Stamford, CT Road Trips

1 The Stamford Museum and Nature Center (take the High Ridge Road exit off the Merritt Parkway and go north for about a mile - it's on your left at the intersection with Scofieldtown Road - it's a fork in the road with a traffic light), ☏ +1 203 977-6521, [email protected]. Has a farm with cows, horses, pigs, chickens, llamas, and other animals. It also has a small museum and a playground with a huge slide. (updated Jun 2020) 2 Bartlett Arboretum, 151 Brookdale Rd, ☏ +1 203 322-6971. 8:30AM - sunset. Not too far from the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, a great park with walking trails provides a variety of trees and plants. 3 Shippan Point (take exit 8 of I-95 and head south on Elm Street. Take a left at Shippan Avenue at the second light. Continue until you reach a giant Shippan sign on your left then take that left at the light.). The southernmost point of Stamford, Shippan Point is home to some of the wealthiest residents of the city and some of the most historic and expensive homes. Shippan Avenue runs north/south and is the only way in and out of the neighborhood. Heading to the end of Shippan Avenue there is a stonewall overlooking a rocky beach. This wall and beach overlook the Long Island Sound, and an expansive view of Long Island across the water. On clear nights locals claim the Manhattan skyline is visible in the distance.. Columbus Park, Main St and W Park Pl (downtown, between Washington Boulevard and Atlantic Street. Take exit 7 of I-95 and head north on Atlantic Street and take a left onto Main Street.).

1 Cove Island Park (off of exit 9 off of I-95. Make a right off of the exit, take that road to the end make a left, the park is located on your right). It has a small beach and several paths that you can walk or rollerblade. Very close to downtown, you can escape there for a quiet lunch during a hectic workday. Beach stickers are required for parking there during the summer months. 2 Palace Theater (Stamford Center for the Arts), 61 Atlantic St (Take a right off exit 8 I-95, a left at the light and a right onto Atlantic St), ☏ +1 203 325-4466. Hosts a variety of shows in a historic building. Prices and hours depend on the show being held. Parking on the street is scarce and parking in lots costs about a dollar an hour. Make sure you feed the meter because you will get a ticket if your time runs out. 3 Stamford Twin Rinks, 1063 Hope St, ☏ +1 203 968-9000. Two ice rinks in one building. Bar/restaurant area on second floor with an exercise room. Skate shop on the first floor. Low prices. Free skate times alternate by day. Free parking. Space rentable for parties. Alive @ Five, Columbus Park. Th 5PM. A music festival in the summer months (usually June through August) located outside in two block off streets with Columbus park in the center. The main act takes the stage around 8PM $10. 4 Cummings Park (between the northern part of Shippan Avenue and Soundview Avenue; head south off exit 8 and head south on Elm Street until you reach Shippan Avenue. Take a left onto Shippan and continue until you see sign on left).

Bar Rosso, 24 - 26 Spring St, ☏ +1 203 978-7995. Lunch and dinner. Mains $19-40. Fiesta on Main, 249 Main St, ☏ +1 203 323-4300. M-F 11:30-. A nice Peruvian restaurant in downtown Stamford. lunch $10-15; dinner $15-25. The Colony Grill, 172 Myrtle Ave, ☏ +1 203-359-2184. The quintessential bar sized pizza, it's the only thing on the menu. Try the sausage and hot oil pizza and be prepared to order more than one. Widely regarded by locals as the best restaurant in Stamford. Garden Catering, 235 Main St, ☏ +1 203 487-0333. M–F 7AM–9PM, Sa 8AM–9PM, Su 9AM–4PM. Garden Catering, 877 High Ridge Rd, ☏ +1 203 461-8095. Garden Catering, 1053 East Main St. Selection of sandwiches, wraps, salads, and breakfast food. Most popular item here is the special: chicken, French fries and seasoning in a bag in ¼-, ½-, ¾-, and 1-pound increments. Also very popular are the potato cones, mashed potatoes deep-fried in batter in a cone shape. $5-10 per person. Gofer Ice Cream, 869 High Ridge Rd‬‬, ☏ +1 203 504-3105. Small ice cream shop that is very popular in the late afternoon and on nights. Regularly full of families taking their children out. Expect to spend $5-10 on average per person. Free parking in back. Vinny's Backyard Restaurant, 1078 Hope St, ☏ +1 203 461-9003. A popular bar and restaurant among locals, located in the historic Springdale neighborhood. Vinny's has extremely popular wings and thin crust pizza. Accessible from exit 36 on the Merrit Parkway.

Tigin, one of the top Arsenal FC bars in the tri-state area. Brick House Bar & Grill, 244 Bedford St, ☏ +1 203 353-8892. A traditional Stamford bar catering mainly to Stamford's born-and-raised; but it's also a bar inhabited by happy hour goers from the surrounding businesses. It can be unreasonably crowded at some times; usually during the weekends and Thursday nights. Metered parking along Bedford Street as well as parking lot located off Forest street. Tiernan’s Bar & Restaurant, 187 Main St, ☏ +1 203 353-8566. Irish pub in downtown Stamford across the street from Columbus Park and the adjacent bar and live music scene. Known for a selection of imported beers. Live entertainment Thursdays to Saturdays. Free wireless Internet and several large plasma televisions. Tiernan’s rarely ever holds of a policy of a cover charge. Bobby Valentines Sports Bar, 225 Main St, ☏ +1 203 348-0010. Sports Bar located in downtown Stamford across the street from Columbus Park; owned by Bobby Valentine, a Stamford native and the former manager of the New York Mets. The walls are covered with sports memorabilia and this is a popular local spot to have a beer and watch sports on one of the several large TVs. Award winning wings; these are half priced as well as the drinks from 4-7PM, Monday to Friday. Wednesday night is popular, drawing amateur singers for karaoke and ladies' night specials. Note- The Stamford Nightlife scene is constantly changing but all located generally in the same area of downtown Stamford.

Courtyard Stamford Downtown, 275 Summer St, ☏ +1 203 358-8822, fax: +1 203 358-8811. Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa, 243 Tresser Blvd, ☏ +1-203-357-9555. Offers 500 guest rooms and six suites covering 17 floors, with great views of Long Island Sound, downtown Stamford, and the Manhattan skyline. In addition the Stamford Marriott offers the Agora Spa. The day spa features treatment rooms, private locker rooms and steam room. DoubleTree by Hilton Stamford, 1 First Stamford Pl, ☏ +1 203 967-2222. Following a multimillion-dollar renovation, upscale accommodations with 484 guest rooms and suites. IACC-approved Executive Meeting Center with 45,000 square feet of flexible event space. Super 8 Motel, 32 Grenhart Rd (l I-95, Exit 6), ☏ +1 203 324-8887. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Off I-95 Exit 6 on the City's West Side. Very few hotels fall under $100 as the Super 8 does, and you absolutely get a lot of bang for your buck. Under $100.

LaGuardia Airport: a major airport in Queens, with mainly domestic flights. It is about 45 minutes away by car. JFK International Airport: a major airport in Queens, with worldwide flights. It is about 60 minutes away. Newark International Airport: This is a major airport in Newark, with worldwide flights. It is about 75 minutes away. Westchester County Airport: an airport in Westchester County, NY, with flights throughout the country, and from Toronto. It is about 30 minutes away. Bradley International Airport: a major airport in Windsor Locks, north of Hartford, with flights worldwide. It is about 100 minutes away. Tweed-New Haven Airport: a small airport in New Haven, with flights from Philadelphia. It is about an hour away. 1 Stamford Transportation Center (ZTF IATA Stewart B. McKinney Transportation Center[) (Washington Blvd and South State Street). (updated Oct 2019) Train operators: Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates trains throughout the United States of America. (updated Dec 2020) Routes stopping at Stamford: Acela travels multiple times daily between Boston and Washington, D.C. with stops in Westwood, Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore. This is the only route in the U.S. which resembles a high-speed rail line, with a top speed of 150 mph (241 km/h), though it can only go this fast on a few short segments.

Having a car makes traveling in Stamford much easier and safer (see Stay safe) but it is not essential. Bus routes travel along all major roads to all ends of the city and to other cities in Fairfield County as well as running to White Plains, NY, and Port Chester, NY. See here for more information on bus routes in Stamford. The New Canaan Metro-North line runs from downtown Stamford through the Eastside of Stamford with stops in the Springdale, and Glenbrook neighborhoods. See here for information on the New Canaan Metro-North line. There are several taxi companies serving Stamford. Among them are Stamford Taxi, +1-203-325-2611, Eveready, +1-203-655-8779, and USA Taxi, +1-203-487-0007

The FBI rates Stamford one of the safest cities in its population bracket. However caution must be used in some parts of Stamford, especially traveling past public housing projects. Walking the street is where you will encounter the most danger; avoid certain streets on the East Side (Custer Street, Ursula Place, Sections of Cove Road.), the West Side (Connecticut Avenue, Merrel Avenue, Spruce Street), as well as most of the Waterside (bordered by I-95 on the north, the Greenwich/Stamford border to the west and the Long Island Sound to the south and east; main avenue is Southfield Ave) and South End neighborhoods (The South End is bordered by I-95 to the north, and Long Island Sound to the east, west, and south; main avenue is Canal Street). Although Stamford is rapidly gentrifying, gangs and organized crime have long established roots in Stamford. Use the same caution as one would use in any city especially faced with a violent confrontation or when engaging in illicit activities. Stamford’s homeless population is not large but can be quite aggressive. Be careful of how you carry yourself; in Stamford a quick word might be more effective than simply ignoring a request. Avoid the McDonald's by the main library downtown, especially at night. It's been the site of muggings, fights and even a recent murder. There are plenty of other (safer) dining options in the area. Also Shippan has a lot of young hooligans roaming around at night. Some may get violent.