1. Rodeway Inn, Stratford
City: Stratford, CT
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (203) 377-6288
Address: 10 Washington Pkwy.
Description: This is not really a chain hotel, but has been a family-owned motel for half a century with the Rodeway name attached. When you pull up to the shore in Stratford, you’ll immediately notice that it doesn’t look like a chain, but a mid-20th-century beach motel. There are 29 rooms, most with balconies overlooking the Sound, where you can sit and watch the sun go down. The beach in front of the motel is private for your use, and attaches to a long beach to the east that you can walk all day. The Lordship section of Stratford, where this motel is located, is also a fantastic place to ride bikes, with flat, wide streets and little traffic. This is a bargain for Fairfield County, and you will not find the posh amenities of some of the other Gold Coast hotels. But who cares? For the price, this is an incredible place to stay, with the attached Marnick’s restaurant and ice-cream stand waiting for you after a day of sightseeing.
2. Danny’S Drive-In
City: Stratford, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 378-6728
Address: 940 Ferry Blvd.
Description: This road-food classic in its small brick building has been around since 1935, and offers a selection of hot dogs like the Bull Dog, the Devil Dog, the Mad Dog, and the Super Dog, all with different fixings. The hamburger menu is the same, and even the regular burger comes with the works. What do all the others come with? You’ll have to check out the Crazy Horse Burger or the Triple Piggy and find out. There’s also pulled pork, lobster rolls, clam strips, and more. The “crazy fries” are messy fun, and be sure to get a peanut butter and chocolate milk shake or root beer float to go along with your meal.
3. Knapp’S Landing
City: Stratford, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 378-5999
Address: 520 Sniffens Ln.
Description: After driving through the concrete flats of the Sikorsky Airport, you’ll turn off Route 113 and suddenly find yourself at the mouth of the Housatonic River at Knapp’s Landing. With a deck that looks across to the salt marsh wildlife preserve in Milford, this charming, friendly place has a great view and great service. They have lots of traditional seafood dishes, like lightly buttered lobster rolls and a crispy calamari. Though it is primarily a seafood restaurant, there are also Italian dishes like chicken Florentine and penne a la vodka. This is a great place to take the kids, or to relax on the open deck on a summer day after going to the beach or seeing the sights of Bridgeport and Stratford. This was once (many years ago) a Japanese restaurant, and the koi pond is still there. There’s also a ramp here for taking your boat out onto the river, and into the wide blue seas of the Sound.
4. Stratford Antique Center
City: Stratford, CT
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (203) 378-7754
Address: 400 Honeyspot Rd.
Description: Driving north, you cannot miss the huge warehouse off I-95 labeled Stratford Antique Center. You might think this is just an advertisement, rather than the place itself, but this enormous multidealer antiques depot needs this huge warehouse. With its endless stalls full of ancient signs, paintings, and furniture, the Stratford equivalent of a “mall” of antiques is worth a stop. Of course, a short stop may turn into a few hours of browsing, as you try to take in the volume and density of fascinating relics of yesteryear. The prices are a little better, too, because of all the competition. Dig around and you’ll find a fine set of silverware or a vintage movie poster to decorate your office with.
5. Boothe Memorial Park And Gardens
City: Stratford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (203) 381-2046
Address: 5800 Main St.
Description: This small, 32-acre park just off of the Merritt Parkway in Stratford was once the estate of the Boothe family, including the site of what is often called the oldest homestead in America, built on the foundation of a 1663 house and continuously occupied ever since (though remodeled several times). In 1949 the park was willed to the town, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. What makes this museum and park unique was that two brothers in the Boothe family, David and Stephen, were avid collectors of buildings. Yes, buildings. As you stroll around, you’ll find the following: a blacksmith shop, icehouse, miniature windmill, trolley station, clock tower museum, carriage house, tollbooth plaza, aviary, and a redwood building. And more. Children walk around thinking they’re in some sort of Disneyland exhibit, but all these buildings are real, moved to this place by the Boothes. Stratford also runs events like Shakespearean plays and the Great Pumpkin Festival here, so check the schedule.