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From Wikivoyage

Danbury[dead link] - nicknamed Hat City - is a city in the interior of Fairfield County, Connecticut, making it part of the Litchfield Hills region.

Understand

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Danbury is a small city located 60 miles southwest of Hartford and 70 miles (110 km) northeast of New York City. Founded in the 17th century, Danbury is the former hat capital of the United States. It was once home to the Great Danbury Fair that has since been replaced by the Danbury Fair Mall, the largest shopping mall in Connecticut. The city has a population of about 75,000 people. It is home to Western Connecticut State University.

In 2020 Danbury made headlines because T.V. personality John Oliver started a "feud" with the city with locals (including the mayor) taking it in stride, opening a "John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant" in his honor.

Get in

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By plane

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Get around

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Map
Map of Danbury

The easiest and best way to get around Danbury would be by car or bus. With the city being about 44 sq mi (110 km2), it would not be easy to walk to see the entire town.

HART Bus Services The bus line that goes through Danbury is HART. The HART services range from regular buses that can go as far as New Milford and Norwalk, the CityCenter Trolley services, and bus shuttles that go straight to Brewster NY train station to go into New York City.

Rental cars Rental cars are also available for those who would rather drive themselves around. Most popular rental car services being Hertz Car Rental +1 203 743-6773, Avis Rent-A-Car +1 203 744-5450, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car +1 203 748-8998.

See

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Museums

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  • 1 Danbury Museum and Historical Society, Main Campus: 43 Main St, ☏ +1 203-743-5200, . W-Sa noon-4PM. Tours must be booked at least 24 hr in advance. 5 historical buildings: Huntington Hall, the Rider House, John Dodd Hat Shop, the Little Red Schoolhouse, and the Marian Anderson Studio. They also own and operate Charles Ives Birthplace. Danbury Museum and Historical Society (Q5214968) on Wikidata Danbury Museum and Historical Society on Wikipedia (updated Aug 2022)
  • 2 Danbury Railway Museum, 120 White St (adjacent the Danbury Metro-North Train Station), ☏ +1 203 778-8337. Sa Su 10AM-4PM. This historical Danbury train station that closed in 1993 is now a museum that teaches the public about the history of railroading and its role in our town. Activities includ from tours, train rides, exhibits. Ages 3 and up $7, Free for under 3. Train rides are extra. Danbury Railway Museum (Q5214967) on Wikidata Danbury Railway Museum on Wikipedia (updated Aug 2022)

Do

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Recreational sports

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  • 1 Danbury Ice Arena, 1 Independence Way, ☏ +1 203 794-1704. Hours vary for public skate and events. Home of the Danbury Whalers, a minor league professional ice hockey team in the Federal Hockey League. A great place to take the whole family. Have public skate during the days, as well as at night. Friday night is a great public skate night for the teenagers, while during the day on weekends is better for family activities. The activities are endless ranging from watch the Danbury hockey league the Mad Hatters or even watching the local high school and college hockey games. Danbury Ice Arena (Q5214962) on Wikidata Danbury Ice Arena on Wikipedia 
  • O'Neill Center Westside campus of Western Connecticut State University (turn into the westside entrance and go straight) It is the multi-purpose athletic facility for WCSU. It has a weight room, swimming pool, and locker room for students. Also, contains the Feldman Arena where WCSU basketball and volleyball teams play. Local high school sports teams also hold special games at this facility. All the events are open to the public.
  • War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, ☏ +1 203 743-3932. 5:30AM-9PM. Have to obtain a membership to enter or pay one time fee. Activities range from open gyms, fitness center, yoga, karate, dance classes and more. Good place for students in the area to work out. Also are involved in many community events. 
  • Ritcher Park Golf Course, 100 Aunt Hack Rd, ☏ +1 203 792-2550. A full 18 hole, Demo Golf Course that sits on over 180 acres. Perfect for golfers of all skill levels. Aside for being a golf course, Ritcher also contains banquet facilities, tennis courts, and hiking trails. 
  • Danbury PAL: Police Activities League, 35 Hayestown Rd, ☏ +1 203 778-4725. A facility that is located directly across the street from Candlewood Lake. It is a great place for children of all ages to come and enjoy athletic and educational programs. These programs range from basketball, softball, cheerleading, bowling, volleyball, wrestling, etc. Aside from these organized activities there are open gyms that public can attend. Call the PAL center for specific times. 

Parks

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  • Candlewood Town Park, 36 Hayestown Rd. Over 200 yards of beach with an 100-acre grassy park attached. It is a manmade lake in Danbury that is a hotspot for the summer time. There is a playground and a concession stand in the park. There is also a boat dock near the beach front. 
  • 2 Hatters Park, 7 E. Hayestown Rd. Around 30 acres for outdoor and indoor activities. Has a Duckpin Bowling Alley, banquet hall, pond, picnic area and three softball fields. Hatters Park (Q31816542) on Wikidata 
  • Kenosia Park Christopher Columbus Ave: 25-acre park with over 100 yards of beach with tables, playground, 3 soccer fields, and row boats.
  • Rogers Park End of Main St and South Main St. Around 60 acres that contains recreational fields for the public and many sports teams in the Danbury area. 8 tennis courts, 10 baseball fields, handball court, soccer field, volleyball fields, and basketball courts. Also has a large playground adjacent for younger children.
  • Terrywile Park Southern Blvd. 717 acre park for the hiker or outdoorsy type. Has numerous hiking trails, green house, carriage house, farm house, gate house, and a castle to explore.

Music and theaters

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  • Palace Theater, 165 Main St. Opened in 1928. Now it is a single screen venue for performing arts and movies. A great place to go and see part of the original Main St. in Danbury. 
  • AMC Theater, 61 Eagle Rd, ☏ +1 203 796-7777. Hours vary call theater for specific movie times. A place to go and see the newest movies out. A great spot on weekends for young teenagers to hang out with an arcade in the back of the lobby. 
  • Ives Concert Park. WSU University Blvd. The perfect place to go for the summer. Ives is a venue for live music that is located on the west side campus of Western Connecticut State University. During the summer it is a great place for families to go and enjoy popular live music and fine arts events. 
  • City Center Danbury: (in downtown Danbury on Main St. and various streets off of Main St.). Hosting events like the Danbury Farmers Market, Halloween on the Green, Holiday Lights, Summer Concert Series: live music located on Ives St. Green, A Taste of Greater Danbury: event with food from local restaurants, crafts and entertainment. 

Buy

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  • 1 Danbury Fair Mall, 7 Backus Ave, ☏ +1 203 743-3247. M-Sa 10AM-8PM, Su 11AM-76PM. 2-level mall with over 200 stores and food establishments. The main anchor stores are Macy's, JCPenney, Primark, and Dick's Sporting Goods. Danbury Fair (Q5214954) on Wikidata Danbury Fair (shopping mall) on Wikipedia (updated Jan 2022)
  • 2 Berkshire Center, 67 Newtown Rd. It is across the street from the Holiday Inn and Courtyard Marriott and includes Marshalls, Walmart, Radio Shack, Home Goods, Staples Fashion Bug, a nail salon, pet store, Sprint phone company store, Namco pool supplies and Edible Arrangements. 
  • North Street Shopping Center, North Street (near Danbury Hospital). Has a Burlington Coat Factory, Mandee (a young ladies' clothing store), A&P supermarket, Radio Shack, Carvel's Ice Cream Shop, a barber shop, Hallmark, laundromat, nail salon, Dollar Tree and Rite Aid. 

Eat

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Diner

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  • Three Brothers Diner: 242 White St, +1 203 748-6008
  • Elmer's Diner: 22 Padanaram Rd, +1 203 731-2559
  • New Holiday Diner: 123 White St, +1 203 748-9798

Italian

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  • Cafe on the Green: 100 Aunt Hack Road, +1 203 791-0369
  • Sal's Pizza Restaurant: 23 Padanaram Rd # R23, +1 203 744-2422
  • 1 Michael Angelo's Pizzeria, 75 Lake Ave, ☏ +1 203 797-1333. M-Sa 11AM-9PM (closed Su). Pizza in a strip mall. (updated Jun 2020)

Chinese

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  • Sesame Seed Restaurant: 68 W Wooster St, +1 203 743-9850
  • Good Taste Chinese Restaurant: 247 Main St, +1 203 798-8978
  • Beijing Chinese Restaurant: 216 White St, +1 203 743-1188
  • China King: 1 Division St # C, +1 203 798-9262
  • Jeffrey's Chinese Kitchen: 7 Pembroke Rd, +1 203 730-8603
  • Dragon Cheng: 132 West St, +1 203 790-4297

Mexican

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  • El Rancho Mexican: 20 White St, +1 203 730-9470
  • El Millieno Restaurant: 21 North St, +1 203 207-0156
  • Panchos Tacos Mexican Restaurant: 145 White St, +1 203 790-0900
  • Britos Restaurant Mexican Food: 41 South St, +1 203 797-0885

Food shopping

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  • Stew Leonard's, 99 Federal Rd, ☏ +1 203 790-8030. Daily 8AM-10PM. It's Disney meets dairy, where you can enjoy a song and dance from large mechanical chickens as you pick up your eggs. Fresh dairy store that also has expanded to meats, produce, bakery, fish, cheese and wine. 
  • C-Town, 45 North St, ☏ +1 203 748-5466. Individually owned and operated store. Great place to go if you are looking for international food products. 
  • Stop & Shop 44 Lake Ave. Ext. +1 203 797-8901 Daily 7AM-midnight

Drink

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Sleep

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Go next

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Routes through Danbury
Newburgh ← Brewster ←  W  E  → Newtown → Waterbury
Central Valley-Harriman ← Brewster ←  W  E  → Bethel → Bristol
Pittsfield ← Brookfield ←  N  S  → Ridgefield → Norwalk
Peekskill ← Brewster ←  W  E  → Brookfield → Torrington
Stamford ← Bethel ←  SW  NE  → END


This city travel guide to Danbury is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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