This museum boasts of the most comprehensive collection of British art outside the United Kingdom, which includes paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings and rare books that chronicle British life from the Elizabethan period to the present. Fifteen hundred paintings showcase the likes of great landscape painters John Constable and JMW Turner. The museum also hosts concerts, lectures, family education days and symposia. The gift shop offers a wide range of collectibles, art reproductions and literature for both children and adults.
A Gutenberg Bible, rare prints by the famed ornithologist John Audubon, and other remarkable manuscripts and journals are all located in this library in the heart of the Yale campus. Beinecke houses one of the largest rare book collections in the world, including more than 500,000 printed volumes and several million priceless manuscripts. The building is a rarity itself, designed to protect its holdings from solar damage with translucent marble "windows" that allow in only minimal light.
The Congregational United Church of Christ, as it is more formally known, has stood on the New Haven Green since 1639. The current Georgian structure dates to 1812. Architect Ithiel Town incorporated large windows into the design to capture sunshine, as there was no heating system. A beautiful Tiffany window, installed in 1890, depicts the Rev. John Davenport leading the first service in the new colony. The historic crypt contains the remains of Benedict Arnold's first wife. There is a small burial ground behind the church, where regicide John Dixwell is laid to rest.
The Yale University Art Gallery, founded in 1832, and with more than 100,000 pieces in its permanent collection, is the oldest university art museum in the country. The gallery offers an excellent overview of art history, ranging from ancient to modern. There is an exquisite collection of American paintings, and an extensive display of 20th-century European paintings. Classic objects from ancient Egypt and the Middle East, and treasures from the South Pacific and Far East are also on display. Guided tours, lectures, and family programs are all available. Admission is free.
The erstwhile estate of Marshall Field III was the genesis of the Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve. Various bird species have made this land their habitat making it an ideal location to observe birds in their natural surroundings. The park provides outdoors enthusiasts with a range of adventure choices.
American history resides in a beautiful setting at Sagamore Hill, the home of Theodore Roosevelt for over 30 years. While he was the 26th President of the United States, this mansion was known as the "Summer White House". Now, visitors can explore the home and the the beautiful surrounding area as well as participate in the small traditions of the place, such as the Sunday Afternoon Flag Folding. Entrance to the house is only permitted by guided tour, but the surrounding grounds are free to explore. Sagamore Hill is a wonderful place to learn about American history and culture or local nature and science (equal passions of Roosevelt himself!) for students of all ages. Children can participate in a Junior Park Ranger Program to earn badges and a patch.
The historic David Ogden House is a remarkably well-preserved example of a mid-18th-century farmhouse in Fairfield, CT. The house was built in 1750 for John Ogden, around the time he was married to Jane Sturgis, and remained the Ogden family's abode for the next 125 years. Having survived being burned to the ground by the British who invaded Fairfield in the midst of the American Revolution, the historic saltbox structure is an especially cherished piece of local history. Today, the Fairfield Historical Society maintains the historic home as a museum that illustrates the lifestyle of a middle class, colonial family in the 1800s. Besides the house itself, the Fairfield Garden Club maintains a Colonial Kitchen Garden with plants that were typical of gardens planted around the time the house was built. The David Ogden House can visited outside regular open hours by appointment.
Founded in 1943, Fairfield University is one of the nation's leading small, liberal arts colleges, conveniently located between New York City and New Haven. There are lovely buildings on campus, including Egan Chapel (a modern church dedicated to St. Ignatius Loyola) and The Quick Center (a performing arts facility). Also on campus, is the boys high school, Fairfield Prep. It is a member of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and the campus offers lovely views of Long Island Sound from the hillside.
Located on the campus of Fairfield University, the Bellarmine University of Art houses a magnificent collection of art work and artifacts. Covering Classical, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Celtic, and Asian work in three distinct galleries, the museum spans a total of 2700 square feet (250 square meters). Situated on the lower floor of Bellarmine Hall, an English manor style mansion from the 1920s, the museum building itself is almost as astounding as the pieces on display within it. The Bellarmine Museum of Art is open from 10:00a to 4:00p from Mondays to Fridays during September through May. Admission is free.
Opened for the general public on September 16, 2007, the Fairfield Museum and Historic Center is a monumental museum and library dedicated to the history of Fairfield, Connecticut. The museum boosts of a terrific collection of clocks, costumes and textiles, military items, dolls and toys, artistic furniture, and architectural fragments. Through the wide array of exhibitions, the museum offers tourists a glimpse of the state's colonial roots. A major highlight is the Landscape of Change exhibition, which reflects on Fairfield’s heritage.
The Discovery Museum and Planetarium is a great educational facility located across the Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course. The museum opened to public in 1962 and has been entertaining and educating ever since. The museum has fun learning techniques and interactive exhibits to engage its visitors. It provides a wide scope to explore and acquire knowledge about science and technology. The museum also hosts several programs to entertain its young visitors. Apart from this, the museum premises are also available on rent for private functions.
The Nathaniel Wheeler Memorial Fountain in Bridgeport, Connecticut was constructed in 1912–1913 and designed by unconventional American sculptor Gutzon Borglum. Nathaniel Wheeler's children had this sculpture to the city as an ode to their loving father, who had also been an important town personality. The structure shows a central bronze figure of a mermaid with a child in one hand and a lamp in the other, as fish seem to circling around her fins. The monument was repaired in 2009-2010 and was included to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.