15 Best Things to Do in Ridgefield, Connecticut

By VI Staff on August 30, 2019

Nestled in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains and a short drive from New York City, Ridgefield, CT is a charming town with a unique historical Main Street and an array of things to see and do. Enjoy a game of golf on the semi-private Fazio-designed 18-hole golf course or head into the wilderness on a network of hiking and biking trails and miles of country roads.

1.Prospector Theater

The Prospector Theater is a four-screen, first-run movie theater that presents current films from dramas to action and comedy and features a concession stand. The theater is dedicated to employing people with disabilities, using education, engagement, and employment to showcase an individual’s incredible talents. The 26,000 square foot building features four theaters with wheel-chair accessible stadium-style seating, state-of-the-art Christie projectors, Dolby digital surround sound, and Dolby 3D. Ushers meet-and-greet before each show and narrative headsets and closed caption glasses are offered with every first-run feature.

25 Prospect St, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 203-438-0136

2.Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is a non-collecting contemporary art museum dedicated solely to the exhibition of contemporary art. Founded in 1964 by Larry Aldrich with the aim of becoming one of the first contemporary art museums in the country, the museum is based in an 18th-century former church and general store known as "Old Hundred" which Aldrich bought and converted it into the Larry Aldrich Museum. The Aldrich Museum features works by national and international emerging and mid-career artists, including Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, and Cy Twombly. The Aldrich Museum has several educational programs for visitors of all ages.

258 Main St, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 203-438-4519

3.Keeler Tavern Museum and History Center

The Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center is a museum and history center in Ridgefield that celebrates over 300 years of the town’s history and heritage. Based in an 18th-century historic building on Main Street, the museum provides an in-depth look at life from the American Colonial era through the mid-20th century in Ridgefield. The home in which the museum is based was summer home to architect Cass Gilbert, who bought the building in 1907 and has since been a farmhouse, a stagecoach stop, a tavern, a post office, and a hotel for travelers. Visitors can enjoy guided tours of the museum while costumed guides accurately portray life in rural Connecticut from the early 18th century to the mid-20th century. Rooms are decorated with period furnishings and feature a variety of ever-changing exhibits, including a cannonball still lodged in an outer wall of the museum. Tours also include the classic Cass Gilbert Garden House, which was built for his wife, Julia in 1915 and features a beautiful brick-walled garden with rose arbors and a reflecting pool.

132 Main St, Ridgefield, CT 06877

4.ACT of Connecticut

ACT of Connecticut is an equity theatre that presents limited engagement runs of well-known Broadway musicals and plays, as well as world-premiere productions by the next generation of writers and composers. All shows feature both Broadway stars and local Fairfield and Westchester County talent. ACT of CT's recent productions have included Stephen Schwartz' "Working", "Evita", and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." ACT of CT offers expertly-led youth education programs and staged readings of new shows with opportunities for community feedback and involvement. ACT of CT was honored with 11 BroadwayWorld Connecticut Awards in 2018, its inaugural season.

36 Old Quarry Rd, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 475-215-5433

5.Saltana Cave Himalayan Salt Spa

The Saltana Cave Himalayan Salt Spa is a unique spa that offers a healing experience based on the European tradition and health benefits of a salt cave. Centered around a cave filled with pink-hued Himalayan salt crystals that glow with a warm pink light inducing immediate relaxation, the Saltana Cave Spa offers speleotherapy, also known as salt cave therapy. Visitors can also have halotherapy, a special treatment that uses a salt vapor that is known to treat skin irritations, combat mental lethargy, and help treat respiratory ailments, skin irritations and helps to combat mental lethargy. Guests relax in zero gravity chairs next to a shimmering salt fireplace while dry aerosol salt vapor is pumped into the air and is accompanied by soft new age music. Cave sessions last about 45 minutes and run on the hour throughout the week.

590 Danbury Rd, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 203-969-4327

6.Ridgefield Theater Barn

The Ridgefield Theater Barn is a charming converted dairy barn with heat and air conditioning with 1,000 square foot addition that hosts the Ridgefield Workshop for the Performing Arts, Inc. The family-friendly community theater presents a variety of shows ranging from comedy and drama to musicals that includes a production schedule of four concerts per year performed by a team of raw amateurs and seasoned professionals. The barn theater offers a comfortable, intimate setting with cabaret seating, a reception gallery on the main level, and handicap accessible restrooms. Audience members are allowed to bring their food and beverages to enjoy before the show and during intermission.

37 Halpin Ln, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 203-431-9850

7.Seth Low Pierrepont State Park

Seth Low Pierrepont State Park Reserve, also called Pierrepont State Park, is a 305-acre public park that offers a wealth of outdoor recreational activities such as fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and boating. The park is home to five blazed trails include one that winds around the south end of Lake Naraneka, otherwise known as Pierrepont Pond, and the main trail known as the white trail, which runs along Pierrepont Lake ascending from the parking lot to the highest point in the park before descending to a minor entrance. The lake provides excellent hiking and spectacular views of Pierrepont Lake, Redding hills and Long Island Sound can be seen from the top of Barlow Mountain.

50 Barlow Mountain Rd, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 203-938-2285

8.Bennett's Pond State Park

Bennett's Pond State Park is a state park and public recreation area that is home to the 56-acre Bennett Pond, after which it is named. Occupying a portion of the 1,500-acre estate that was once the home of industrialist Louis D. Conley, the park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, boasts many miles of hiking trails in a pristine woodland environment and is contiguous with the Wooster Mountain State Park. In addition to hiking in the park and along the Ivy Trail, which crosses through the park, visitors can enjoy fishing, boating, canoeing, mountain biking, and seasonal bow hunting.

550-698 Bennetts Farm Rd, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 860-424-3000

9.Weir Farm National Historic Site

The Weir Farm National Historic Site commemorates the life and work of American impressionist painter J. Alden Weir, along with other artists who also lived at the site. One of two locations in the National Park Service devoted to the visual arts, the other being the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, the Weir Farm National Historic Site maintain a variety of ongoing artist-in-residence programs whereby artists are hosted at the Weir Farm Art Center for a month-long stay. Set on 60 acres of land, the property is home to 16 buildings, including two restored artist studios, and a hiking trail and tours of the ground are offered National Park Service rangers. Weir Farm also runs an ongoing "Take Part in Art" program, where visitors can create their works at the Weir Farm Art Center.

735 Nod Hill Rd, Wilton, CT 06897, Phone: 203-761-9945

10.Nod Hill Brewery

Nod Hill Brewery is a locally owned and operated brewery that produces balanced, expressive, and unique beers. Founding by father-son team Dave and Rob Kaye, the brewery features a comfortable taproom with an airy, rustic vibe where visitors can sample some of the brewery’s craft brews. Signature beers include an English-style Strong Bitter called Topstone; a Hoppy Pale Ale called Lil Slo; a Square Wave IPA; a Refletchsa Double IPA; a Trappist-inspired Single Ace of Wands. Food trucks visit the brewery and serve a variety of food for beer-samplers to enjoy, and the brewery hosts live music through the week.

137 Ethan Allen Hwy, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 203-617-1191

11.TerraSole Ristorante

Located in the heart of downtown Ridgefield, TerraSole Ristorante is a charming Italian restaurant that serves locally sourced Italian fare and casual wines in a warm and welcoming environment. Owned and managed by Italian-born Pietro Polini, this farmhouse-chic eatery and wine bar feature exposed wood beams, hardwood flooring, walls adorned with interesting Italian artwork, and an intimate bar area. A lovely private garden patio offers alfresco dining in the summer, while the 65-seat main dining room boasts a cozy ambiance in which to enjoy the sensational cuisine. The menu offers traditional Italian fare of antipasti, fresh salads, wood-fired pizza, hand-tossed pasta and an array of entrées featuring fresh seafood, veal, beef, and chicken. TerraSole Ristorante is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.

3 Big Shop Ln, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 203-438-5352

12.Bernard's

Set in a refined circa 1875 country inn, Bernard’s is an award-winning restaurant owned by Sarah and Bernard Bouissou that serves classic French cuisine and fine wines in an elegant, rustic setting. Stylishly decorated in a chic, understated way, the restaurant serves a menu to match with sublime dishes such as Osetra caviar, foie gras, and crisped sweetbreads with pea ravioli and a cèpe cream sauce. Up to 15 daily specials and signature dishes can be savored like sea scallops layered with shaved black truffles leek fondue, roasted duck breast and leg confit, smoked duck farci and a frisée salad, and branzini with tempura zucchini blossom and toasted couscous risotto. The cuisine is accompanied by an extensive selection of fine French wines from the 1,700-plus cellar collection and served with attention to detail. Bernard’s is open for lunch and dinner, Wednesday through Sunday.

20 West Ln, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 203-438-8282

13.The Hideaway Kitchen and Bar

The Hideaway Kitchen and Bar is an upbeat gastropub that serves casual fare and craft beers in a friendly and relaxed environment. The Hideaway’s family-friendly dining room serves a menu of traditional pub fare such as juicy steaks and burgers, fresh salads and starters, and other hearty entrées of pasta, seafood and more. There are of choices for the kids and healthy options for those watching their weight. The Hideaway has an inviting bar with three giant flat-screen televisions and a crackling fireplace where patrons can enjoy a range of craft beer on tap or by the bottle, along with sharing plates and small bites. Daily Happy Hour specials are offered, and handcrafted cocktails are popular with the post-work crowd.

30 Grove St, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 203-438-7676

14.850 Degrees Wood Fired Restaurant

850 Degrees Wood Fired Restaurant brings a slice of New York to Ridgefield with traditional Neapolitan, and New York-style pizzas with unique topping combos served in a relaxed setting. The family-owned and operated restaurant serves both wood-fired and traditional oven pizza prepared using on the freshest locally sourced ingredients, house-made tomato sauce, and fresh herbs. Made-to-order pizzas can be enjoyed in the comfortable dining room and bar area or taken away and are accompanied by a selection of 14 craft beers on tap or by the bottle, a list of casual wines and other beverages. 850 Degrees Wood Fired Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.

424 Main St, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 203-894-5395

15.Ridgefield Playhouse

The Ridgefield Playhouse is a community theater that hosts a variety of entertainment ranging from plays, musical performances, films, and other events. The 500-seat theater was opened in 2000 after being remodeled from the 1940s Cass Gilbert Jr.-designed auditorium at Ridgefield High School, preserving the hall’s excellent acoustics and making it an ideal venue for musical performance and live theater. A hand-painted mural with familiar scenes of historical Ridgefield adorns the lobby walls giving the nod to the importance of the town of Ridgefield. The theater has hosted a wealth of well-known performers, including Clint Black, Michael Feinstein, The Doobie Brothers, Gregg Allman, Diana Krall and more.

80 E Ridge Rd, Ridgefield, CT 06877, Phone: 203-438-5795