Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts
Westport
The venerable outdoor amphitheatre, located behind the Westport Public Library overlooking the Saugatuck River, offers more than fifty free nights of music between June 25 and August 27, six nights a week, plus two special, ticketed events.

341-1143 or try the concert hotline at 221-4422; levittpavilion.com.

Summer Concert Series on Sherman Green
Fairfield
From the gazebo on the green in Fairfield center, these old-time, free concerts — polka, big band, oldies and country — begin at 7 p.m. on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, June 11 to August 31. There’s also a children’s concert series on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.

Contact Fairfield Parks & Recreation, 256-3144

Wilton Music Festival
Wilton
This annual, outdoor summer festival is held at Merwin Meadows, a gem of a park on Lover’s Lane, with swimming pond and changing rooms, playscape, ballfield, basketball court and picnic areas. The season opens on June 25 at 6 p.m. with musician Kate Taylor.

For the full summer schedule, call Wilton Parks & Recreation at 834-6234.

Movie Theaters
Norwalk and Fairfield
Two small cinemas deserve attention: Garden Cinema in Norwalk is one of the last art movie houses in the area (26 Isaac Street, 838-4504; ghcinemas.com) and the nonprofit Community Theatre in downtown Fairfield offers old and new films for $4 per show

1424 Post Road, 255-6255; communitytheatrefoundation.org.
 

 
Westport Library
Westport
It's not just for reading anymore! Westport Library constantly has events and exhibits on display, including book discussions, guest lectures and art exhibitions.

Arnold Bernhard Plaza, 20 Jesup Road, Westport. 291-4840; website

For home entertainment, check out the Audiovisual Department at the Westport Public Library. Its collection of films, audio books and CDs surpasses any rental store. Anyone with a Connecticut library card can take out an unlimited number of titles

227-8411, westportlibrary.org.

 
The Westport Experience
Westport
Make lunch reservations for an outdoor table at Splash, the restaurant at the Inn at Longshore on Compo Road South (203-454-7798). In a pretty setting overlooking the Sound, Splash is just a short drive into Westport’s center. There, you can wander the boutiques on Main Street, the Post Road (stop in at Dovecote and Lucy’s) and the shops around Sconset Square (don’t miss home-design boutiques Kismet and Bungalow). When the shops close, have drinks and a light bite on the pleasant patio at the Blue Lemon on Sconset Square (203-226-2647). Then it’s on to the Westport Country Playhouse where, this month, you can take in a musical homage to composer Kurt Weill (through June 18), which is followed by a poignant drama called The Drawer Boy, by Michael Healey (June 22 through July 9).

The Westport Country Playhouse is at 25 Powers Court. westportplayhouse.org; 203-227-4177
 

 
Ridgefield Playhouse
Ridgefield
80 East Ridge
Ridgefield, CT 06877
203-438-5795
website

Mashantucket Pequot Meseum
Westport
The world's largest and most comprehensive Native American museum and research center offers an array of engaging experiences for young and old, from life-size walk-through dioramas that transport visitors into the past, to changing exhibits and live performances of contemporary arts and cultures. Four full acres of permanents exhibits depict 18,000 years of Native and natural history in thoroughly researched detail, while two libraries, including one for children, offer a diverse selection of materials on the histories and cultures of all Native peoples of the United States and Canada.

110 Pequot Trail, Mashantucket, CT. 800-411-9671; website
 

 
Historical Connecticut
Greenwich and Norwalk
Start with an early lunch at the Thomas Henkelmann restaurant in Belle Haven, a historic Carpenter Gothic estate with an excellent weekend lunch menu. Much of Belle Haven is gated, but you can still coast through many a quiet street for a look at the fanciful Queen Anne Victorians, once the summer homes of turn-of-the-century New Yorkers. Next, visit the Historical Society of Greenwich, located in the Bush-Holley House (circa 1730) on Cos Cob Harbor. Recognized as Connecticut’s first art colony, this one-time haven for Impressionist painters still hosts artists-in-residence, whose work is featured in a show called Art in the Yard (June 5 through June 25). Another don’t-miss historical estate is the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk, which movie buffs will recognize as the site of the demonic men’s association in The Stepford Wives. From West Avenue in Norwalk, it’s a short drive to Silvermine, a quaint hamlet on the Norwalk–New Canaan border. Stop in at the Silvermine Guild Arts Center, where art is on view both inside and outside in the gardens.
Need refreshment? Just up the road is the 200-year-old Silvermine Tavern, which hosts live jazz performances and serves dinner at its Tavern Restaurant with windows overlooking the river.

silverminetavern.com; 203-693-9967; Thomas Henkelmann is at 420 Field Point Road. homesteadinn.com; 869-7500 Historical Society of Greenwich is at 39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob. hstg.org; 869-6899; Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is at 295 West Avenue, Norwalk. lockwoodmathewsmansion.org; 203-838-9799  Silvermine Guild Arts Center is at 1037 Silvermine Road, New Canaan. silvermineart.org; 203-966-9700
 

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