The affluent community of New Canaan received a big boost as a tourist destination last year when the Philip Johnson Glass House opened for tours as a National Trust for Historic Preservation site. Amy Grabowski, the Glass House's director of external affairs, said the inaugural season drew 15,000 visitors from 38 states and 18 countries. Although this year's tours are sold out, there are other ways to learn about Johnson and others who over the centuries have had an impact on this town an hour north of New York City. The story begins in 1731 when rural Congregationalists who didn't want to travel to Norwalk or Stamford's churches created their own parish meeting house on a hillside now known as Church Hill. Little did those early settlers realize how the area would evolve from rolling farmlands to a shoemaking center in the 19th century, and finally a wealthy suburb. Although small in size and population, New Canaan offers an interesting mix of historical, natural, and cultural attractions, shopping, and dining. If nothing else, drive the beautiful back roads and gawk at drop-dead gorgeous properties.
SPEND
If money burns a hole in your pocket, New Canaan's charming business district offers oodles of places to put out the fire. The third Saturday in July is
Village Fair Day with sidewalk sales and activities for all ages. An aromatic local enterprise is a sure-fire magnet for coffee lovers.
Zumbach's Gourmet Coffee (77 Pine St., 203-966-2704) roasts all beans on-site, and displays more than two dozen selections in glass jars on the counter. One could linger over a cup of joe here or get it to go ($1.50-$2).
Lamakers (84 Main St., 203-966-9881,
lamakers.com) is one of several men's clothing stores. For women, there are too many choices to enumerate.
Skirtin' Around (33 East Ave., 203-354-5702, skirtin
around.com) delivers bold and colorful designs, while
L'Armoire (102 Park St., 203-966-1764, larmoirenew
canaan.com) specializes in designer clothes, accessories, and baubles. Affluence translates into big houses, so home furnishings stores abound.
Design Solutions, a locally owned enterprise, has two locations with modern furniture and accessories (136 Main St., 203-972-0222, and its DS store at 146 Elm St., 203-966-3116,
designsolutionstore.com).
Summer House (3 Forest St., 203-594-9550,
thesummerhouseonline.com) specializes in 18th- and 19th-century Swedish antiques. The Adirondack Store (90 Main St., 203-972-0221, theadi
rondackstore.com) specializes in the Great North Woods look. A mainstay in the Adirondacks since 1955, the New Canaan store opened in 1995. The cozy rustic furniture, antler chandeliers, birch baskets, Pendleton blankets, and vintage posters will make you wish you had an Adirondacks camp.
FUEL
The toughest part is deciding where to eat from a bounty of choices: large and small, family, home-style, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, pan-Asian, Indian, casual, dressy, deli, pizza, and take-out. In February and early March, the scene grew by two with the opening of
Harvest Supper (15 Elm St., 203-966-5595, small plates $6-$9, entrees $12-$18, five-course tasting menu $50) and
Fifty Coins (26 Locust Ave., 203-972-3303, fiftycoins
restaurant.com, entrees $11.99-$21.99).
Rosie (27 Elm St., 203-966-8998,
rosienewcanaan.com, sandwiches $7-$10, salads $10-$12) offers takeout, eat-in, and catering. If you find yourself craving baked goodies, head to
Lemongrass (155 Elm St., 203-966-9891). The lemon squares ($15 a pound, about $1.60 for one) and oatmeal-cranberry cookies ($1.75 each) were like homemade. Ginger Pizzurro, pastry chef and founder, also sells salads by the pound ($9-$11) and wraps ($6.50). For a touch of Italy,
Chef Luis (129 Elm St., 203-972-5847,
chefluis.net, entrees $17.95-$32.95) offers pastas, seafood, beef, and chicken at lunch and dinner. Ice cream is welcome at any time of day, so
Gelatissimo Artisan Gelato (26 Forest St., 203-966-5000) holds forth in the last storefront on Forest Street's little restaurant row. The gelato - Italian-style ice cream - is divinely creamy and flavorful (small cup $3.75).
Waveny Park (681 South Ave./Route 124, Recreation Department, 203-594-3600, newcanaan.info) is an oasis of hundreds of acres on the southern outskirts of town that was created in 1912 as the private estate of Lewis Lapham, a founder of Texaco. Today the town-owned park has paddle courts, swimming pools, a community center, and trails for walkers and joggers. The Tudor manor house hosts weddings and special events. Two other buildings house an art gallery and a theater. (See Party). The New Canaan Nature Center (144 Oenoke Ridge, 203-966-9577, newcanaannature.org), a 40-acre estate, was donated to the town by Susan Dwight Bliss in 1960. The Visitors Center Discovery room features displays with live critters and explanations about their habitats. Among outdoor theme gardens are herb, bird and butterfly, and wildflower. The grounds, open dawn to dusk, offer two miles of trails through various habitats.
REST
Two historic inns sit side-by-side on Oenoke Ridge, up the hill from the town center. The white clapboard
Roger Sherman Inn (195 Oenoke Ridge, 203-966-4541,
rogershermaninn.com, doubles $150, two-night minimum on weekends) began life as a private residence for Roger Sherman's niece, who lived there from 1783-1806. Sherman was a Connecticut delegate to the Constitutional Convention and signed all four documents related to the founding of the United States. The inn offers 17 guest rooms and continental breakfast. The public is welcome to enjoy lunch and dinner in the inn's elegant dining room. The handsome
Maples Inn (179 Oenoke Ridge, 966-2927, maplesinnct .com, queen $159, 2-night minimum Friday-Saturday $438), was built after a 1903 fire destroyed the original Victorian resort hotel that had accommodated city dwellers heading to the country for fresh air. Continental breakfast is included.
PARTY
Although New Canaan is quiet in terms of night life, the
Playhouse (89 Elm St., 203-966-0600) is a first-run movie house with two screens, so people frequently make a night on the town with dinner and a flick.
Elm Street Books (35 Elm St., 203-966-4545, elm
streetbooks.com) sponsors an authors speaker series at the
New Canaan Public Library (151 Main St., 203-594-5000, newcanaanlibrary). The library also is a place to find changing art exhibits, book groups, and occasional concerts.
br>
PLAY
Waveny Park hosts two cultural attractions. The 115-seat
Powerhouse Theatre (681 South Ave., 203-966-7371,
tpnc.org) is home to the Town Players of New Canaan, a community theater troupe founded in 1946 that mounts comedies, dramas, and musicals. The New Canaan Arts Society uses the
Carriage Barn Arts Center (681 South Ave., 203-972-1895,
carriagebarn.org) for changing exhibits, lectures, courses, and workshops. It also presents the New Canaan Society for the Arts Acoustics Series and Waveny Chamber Society concerts in the restored stone barn.
DO
Start at the
New Canaan Historical Society (13 Oenoke Ridge, 203-966-1776, nchisto
ry.org), a complex of five historic buildings, among them the 1825 Town House the society bought for its headquarters in 1963. Two years later, the family that owned the town's first drugstore donated it to the society. The 19th- and early-20th-century apothecary provides a fascinating look at health care in the good old days. An upstairs exhibit, "Celebrating New Canaan Architects: 1953-1983," focuses on 19 architects who settled here after World War II, drawn to the area by the "Harvard 5." The five advocates for mid-20th-century Modernism - Marcel Breuer, Philip Johnson, Eliot Noyes, John M. Johansen, and Landis Gores - had met at Harvard's Graduate School of Design before the war. The exhibit's scale models and photographs reveal the scope of their ideas that spread locally and around the world. Johnson bought five acres here in 1945, completed his iconic Glass House in 1949, and over the years added 42 acres and other special buildings, among them an underground art gallery and a library. He donated the property to the National Trust in 1986 and lived there until his death at 98 in 2005. With your interest piqued, you could head next to the
Glass House Visitors Center (199 Elm St., across from the train station, 203-594-9884,
philipjohnsonglasshouse.org). The multimedia wall is mesmerizing as 24 loops of photographs, sketches, and videos of the property, Johnson, his friends, events, and travels play continuously. Just sit on a red stool and watch. One can also buy books and jewelry, pottery, and sculpture commissioned by the Glass House. Those with an interest in art will want to check out the
Silvermine Guild Arts Center (1037 Silvermine Road, 203-966-9700,
silvermineart.org). This year it celebrates the centennial of the Silvermine Art Colony which developed after sculptor-portraitist Solon Borglum bought a farm in the area for weekend getaways from his job as head of the School of American Sculpture in New York. He and his wife welcomed other artists as guests and ended up holding informal salons and critiques in their barn.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
