Explore Ridgefield
Visit the Best of All Possible Worlds...
Photo credit: © Peter Aaron/Esto.
Ridgefield boasts all the charm you’d expect from a quintessential New England town with a cultural sophistication worthy of the most passionate arts enthusiasts. Nestled in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, yet only about an hour north of NYC, those who venture off the highway are rewarded with, as Dr. Pangloss in Candide said, the best of all possible worlds- you’re in the country, surrounded by a breathtaking landscape and yet just minutes from world class experiences at places like the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (pictured above) and our vibrant home for the performing arts, The Ridgefield Playhouse.
Because of its proximity to thriving urban centers like New York and Boston, Ridgefield has a long and rich cultural heritage. Legendary acting teacher Michael Chekhov (pictured right) established his school here, and celebrated designer Cass Gilbert gave us an inspiring entrance to Main Street with a beautiful and welcoming fountain. At Weir Farm, you can walk the grounds where landscape artist, J. Alden Weir and his family, transformed their summer retreat into a creative refuge for friends and fellow artists that remains a place of inspiration for contemporary landscape painters.
Many visual artists continue to call Ridgefield home and are
amply showcased through an active artist guild, and galleries throughout the town.
Music lovers are enthralled with the five concerts given annually by the
Ridgefield Symphony.jpg)
Orchestra, under the direction of Gerald Steichen,
treated to nationally recognized artists at the Ridgefield Playhouse, The Ridgefield Chorale (pictured right,) and numerous
concert series in our parks, places of worship, library, museums and many of
the town’s restaurants. And with
Broadway and the television and film industry so prolific in the greater New
York area, Ridgefield is home to many actors, producers, and the wide array of
talent that creates the magic that thrills all of us.
Whatever your taste in the arts, Ridgefield has something for
you during your visit. Explore
Main Street and dive into the town’s celebrated history at the Keeler Tavern, where you
must take a gander at the cannonball still lodged in the side of the
building. Talk a walk following the Museum on the Street. Visit our hometown bookstore on Main Street and our active and thriving Ridgefield Public Library offering book
groups, concerts, movies, author’s visits and lectures. Catch a film at the Ridgefield Playhouse, or a show at
the Ridgefield Theater Barn. (Left, photo of the RTB's Role in the Hay Players.)
And Ridgefield’s future as a cultural destination is secure with the extraordinary talent of our young people. We boast the award winning Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra, the Ridgefield Music and Arts Center (RMAC), and schools of dance, acting and music that feed our outstanding public school's visual and performing arts departments.
So, get off the highway and visit the ‘other’ Fairfield County. You’ll love having the Best of All Possible Worlds.
Helpful Links:
Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce
Ridgefield Arts Council
400 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
203-431-2700
info@ridgefieldartscouncil.org
which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
