Filtering by Tag: kids activity,Beer Garden

Guide to Kids Cooking Camps & Classes (2025 Edition)

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Hannah Goodman March 13, 2025

Spring is just about here and summer is not far behind, which means warmer weather is finally upon us. Yay! It also means that new and exciting cooking classes and camps for young kids, teens, and in-betweens are just around the corner. This list offers one-day classes, private chef-lead cooking parties, and week-long (or summer-long) camp sessions for all types of cuisines and skill levels. Whether your high schoolers are looking to hone their knife sharpening and other kitchen techniques, or your elementary school-aged kids just want to bake cupcakes from scratch and decorate them (whilst licking the bowl), Connecticut has many opportunities for a wide range of culinary interests. Some classes are coming up this month and summer programs fill up quickly, so don’t delay! Keep your kids’ creative juices flowing and register them today!

Maple Sugaring Activities in Connecticut (2025 Edition)

Features kids activity Maple Sugaring

CTbites Team February 18, 2025

his just in from CTVisit.com…

The end of February and throughout March is the maple sugar season in Connecticut! Cold nights and warm, sunny days are necessary to provide good sap yields. Local sugar makers and their many loyal customers eagerly await this annual rite of spring. Visit a local sugarhouse or attend a maple sugar festival to see firsthand how maple syrup is produced! Hungry for more? Find additional events and destinations for maple lovers here!

Guide to Connecticut's "Pick Your Own" Fruit Farms

Features Pick Your Own Farms Farm Fresh kids activity Local Farm Homepage

Carly Terzigni July 02, 2024

It’s summer, which means it’s time to head to your local farm for some fruit picking! It doesn’t get fresher than picking your own fruit straight from the source, especially when they’re in season! Organized by county, the following farms have at least one type of seasonal fruit available during the year as a pick-your-own experience.

Note that the following fruit harvest seasons are approximate as it varies from year to year depending on a number of factors, including weather. With the warm temperatures we’re seeing this June, some picking seasons may move along faster than usual. This means strawberry season could wrap up early, but blueberries and raspberries could start early, too. Check with the farm you wish to visit to confirm current fruit availability.

Here is an approximation for some of the more popular fruits you may want to pick this year.

CITA PARK: New Haven's Night Market Features Beer Garden Built On Inclusion & Culture

Features New Haven Beer Garden Community

Khalid Williams May 16, 2024

In the picturesque streets of downtown New Haven, a significant movement is coming to fruition—beer, music, food and vibes, with a heart and soul that’s built around black and brown culture and presence. The vision comes alive with the debut of CITA Park at the New Haven Night Market on May 17, marking the arrival of the region’s first beer garden that is prioritizing a welcoming celebration of black culture and people.

The craft beer industry, known for its creativity and community, has yet to develop its legacy of inclusion. It's a space that thrives on diversity in taste but is often lacking in representation. There has always been a population it comes to the people who want to produce and enjoy thoughtfully made beer. This is where "Change in the Air '' steps in—a foundation created to disrupt and diversify the craft beer industry and be a beacon of light for Black and Brown expression within the craft beer cultural space.

Hop & Vine, A Self-Pour Taproom, Is Preparing To Open In Stamford (Via The Patch)

Features Stamford Wine Bar Beer Garden Beer

Richard Kaufman via The Patch December 08, 2023

This just in from Richard Kaufman of The Patch.

There will be 69 beer and wine taps across two floors and 5,500 square feet in a brewery/beer garden-type atmosphere.

Hop & Vine, a self-pour taproom that will offer a wide variety of beer, wine and other beverages along with scratch-made food in a relaxed, brewery/beer garden-type atmosphere, is readying to open its doors in Stamford.

An opening date has not been finalized yet since final inspections and certifications need to be made, but co-owner and general manager Connor Rasmussen hopes the business can be up and running before the end of the year.

Located at 30 Spring St., Hop & Vine Taproom will eventually feature 69 taps across two floors and 5,500 square feet — 23 taps on the ground floor, and 46 on the second floor.

Continue reading on The Patch.

Friday Froth: Mexican Lager, Made In Connecticut

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James Gribbon June 22, 2023

Despite expert credibility having recently taken several cannonballs below the waterline, and 60-degree sweater weather remaining in abundance, summer - they tell us - has officially arrived. The days are near their longest, and the months start with “J”, so we must grudgingly accede they have a point. This time each year, in a migration as timeless and majestic as the great herds of the Serengeti - Nutmeggers can be seen dragging our coolers to beaches and backyards. What are we drinking? Hard seltzer! NO! I mean, yes, but also: shut up.

We are drinking:

Very cold.
Easy drinking.
Usually Mexican lager. Corona, Pacifico, Modelo, ET C.

Why do we drink these? Because 1&2, but also... it’s what we’ve always done. Why are you thinking about this?

BECAUSE I’ve been noticing Connecticut brewers have been trying out the style in increasing numbers, they are delicious, and more people should know, which has always been the entire point of this column.

Beer Garden at Shippan Landing Opens for 2023 Season (via Hey Stamford!)

Features Beer Garden Stamford

Hey Stamford! May 08, 2023

This just in from Hey Stamford!

A seasonal favorite in Fairfield County, the Beer Garden at Shippan Landing has officially re-opened for the 2023 season.

Tucked away in Shippan Landing, a 17-acre office park located right on the water, the Beer Garden is an outdoor oasis with a rotating roster of craft beer, a variety of creative food trucks, live music, and a slate full of special events throughout the Spring, Summer and early Fall.

Following their grand opening on April 21, The Beer Garden at Shippan Landing are currently opened Thursday 4PM – 10PM, Friday 4PM-12AM, Saturday 12PM-12AM, Sunday 12PM-9PM.

The Beer Garden at Shippan Landing is located at 290 Harbor Drive. For more follow @beergarden_shippanlanding on Instagram or visit www.beeratthelanding.com

Maple Sugaring Activities in Connecticut for Winter 2023 (via CTVisit)

Features Kid Friendly Local Farm kids activity Maple Sugaring

CTbites Team January 23, 2023

This just in from CTVisit.com

The end of January and throughout March is the maple sugar season in Connecticut! Cold nights and warm, sunny days are necessary to provide good sap yields. Local sugar makers and their many loyal customers eagerly await this annual rite of spring. Visit a local sugarhouse or attend a maple sugar festival to see firsthand how maple syrup is produced!

Adopt-a-Tree: Maple Syrup Program
New Canaan Nature Center, New Canaan; kicks off on February 4 and runs through March.

All ages and families are welcome to learn about and participate in the entire syrup-making process.

Tap-a-Tree Maple Sugaring Program
Ambler Farm, Wilton; February 4, program runs through mid-March

Learn the science and history of maple sugaring by being a hands-on part of the process. You can come out to the Farm to collect sap from your tree. See the sap get boiled down the sugar shack and then get your own bottle of Ambler Farm Dark Maple Syrup to bring home.

Read the complete list of activities on CTVisit.comThis just in from CTVisit.com…

30+ Spots to Celebrate Oktoberfest 2022 in Connecticut

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April Guilbault September 10, 2022

Hops is on the brain and Oktoberfest is on the calendar. It’s that delightful time of year to gather with friends, German-style! Chomp into a giant pretzel, grill a brat, raise a stein (or 20, if you are partaking in a competition), and then toast, toast, and toast some more. Across our state, Oktoberfest celebrations are happening and you’ve simply got to get in on one of them. A better time will not be had! Prost!

The Prospector Theater: Ridgefield's Mission Driven Movie Theater & Gourmet Popcorn!

Features Ridgefield Movie Food kids activity Snacks

Oliver Clachko June 22, 2022

“80% of adults with disabilities are unemployed,” cites Sam Burkhardt, manager of The Prospector Theater. “It’s really difficult for many of them to find work.” “And COVID only exacerbated that,” adds manager James Mase, “with 1 in 5 workers with disabilities being laid off, compared to 1 in 7 in the general public.” Thankfully, the Ridgefield movie theater offers a haven for developmentally and intellectually disabled adults seeking work, with a mission to provide “competitive and integrative employment” for adults with special needs.

But that’s not all….wait till you try their homemade gourmet popcorn!

Guide to Kids Cooking Classes & Camps in Connecticut (2022 Edition)

Features Cooking Cooking Classes Kids kids activity Kids Cooking Classes Guide Education Highlight

April Guilbault April 05, 2022

Feels like we were all just stuck home together and dreaming of getting OUT and low and behold, now we can! Let’s start with getting those kiddos some cool stuff to do once school lets out. Let’s hear it for cooking camps! To learn (in a fun way) about food, where it comes from, what the heck we can do with it, and yummm, how it tastes-what could be better? Follow it with some parent-kid trips to your local farms or farmers’ markets, and lookie there, you’ve just filled the calendar a bit for the summer months. Here’s to brilliant and tasty new discoveries!

314 Beer Garden Opens at Former SoNo Marketplace

Features Restaurant Craft Beer beer Beer Garden ct beer BBQ Norwalk

Andrew Dominick September 30, 2021

Some of you may remember the multi-vendor and artist space known as SoNo Marketplace at 314 Wilson Avenue. Don’t worry if you think it passed you by, it was sadly only open for a blink. But if you do recall, the courtyard area of the “market” was always set up for events and an outdoor bar with draft lines. Some years ago, SoNo Marketplace did host a chili cookoff and a pig roast with Half Full Brewery.

In 2021, that patio space has been resurrected as 314 Be er Gar den, complete with 13 taps and all the essential biergarten décor with Adirondack chairs, picnic tables, string lights, and a massive fire pit smack dab in the center of it all.

314’s intro beer list on draft and in cans included a strong Connecticut brewery presence. New England Brewing Co.’s signature, hoppy Sea Hag and Supernaut were both available, as was Evenflow, a crushable lager from Hamden’s own No Worries.

Newtown's NewSylum Brewing Co. is a Pandemic Success Story

Restaurant Features CT Beer Beer Beer Garden Newtown Brewery Openings

Connecticut Magazine August 21, 2020

Connecticut Magazine checks out NewSylum Brewery in Newtown. Here’s their review.

It was not the grand opening anyone envisioned.

NewSylum Brewing Co. owners Mark Lennon, David Kingsley and Mark Tambascio had been planning their brewery for several years as a taproom-centered operation. One that took full advantage of their unique location in Newtown within a historic building at what was formerly Fairfield Hills Hospital, a psychiatric facility on a 100-plus-acre campus with more than a dozen buildings.

NewSylum Brewing Co. in Newtown opened during the coronavirus pandemic in a historic building in the former Fairfield Hills Hospital, a psychiatric facility.

Then the coronavirus hit.

The brewery was slated to open the first week in May, but Connecticut was still shut down and the taproom the owners had envisioned as the centerpiece of their business couldn’t be opened. “We had to shift gears from our original plan,” Lennon says.

They hadn’t planned on canning their beer but quickly contracted with a mobile canning company, and began offering curbside pickup.

Chefs At Home: Chia Seed Pudding Recipe from Chef Anthony Rinaldi

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Stephanie Webster June 25, 2020

Episode #4 of our Chefs At Home series is here…and it’s a heathy, simple and delicious recipe you can make all summer long. Chef Anthony Rinaldi, formerly Exec Chef at Kawa Ni in Westport, currently the Chef for Greenwich Country Day School, has been having some fun in his kitchen with this recipe for the Chia Seed Pudding. This recipe has 15 grams of protein and is easy enough for any kid to make themselves! Get your kids cooking and enjoy!

Chefs At Home: Ultimate Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Recipe from Chef Anthony Rinaldi

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CTbites Team April 22, 2020

Episode #2 of our new Chefs At Home series is here…and It’s a good one. Chef Anthony Rinaldi, formerly Exec Chef at Kawa Ni in Westport, currently the Chef for Greenwich Country Day School, has been having some fun in his kitchen with this recipe for the Ultimate Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie. This guy knows his way around a kitchen. Those kids at Greenwich Country Day are darn lucky….Enjoy!

Turning Sap Into Syrup At Ambler Farm's Tap-A-Tree Program

Ingredients Features Farm to Table Local Farm Ingredients kids activity Kid Friendly

Natalie Levitt February 24, 2020

It was a warm February morning and my son and I joined a group of families as we gathered at Ambler Farm in Wilton, CT to kick off the maple sugaring season. We were greeted by Program Director Kevin Meehan and received an introductory lesson on how to tap a maple tree. Most of us stood in awe as the sap started to drip out of the tree upon tapping it. Many cheered with excitement for what was about to begin was a fantastic winter farming adventure and a great lesson in farm-to-table. We then received our buckets from Assistant Program Manager Jennifer Grass and proceeded to carefully select our “Giving Trees” on the farm. We hung our buckets on the trees and captured photos to commemorate the day. (Our tree was number 42 and pretty far from the sugar shack! It was an adventure after all!) Then we waited. We waited a week. During that week, many of us wondered just how much sap we would find in our buckets when we returned to the farm.

Half Full Brewery Opening 2nd Stamford Location (via Hey Stamford!)

Features Stamford Brewery Beer Garden CT Beer Openings

Hey Stamford! January 11, 2020

I remember it like it was yesterday, the doors would open a few days later and I had just left my first interview and brewery tour with founder and “Chief Hoptimist,” Conor Horrigan. Between his passion for the brand and the fact that Stamford was about to get its first craft brewery, I remember being really excited!

Cut to today. Not only has that little Waterside brew pup been churning out some fantastic award winning beer, they’ve also become a key member of the Stamford community. So, what’s next for Conor’s team? How about an expansion!

Over the holiday break , Half Full Brewery announced that they have signed a lease for a second Stamford location at 575 Pacific St.

Read the complete article on Hey Stamford!

Elicit Brewing Company Sneak Peek Info & Opening November 18

Features Beer Garden Beer CT Beer Brewery Openings Manchester

CTbites Team November 11, 2019

It's go time! After much work, construction, beer brewing, game assembly, mixology, and kitchen testing, Elicit (located at 165 Adams St, Manchester, CT) is ready to bring the FUN to Manchester - and you're invited!

Elicit Brewing Co. will be an American-style beer garden featuring a range of food from pizzas and sandwiches to smaller style plates including wings and pretzels. The brewery is expected to be open Monday through Friday late afternoon through late night, with more hours on the weekends To learn more about Elicit Brewing Co., follow us on Instagram (@ElicitBrewing), visit their website: http://elicitbrewing.com

If you would like to get in BEFORE THE PUBLIC, THEY ARE ACCEPTING RSVP’S FOR The PRE-opening weekend EVENTS.

Half Full Winter Beer Garden Returns for 2019 (via Hey Stamford!)

Events Pop-Up Bar Stamford Holiday kids activity

Hey Stamford! November 08, 2019

This just in from Hey Stamford!

One of our favorite winter experiences of 2018 was Half Full Brewery’s Winter Beer Garden. Well, I’m thrilled to say that the Stamford-based brewery announced yesterday that this pop-up experience will return, this time for the entire month of December!

The Half Full Winter Beer Garden will once again be located in Mill River Park just opposite the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Skating Center and will feature an enclosed bar serving (of course) Half Full beer, cider and wine.

The Half Full Winter Beer Garden is part of Mill River Park’s Winter Wonderland programming line-up, built around the Skating Center (opening for the season on November 18). From Thanksgiving until New Year’s, the park will offer plenty of winter fun, including crafts, DJ Nights, and more!

20+ Places for Oktoberfest in CT: 2019 Edition

Features Oktoberfest Holiday Festival CT Beer Beer Garden Events

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson September 08, 2019

It may be called OKTOBERfest, but 2019’s Oktoberfest festivities are kicking off as early as September! Breweries are creating their own German inspired beers while popular restaurants are providing their own renditions of bratwurst and more. Get your lederhosen ready… Oktoberfest 2019 is here!

The Hops Company, Derby

The Hops Company will be hosting its 4th annual Oktoberfest on Sunday, October 13, 2019 beginning at 12:00pm. Featuring Von Trapp Brewery, the day will include live bands, giveaways, and specialty casks. A highlight of The Hops Company’s Oktoberfest is the Stein Hoisting Contest. Each winner will receive an overnight stay for two at the Von Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT.

Half Full Brewery, Stamford

Oktoberfest in the Park, presented by Half Full Brewery, returns to Stamford on September 27 & 28. Festivities include food trucks, a Pop-Up Beer Garden, and Live Music from a variety of local and regional acts. The festival is held in support of the Mill River Park Collaborative and takes place on The North Lawn & Grand Steps in Mill River Park in downtown Stamford.

Troupe429, Norwalk

Saturday October 5 is PRIDEtoberfest at Troupe429 in Norwalk. The free event features plenty of drinks, food, and live performances.

Sandy Hook Craft Beer Festival, Newtown

Just in time for your Octoberfest parties comes the Sandy Hook Craft Beer Festival. There are currently over 45 breweries signed up and 6 food trucks. Additional vendors will provide food, candy, spirits and other shopping fun. Join them Saturday October 15 from 1-5pm.