Danbury - nicknamed Hat City - is a city in the interior of Fairfield County, Connecticut, making it part of the Litchfield Hills region. Danbury is a small city located 60 miles southwest of Hartford and 70 miles 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 It was once home to the Great Danbury Fair that has since been replaced by the Danbury Fair Mall, the largest shopping mall in Connecticut. Today, the city has a population of about 75,000 people. It is home to Western Connecticut State University

Get in

By plane

• Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, NY with direct flights from 21 US cities including Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington DC, Detroit, Chicago, Orlando and Tampa. It is about 40 minutes away
• Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, NY, with flights going to Philadelphia, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta, and Detroit. It is about 60 minutes away
• Tweed New Haven Regional Airport in New Haven, with a flight going to Philadelphia. It is about 70 minutes away
• LaGuardia Airport in Queens, NYC, with dozens of flights going worldwide. It is about 70 minutes away
• Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, with dozens of flights going worldwide. It is about 80 minutes away
• John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, NYC, with dozens of flights going worldwide. It is about 80 minutes away
• Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, NJ, with dozens of flights going worldwide. It is about 100 minutes away

Get around

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

HART Bus Serivces 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 even 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 Enterprise Rent-A-Car +1 203 748-8998.

See

Parks

• Candlewood Town Park, 36 Hayestown Rd. Over 200 yards of beach with an 100 acre grassy park attached. It is a man made lake in Danbury that is a hotspot for the summer time. New playground was just built and there is even a concession stand within the park. There is also a boat dock near the beach front. 
• Hatters Park, 7 E. Hayestown Rd. Around 30 acres of land. Perfect for both outdoor and indoor activities. Has a Duckpin Bowling Alley, banquet hall, pond, picnic area and three softball fields. 
• Kenosia Park Christopher Columbus Ave: 25 Acre park with over 100 yards of beach. Perfect for the summer time 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 both 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 perfect for the hiker or outdoorsy type. Has numerous hiking trails, green house, carriage house, farm house, gate house and even a castle to explore.

Museums

• Danbury Museum and Historical Society Main Campus: 43 Main St It consists of 5 historical buildings which include: 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 Railway Museum, 120 White Street (adjacent the Danbury Metro-North Train Station), ☏ +1 203 778-8337. Open Mon-Sat 10 am-5 pm and Sundays noon-5pm. $6 Adults $5 Seniors(60+) $4 Children(3-12) Members & visitors under 3 are free. 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 range from tours, train rides, exhibits, and much more. 

• Military Museum of Southern New England, 125 Park Ave, ☏ +1 203 790-9277. Fri-Sat 10AM-5PM and Sunday 1PM-5PM. This museum displays memorabilia from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Good place to take those who are interested in history and want to learn more about the wars. $6 Adults $4 Seniors(62+),Children(18 and under)and Military. Children 5 and under are free. 

Do

Activities to do in town

Recreational Sports

• 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. 

• 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. 

Music/Theaters

• Palace Theater, 165 Main St. First opened in 1928 but closed in 1995. It has recently been renovated in 2008 just in time for the Connecticut Film Festival in May 2008. 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 along with many fine arts events as well. 

• City Center Danbury: (Located in downtown Danbury on Main St. and various streets off of Main St.). The Danbury Downtown Special Services District otherwise known as City Center Danbury, was established in 1988. It is a one square mile district in downtown Danbury. City Center holds a variety of events through out the year, the most popular during the summer. Some of the events are; 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, and so much more. Try and make it to City Center during the summer time for the various events. 

Buy

• Danbury Fair Mall, 7 Backus Ave, ☏ +1 203 743-3247. Mon-Sat 10AM-9:30PM Sunday 11AM-7PM. 2 level mall with over 200 stores and food establishments. The main anchor stores are Macy*s, JCPenny, Sears, and Lord & Taylor. 

• Berkshire Center, Newtown Rd.. Great shopping center for a visitor of Danbury. It is located across the street from the Holiday Inn and Courtyard Marriot. A great place to go if there are a variety of things that need to get done. Contains a variety of different stores including: Marshalls, Wal Mart, Radio Shack, Home Goods, Staples, Fashion Bug, and much more. Also has a nail salon, pet store, Sprint phone company store, Namco pool supplies, and Edible Arrangements. It is a great place to go if there are a variety of things that need to get done.

• North Street Shopping Center, North Street. Located near the Danbury Hospital, North Street Shopping center has a wide array of stores and places of business. Some of which include: Burlington Coat Factory, Mandee ( a young ladies clothing store), A&P supermarket, Radio Shack, Caravel's Ice Cream Shop, a barber shop, Hallmark, laundry mat, nail salon, Dollar Tree, and Rite Aid. Another great one stop shopping center for a person on the go.

Eat

Diner

• Three Brothers Diner: 242 White St, +1 203 748-6008
• Windmill Diner: 14 Mill Plain Rd, +1 203 743-6541
• Alley Way Diner: 14 Ives St, +1 203 743-0447
• Elmer's Diner: 22 Padanaram Rd, +1 203 731-2559
• New Holiday Diner: 123 White St, +1 203 748-9798

Italian

• Olive Garden: 36 Backus Ave, +1 203 743-2144
• Sbarro Italian Eatery: 7 Backus Ave # C2208, +1 203 794-182
• Bertucci's Brick Oven: 98 Newtown Rd, +1 203 739-0500
• Cafe on the Green: 100 Aunt Hack Road, +1 203 791-0369
• Sal's Pizza Restaurant: 23 Padanaram Rd # R23, +1 203 744-2422
• Michael Angelo's Pizzaria: 75 Lake Ave, +1 203 797-1333
• Sinapi's Pizza & Restaurant: 15 Backus Ave, +1 203 792-7030

Chinese

• 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
• Panda Express: 7 Backus Ave, +1 203 797-0673
• 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
• Great Wall: 30 Germantown Rd, +1 203 730-9111

Mexican

• El Rancho Mexican: 20 White St, +1 203 730-9470
• Chili's Grill and Bar: 81 Newtown Rd, +1 203 778-6703
• Desert Moon Cafe: 113 Mill Plain Rd, +1 203 207-0325
• El Millieno Restaurant: 21 North St, +1 203 207-0156
• Panchos Tacos Mexican Restaurant: 141 White St, +1 203 790-0900
• Britos Restaurant Mexican Food: 41 South St, +1 203 797-0885
• El Rancho Foods: 392 Main St, +1 203 730-0332

Food shopping

• Stew Leonard's, 99 Federal Rd, ☏ +1 203 790-8030. Mon-Sun 8AM-10PM. Its 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 Mon-Sun 7AM-12AM [1] / 72 Newtown Rd. +1 203 798 0555 Mon-Sat 6AM-12AM Sunday 7AM-12AM [2]

Drink

• Two Steps Downtown Grille, 5 Ives St, ☏ +1 203 794-0032. Restaurant and bar located in City Center. Good for families or late night. Bar trivia every Thursday night. 

• TK's American Cafe, 255 White St, ☏ +1 203 730-1776. Mon-Sun 11AM-1AM. Known for their 52 flavors of wings and TVs in every booth. A sports bar atmosphere. 

Sleep

• Maron Hotel & Suites, 42 Lake Avenue Ext, Danbury, CT 06811, ☏ +1 203 791-2200, fax: +1 203 791-2201. Located in Danbury CT, the Maron Hotel & Suites is conveniently situated between New York City and Boston along Interstate 84. With airports such as Tweed, Westchester and Danbury Municipal all located within 30 minutes, and La Guardia International just 48 miles away, the Maron Hotel & Suites is the perfect location for leisure and business travelers alike. 
• SpringHill Suites Danbury, 30 Old Ridgebury Rd, ☏ +1 203 744-7333, fax: +1 203 744-7555. The SpringHill Suites Danbury is conveniently located off I-84 between New York and Boston in historic Danbury, CT with easy access to many International Airports and minutes to Western Connecticut State University, Charles Ives Center, O'Neill Center, Brewster Sports Center and the Brewster Ice Arena. 
• Comfort Suites Danbury, 89 Mill Plain Rd, ☏ +1 203 205-0800. The Comfort Suites Danbury guest experience is packaged with luxurious amenities, complimentary perks, and welcoming service. 
• Courtyard Danbury, 3 Eagle Road, ☏ +1 203 730-2228, fax: +1 203 730-6667. 
• Holiday Inn, 80 Newtown Rd, ☏ +1 203 792-4000. 
• Residence Inn Danbury, 22 Segar Street, ☏ +1 203 797-1256, fax: +1 203 797-1268. 

Go next

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