younger, with five main galleries, more than 100 hands-on activities, and traveling exhibits. Visitors can explore nature and science in the Energy Lab, discover architecture and design in Build It!, learn about health and their bodies in Healthyville, and more. Connecticut Science Museum 250 Columbus Blvd., Hartford 860-727-0457 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm Admission: $19; $16.50 seniors; $14 children ages 4-17; free for children younger than 3. Movie-only and combo tickets are also available. Note: Children younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Kids can explore science through 150 hands-on exhibits and daily programs in the educational labs and 3D digital theater. New exhibits include Digging Dinosaurs, Robot Humanoid, and Freeze Frame 360.
