Connecticut Charmer: Ridgefield, Ridgefield, Connecticut

I have been wanting to visit the town of Ridgefield, CT for a while now. Not for any particular reason other than I keep hearing how perfectly bucolic the setting is, and what a charming downtown it has. Having grown up in CT myself not too far away, it amazes me how much of my home state I still have not seen. So when a friend recently came back from the day there with her family and said to me that I had to check it out, I slotted it in my itinerary for my girls’ next school day off the following week. She said that she and her family had gone to Ridgefield after a morning of apple picking, and so I planned the same: apple picking at Wilkens farm (see recent post here), followed by lunch and shopping in Ridgefield.

Located in Fairfield County about 60 miles from New York City, Ridgefield is about as Connecticut quaint and New England as they come, with a tree-lined main street and cute (and hip) shops and boutiques. I guess that’s the main reason I’ve been wanting to visit – I love adorable towns that scream New England. Can’t get enough of them. Even if it’s a town where there’s not necessarily much for my kids to do, if it’s picturesque, I take them with me and find things to do. Which is what I figured would be the case with this visit. But, actually, there was enough to do with my girls, for Ridgefield is a close-knit community with kids all about town. Wherever we went, there were kids walking, running, biking or scooting by. I keep hearing how great the schools in Ridgefield are, so I don’t know why it came as a surprise to see children everywhere. Honestly, it felt like I was on the set of the Truman Show, with kids and white picket fences everywhere, but in a good way. There is a sweetness and a beauty to the town that would make anyone envious of families living there. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).