City: Shelton, CT

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (203) 924-0200

Address: 434 Howe Ave.

Description: A husband and wife chef team who have lived their whole lives in the Naugatuck Valley wanted a better and healthier place for everyone to come and eat breakfast and lunch. They opened a restaurant in downtown Shelton and began to produce a huge selection of tasty sandwiches and breakfast frittatas. And, of course, that restaurant is named Liquid Lunch, and that liquid is soup. They have 6 staples that are always offered: chicken noodle, beef barley, vegetarian lentil, tomato basil, French onion, and split pea with ham. Then there are 4 to 6 new and unique soups every day, such as Ben’s BBQ soup or bacon-potato-Gorgonzola. You can get them in 4 different sizes, too. They have been so successful that they’ve opened a couple more locations, including one at 84 S. Broad St. in Milford (203-877-7687).

City: Shelton, CT

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (203) 944-0400

Address: 194 Leavenworth Rd.

Description: Dorothy Sim-Broder’s little independent bookstore in the White Hills of Shelton is hidden in a fairly common shopping center. But her selection and friendly, do-anything-for-you service is anything but common. This is a community bookstore in the best sense of the word, supporting other local independent businesses and featuring community services like discussion groups, language classes, educator and senior discounts, knitting classes, and complimentary gift wrapping. When you step into the sunlit reading room, you can serve yourself free coffee or tea and sit in a comfortable chair to browse through the latest offerings from the book world. The latest opinion is that small bookstores will be making a comeback in the 21st century. That’s good news for everyone, and Written Words will be at the head of the pack.

City: Shelton, CT

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (203) 929-8425

Address: 605 Israel Hill Rd.

Insider Pick:

Description: The Jones family has been farming their land among the White Hills of Shelton for more than 150 years. Spanning over 400 acres, the farm is a local favorite in any season, where visitors can discover first-hand the family’s commitment to the land. Christmas trees were planted on the dairy farm in the 1940s by fourth-generation son Philip. A few decades later, his son Terry added strawberries and blueberries. Now the sixth generation has made his own impact with the winery, opened in 2004. Bring the family and pick your own berries in June and July, or enjoy the autumn leaves or a light snowfall as you pick out your perfect pumpkin or select the best tree. But save time for a visit to the winery, with its beautiful wood-top tasting bar. The wine selection is varied, and winemaker Larry McCullough has offerings that will suit anyone’s tastes. Whites like Pinot Gris and Stonewall Chardonnay are crisp, so they pair well with foods. Red offerings include Cabernet Franc—one of the best examples in the state—and Jones’s signature blend Ripton Red that has notes of vanilla and spice.

City: Shelton, CT

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (203) 929-6500

Address: 784 River Rd. (Route 110)

Description: This sizable recreation complex along the Housatonic River on Route 110 in Shelton is a great place to bring the family or a date. There are 2 year-round, NHL-size ice rinks here, one on top of the other. If that doesn’t make sense to you, you’ll have to skate it to believe it. The 18-hole miniature golf course is challenging, and the Lazer Tag in a 5,000-square-foot indoor forest is fantastic fun for children ages 8 to 80. There’s a food court, basketball courts, and video arcade, and unlike some amusement parks, this is pay-as-you-play. Maybe you’ll even see one of the famous ghost squirrels of Shelton while you’re here; they look like albinos but have black eyes. If you’re wondering what happened to all those great parks with their batting cages and golf driving ranges, the SportsCenter of Connecticut is open for business. The business of play, that is.