I think it’s safe to say, I am ready for some sunshine! Let’s be honest, looking at these gorgeous photos from Julia Dzafic’s of Lemon Stripes isn’t helping my spring fever! I’m so glad I asked her to be my next installment in the My Perfect Day series, because she seriously pulled out all the stops to share an inside look at Fairfield County, Connecticut! Keep reading to see her tips for her ideal day with kids or without!
My Perfect Day: Fairfield County, CT with Julia Dzafic
Hi everyone! It’s Julia here from Lemon Stripes. I’ve known Mara for years, from our early days of blogging. We met at NYFW six or seven years ago, and have kept in touch ever since. I adore Mara and the way she shares her beautiful family on her blog.
Like Mara, I’m also mama to a little one. My daughter, Amalia, is 19 months and a bundle of energy! I live with her, my husband, Anel, and our Pittie mix, Boots, in Stamford, CT.
What’s great about where we live is that there are a ton of adorable New England towns clustered together, called Fairfield County. We are able to enjoy bits and pieces from each one! Fairfield County is a great place to travel in the summer because we have beautiful beaches and tons of cute restaurants and shops.
When Mara asked me to share my perfect day, I had too many ideas so I’m sharing my perfect days with and without kids.
Here are a few of my favorite things to do in our neck of the woods!
My Perfect Day Without Kids
MORNING
Beach walk: My perfect morning would start with a walk on the beach. We live about 10 minutes from Tod’s Point, a beautiful beach on a point that has a walking path with stunning views.
Breakfast/Brunch at Terrain Café: Terrain is a beautiful plant and home goods store owned by Anthropologie, and the beautiful little café situated inside of it has my favorite breakfast food in the area. It’s all local and farm to table.
Shopping in Westport: There are a ton of beautiful little shops in Westport, CT (where Terrain is located). The Serena & Lily store lives in a historical home that they picked up and moved into town. They’ve set it up like an actual house, and it gives me so much inspiration whenever I walk in. Another great shop is Kerri Rosenthal’s colorful and happy home store. Kerri is a local designer and artist who isn’t afraid of bright colors and bold designs.
AFTERNOON
Fancy spa & lunch: If I’m kid-free, and this is my perfect day, I’d get a massage at the Delamar Hotel in Greenwich, followed by lunch with girlfriends at L’Escale, their restaurant right on the water.
Wellness retreat: If the spa doesn’t work out, I love treating myself to an Infrared sauna session at Inner Light Wellness or a 30 minute relaxation session in the Salt Cave of Darien to boost immunity.
A little shopping never hurt anyone: A friend of mine owns my two favorite stores in the area: Kirby & Company and Kirby Girl. Both of them are packed full of stunning gifts and home goods. I could buy every single thing in each store!
Workout: My husband owns a studio, Countdown Fitness, where he and his trainers give crazy hard slow burn workouts. I workout with them once a week and always feel strong and powerful when I leave.
EVENING
Dinner date: My husband and I don’t get out alone as much as we used to before having a baby, but we try to have one date night every week or two. Our two go-to restaurants are The Whelk, a beautiful spot on the water, and Kawa Ni, a tiny restaurant that serves Japanese pub food. They are, in my opinion, the two best restaurants anywhere around!
Dessert: If we’re in Westport, we always end up at Saugatuck Sweets for ice cream and/or self-serve candy. Fun fact: They give ice cream to pregnant women for free!
Drinks: We love the The Tavern at Graybarns in Norwalk, a new restaurant with a hygge vibe and delicious drinks. Their Old Fashioned is one of my favorites! It’s also a great option for dinner.
My Perfect Day With Kids
MORNING
Coffee shop: I’ve become a regular at a coffee shop near my house, Turning Point Coffee Roasters. They have amazing coffee, teas, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches.
Hike with the dog: After breakfast, we would head to Mianus River Park and take our dog Boots for a little hike. He loves to run around in the woods, we love to get outside, and Amalia loves to sit in our hiking backpack and point out all of the birds.
AFTERNOON
Kid-friendly lunch: Méli Mélo in Greenwich is an awesome kid-friendly French restaurant right across the street from my husband’s business. Amalia and I like to go visit daddy at work and then grab a ham and cheese crepe for her and a niçoise salad for me.
Lobster rolls: In the summer, we love eating outside at Rowayton Seafood which has the absolute best lobster rolls around!
A farm visit: We’re members of the Stamford Nature Conservancy, a museum and nature center that has cows, sheep, chickens, pigs, and even alpacas! Amalia loves to visit the animals and pet the bunnies. In the summer, they have a great farmer’s market on Sundays too.
Kid’s museum: When it’s too cold to hit the farm, we visit Stepping Stones, a super cool museum for children with educational games, a great playground, and even a café where we often end up eating lunch on weekends.
EVENING
Sunset at the beach: Part of the reason I love living in Connecticut so much is the beach culture. My family and I love to watch the sunset at the beach year-round. In the winter, we bundle up and take the dog, and in the summer we bring picnics for dinner. It’s probably my favorite family activity that we do together!
Tacos for dinner: We love bartaco (they have outposts in Stamford, Westport, and Portchester) for dinner with Amalia because the food is delicious and they’re great with kids. They bring the food out quickly and have awesome kid options on their menus. Plus their margaritas are the best around!
Don’t Julia Dzafic’s photos have you ready for summer?! I’ve always dreamed of doing an East Coast summer trip and you can probably see why!
xox
P.S. If you missed the last four installments, you can check out other guides for Fort Worth, Chicago, Venice Beach, Brooklyn, Raleigh, Houston, and Dallas!
images by Lemon Stripes
