Looking for fun and free/low-cost events things to do with your family in Fairfield County, CT? Get the scoop on stuff to do with kids this May, including a Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine and new exhibits on everything from the Blue Man Group to the Olympics.
May 1-26
Erik Liberman and Danielle Ferland star in this version of Into the Woods, the Tony Award-winning musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim that puts a twist on popular fairy tales, playing at the Westport Country Playhouse.
May 5
Rev up your engines and race over to the Stamford Museum and Nature Center for the 9th annual Model Ts to Mustangs classic car show, where you’ll find American and imported cars manufactured between 1900 and 1979.
May 5-6
Train lovers of all ages can head to Essex for Day Out with Thomas: Mystery on the Rails Tour 2012, when Thomas and his friends from the Island of Sodor provide a full weekend of train-related entertainment. Take a 25-minute ride on a full-size Thomas the Tank engine, shake hands with Sir Topham Hatt, enjoy games and activities featuring an element of mystery, and stop by the Imagination Station for temporary tattoos, hands-on arts and crafts, train tables, and coloring sheets. The weekend also offers videos, live music, storytelling, face painting, magic, and a visit from Kaboose the Clown.
May 6
The whole family can lace up their sneakers and participate in the 7th annual STAR Walk, Roll & Stroll fundraiser at Sherwood Island State Park. The event benefits STAR, a nonprofit organization that provides services and programs to help infants, children, and adults with developmental disabilities throughout mid-Fairfield County. There are two routes to choose from: a 5K (3.1 miles) and a 1.6K (1 mile). In addition to the walk, families can enjoy face painting, arts and crafts, clowns, games, and food.
May 12
The Fairfield County Children’s Choir brings together children in fourth through 12th grades to perform Celebrating Composers Past and Present at Norwalk Concert Hall. The choir will present classic pieces from the past, and special guest Robert I. Hugh, a West Hartford-based composer, has been invited to present pieces he has composed and performed all over the world.
Opens May 12
In preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the Bruce Museum is exhibiting The Olympic Games: Art, Culture and Sport, which celebrates the history of the games and compares the ancient games with its modern incarnation. Discover which sports have endured since antiquity and learn how art, science, and technology have played a role in both ancient and modern-day Olympics. Plus, take a peek inside a custom-built mini-diorama that recreates one of the earliest Greek stadiums, complete with 1,200 miniature participants.
May 19
Join Make-A-Wish Foundation at the Beardsley Zoo for its Walk for Wishes fundraiser. Proceeds from the day benefit the foundation, which strives to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Enjoy a Touch A Truck event featuring police and fire vehicles, then take a non-competitive walk through the zoo and join a private post-walk celebration with food, music, kids’ activities, and carousel rides.
May 19
What is it about the night that makes everything more fun? Let the kids loose at tge Westport Weston Family Y’s Youth Fun Night. Children in fourth through seventh grade enjoy a parent-free (but supervised) night of swimming, basketball, games, and making sundaes.
Opens May 19
Stepping Stones Museum’s new temporary exhibit, Blue Man Group: Making Waves, is all about the science of sound. This multisensory exploration offers a playful and accessible approach, utilizing JBL Technology—a brand of high-performing speakers—and the Blue Man Group as guide.
May 26
The Stamford Center for the Arts and Stamford Gives Back join forces to present the African Children’s Choir, a group of singers ages 7-11 that includes some of the most needy and vulnerable children in Africa. When the choir has finished touring, the children return to receive an education and leadership training at well-equipped schools in their respective countries.
Opens May 26
You’ve heard of a great white shark, but what about the great white of the Wetlands? Have no fear; this white alligator won’t be swimming free in the sound. It’s spending the summer as a guest of The Maritime Aquarium. This rare gator, one of only 44 in a population of 5 million, is no albino—its lack of color is due to a genetic condition called leucism.
For even more fun family activities in Fairfield and the NYC area, search our full calendar of events.
