1. Inn At Fairfield Beach
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (203) 255-6808
Address: 1160 Reef Rd.
Description: This landmark hotel has been recently renovated and it shows. Each of the 8 suites and 6 studios comes with a kitchenette and is uniquely decorated with a theme: the Lighthouse, the Safari Suite, the Greek Studio, et cetera. Next door is the Seagrape Cafe, open daily, where you can catch your own lobster from the tank and try 30 different beers. Or you can order their food up to your room. You can also order from a mobile spa service that comes to your room, but make an appointment at least 24 hours in advance. The real bonus of staying here is that almost no one uses this beach on the majority of summer days and you can walk or swim here. You can also walk or bike around this beautiful area of Fairfield, up to the museum and Old Burying Ground, or even a few blocks farther to the shopping and restaurants along the Post Road.
2. Fairfield University
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Education
Telephone: (203) 254-4000
Address: 1073 N. Benson Rd.
Description: Founded by the Jesuits in 1942, Fairfield University offers a liberal arts education to 4,700 students at the graduate and undergraduate levels. With a holistic approach to education, Fairfield offers 36 majors and 16 interdisciplinary minors housed in 6 colleges. According to Business Week, the university ranks second in students’ return on investment. The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, called the “cultural epicenter of Fairfield County,” and the Bellarmine Museum of Art operate on the campus.
3. Sacred Heart University
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Education
Telephone: (203) 371-7999
Address: 5151 Park Ave.
Description: Sacred Heart is the second largest Catholic university in New England. Focusing on liberal arts and the Catholic intellectual tradition of active learning, SHU combines academic support and technology for 6,000 students in 40 programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The Jack Welsh School of Business opened in 2006, and it has since been ranked among the top business schools in the nation. Community service is a vital part of the student experience. Students, faculty, and staff volunteer over 31,000 hours a year.
4. Chef’S Table
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 255-1779
Address: 1561 Post Rd.
Description: The focus at the Chef’s Table is on freshness and variety. Great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the restaurant located downtown in Fairfield offers a wide selection of wraps, paninis, burgers, and even breakfast sandwiches. The Tuscan is one of 5 burrito options; it’s stocked with grilled vegetables, brown rice, goat cheese, and pesto, and gives you a little more to grab hold of than a wrap. (Although with 12 wrap choices, you could always get 2.) Build your own salad, try the classic Reuben as a grilled flatbread panini, or enjoy the tomato, basil, and mozzarella foccaccia. The smoothies are fresh and healthy, and there’s a full-service coffee bar as well as wine and beer. Live music entertains lunch crowds, and vintage rock-and-roll posters don the walls. The posters are actually for sale, but you probably can’t afford the proud owner’s prices.
5. Firehouse Deli
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 255-5527
Address: 22 Reef Rd.
Description: Occupying an old firehouse, this cafe (it’s not strictly a deli) in downtown Fairfield has some of the most creative sandwiches in Connecticut, some of which change daily. The Mother-in-Law, made in a tortilla with avocado, cucumber, carrot, jack cheese, lettuce, and tomato with ranch dressing, is a unique invention, only one of many here at the Firehouse. They also serve hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled cheese to compete with some of the better road-food joints. This is one of the top breakfast spots in Fairfield, too, with fantastic French toast and omelets. In warmer weather, be sure to sit on the patio, or get takeout and walk to the small gazebo across the street.
6. The Brasserie
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 254-8094
Address: 52 Sanford St.
Description: With its white tablecloths and huge slate chalkboard full of specials, the Brasserie heralds itself as fine dining in a casual atmosphere. Until recently this was a much fancier French restaurant, and the change has made it less expensive and more accessible. The menu is now full of reasonably priced burgers and sandwiches, as well as more countrified entrees like seafood bouillabaisse and pork loin in a mushroom sauce. The Brasserie also features a “tapas” menu, really a bunch of delectable French-American appetizers that you can sample and smack your lips over. Next door and run by the same owners is the Bubble Lounge, a cocktail bar with a completely different, modern decor and a selection of excellent drinks. Try the Pernod, and dream of Paris in the Jazz Age.
7. Super Duper Weenie
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Restaurants
Address: 306 Black Rock Tpke.
Description: This Fairfield hot dog shop has garnered a huge customer base in the last 20 years, with its fresh-baked bread from local sources delivered each morning and its custom relishes made from homemade pickled vegetables. They also use barrel-style sauerkraut, spiked with toasted caraway and bacon. As you can tell, Super Duper Weenie has a funny name but takes its hot dogs seriously. Note that they are only open for dinner on Fri and Sat, and otherwise close at 4 p.m., so this is primarily a lunch stop. Try the New Englander, a dog with sauerkraut, onion, bacon, mustard, and relish. The french fries at Super Duper Weenie are made from local potatoes and consistently win “Best of Connecticut” awards. After you try them, you’ll never go back to McDonald’s.
8. Wilson’S Real Pit Barbeque
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 319-7427
Address: 1851 Post Rd.
Description: Wilson’s Real Pit Barbeque has become an institution in Fairfield the last few years, and with good reason. Ed Wilson learned how to cook from his mother, Mimi, and keeps his skills fresh in competitions with pit masters across the country. The huge smoker parked in back of the small restaurant leaves no doubt as to the freshness of the ribs and pulled pork. “We have no microwave,” a sign proudly proclaims. The restaurant is a take-out favorite, due to limited seating, but that doesn’t stop it from being packed wall to wall. Look for little down-home specialties like “burnt ends” and “jag” (a rice and beans dish), or go for a platter of baby backs with slaw and black-eyed pea salad. Be sure to try all three of Ed’s homemade sauces—chipotle, sweet and tangy, and eastern Carolina—and don’t be afraid to get messy with them. No one will notice.
9. Fairfield Museum And History Center
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (203) 259-1598
Address: 370 Beach Rd.
Description: Located on the old town green, south of the Post Road, the Fairfield Museum is a modern museum among the relics of the past. There are usually two temporary exhibits at any one time, along with the main history room. Unlike many small-town museums, this has a professionally curated exhibit room, with fascinating displays on precolonial Fairfield, children’s education in the 19th century, and the burning of the town in 1779. There’s also a large space for conferences and parties, but you’ll probably be more interested in the 1780 Sun Tavern across the green. Built after Fairfield was burned in the Revolutionary War by the British, the new tavern was the site of a much celebrated visit from President George Washington. Walk or bike the deserted streets toward the beaches, and don’t miss the cemetery nestled onto Beach Road right next to the museum driveway, with its wonderful old graves. Head the other way up to the Old Post Road, where you can shop and eat at one of Fairfield’s great restaurants.
10. Audubon Center At Fairfield And Larsen Sanctuary
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (203) 259-6305
Address: 2325 Burr St.
Description: This wildlife sanctuary is a true pleasure for any walker or lover of nature. Beginning at the Fairfield Audubon Center, you will see a rehabilitation center for birds of prey, a butterfly garden, a farm pond full of frogs and turtles, and a greenhouse. But take a few steps north onto the trails of the Roy and Margot Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary, and you will see much more. A network of pleasant farm trails snake through the 155 acres deep in the suburbs of Westport and Fairfield. This is a birder’s and botanist’s paradise, with hundreds of species of birds and plants. Bring binoculars and a steady camera hand for rare bluebirds nesting here, flocks of turkeys, and several herds of deer. Try to walk quietly on the easy sanctuary paths and you will see and hear more; a rowdy group of teens is unlikely to see much of anything.
11. Birdcraft Museum And Sanctuary
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (203) 259-0416
Address: 314 Unquowa Rd.
Description: This was the first songbird sanctuary in the US, and will appeal to anyone who loves birds. Set aside in 1914 by Mabel Osgood Wright, one of the pioneers of the American conservation movement, this small gem in Fairfield will make you love birds, and appreciate people like Mabel who protected them. At the time this sanctuary was created, it was still common practice to kill random birds in your backyard without provocation, and it’s sometimes hard for us today to wrap our minds around that. Come on a quiet weekday when the kids are in school and see one of the rare songbirds without even a pair of binoculars. Or bring the kids to one of their summer camps with hands-on programs. The bridge over the pond and the vintage cottage are charming, and there are guided tours by appointment.
12. Quick Center For The Arts
City: Fairfield, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (203) 254-4010
Address: 1073 N. Benson Rd.
Description: This multipurpose venue at Fairfield University features concerts, plays, comedy performances, lectures, readings by popular authors, and dance. If that isn’t enough, they also do simulcasts from the live Metropolitan Opera here, too. The high ceilings in the entryway give a feeling of grandness, even though this is a more intimate venue, and the adjoining art gallery is worth your time while sipping wine before the show. This is one of four or five university-run performance venues in the state that consistently bring in big names, from Dar Williams to the Russian National Ballet. While you’re here, you might want to stop at Fairfield’s Bellarmine Museum of Art to check out the Kress Collection of Italian Paintings or the Asian art collection.