Check out oysters (& music) in Norwalk, CT

2008-08-20

Drive time
4 hrs., 42 mins./271 miles

Take I-295 and I-95 through NH and into MA. Keep right to take I-495 S via Exit 59 toward Worcester. Merge onto I-90 (MA pike) via Exit 22. Merge onto I-84 via Exit 9 toward Hartford. Merge onto CT-15 S via Exit 57 on the left. Take I-91 S via Exit 86 toward New Haven. Merge onto I-95 S on the left. Take Exit 16 toward East Norwalk then take the ramp toward US-1. Turn slight right onto East Ave.

Touring tips

Be sure to check out the SoNo Historic District, which has been placed on the National Historic Register for the importance of its late 19th and early 20th century buildings. Saved from almost certain destruction 20 years ago, it’s now home to a lively group of restaurants and distinctive retail shops. The New England Brewing Company preserves the art of independent brewing in a magnificently restored building.

For outdoor recreation, visit Oyster Shell Park, previously a landfill, but now filled with winding trails and walkways through marsh grasses, reeds and wildflowers. The half-mile multi-purpose trail for bikers, pedestrians and roller bladers runs from the Maritime Aquarium to Mathews Park.

The Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival, which always takes place on the first weekend after Labor Day, is a pretty big deal. Featured performers at past fests have included the Village People, Willie Nelson, Cheap Trick and Little Richard.

This year’s party in Veterans Park, near Long Island Sound, will be no different. Los Lonely Boys will take the stage on Friday, Sept. 5; The Oak Ridge Boys will perform on Sept. 6 and Sister Sledge is in the house on Sept. 7. (Get tickets at www.seaport.org/OysterFest.html)

This is the 31st annual version of the festival, described as the “best shuckin’ festival around.” There will be hundreds of arts and crafts booths, children’s activities, environmental displays, palate-pleasing food, oystering exhibits, vintage vessels and harbor cruises.

If that’s not enough for you to make it a great weekend in Norwalk, there’s plenty more fun to be had. Hop a ferry at Seaport Dock to Sheffield Island and get off for a 90-minute stay. Visit the island nature trails and tour the lighthouse. You can even bring a picnic and the crossing (including the lighthouse tour) is only $20.

If water is your thing, don’t miss the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, which features more than 1,000 creatures native to Long Island Sound. There are two touch tanks, a jellyfish encounter, a Frogs! exhibit with 25 species of amphibians and an IMAX theater.

The aquarium should keep the kids interested but be sure to save some time for the Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Mathews Park. There are hands-on programs including Rain Forest Adventure, I Spy Connecticut, Toddler Terrain and Waterscape. Admission is $8.

There’s a lengthy list of places to stay and dine in Norwalk. Top picks for accommodations include Four Points by Sheraton Norwalk (203-849-9828, $100-$190), Hilton Garden Inn Norwalk (203-523-4000) and The Silvermine Tavern (203-847-4558, $140-$190), which is a 200-year-old riverfront inn.

Choose from American, Spanish, Mediterranean, Italian and many other cuisines in Norwalk. Check out Barcelona Restaurant & Wine Bar on North Main Street for hot and cold tapas or La Paella on Main Street for Argentinean and Spanish dining. Ocean Drive on Washington Street gives diners the feeling of eating in South Beach and Wasabi Chi on SR 136 is a stylish Japanese spot.

— Karen Beaudoin