Home Sweet Home
We moved here from Norwalk in 2010. With a 4 year-old in hand and planning for a second child, our priorities were good schools and quiet living space. After looking at over 100 properties in the area (including Wilton and Weston) we found this ideal spot in in the ‘rural suburbia’ of Branchville.
Our daughter finished second grade at Branchville Elementary School, just down the hill overlooking Route 7. Her experience there was excellent. With great teachers, facilities and family involvement throughout the academic year, it is no wonder that Branchville and Ridgefield schools as a whole have award-winning results year after year. We loved the fact that we could walk our daughter to her bus stop at the end of Strawberry Ridge Road and know that she was relishing every minute of her day in class, in the gym or on the playground. (When did kids start liking school?)
After the end of the school year in 2014 we moved to Singapore and then returned stateside in 2018 to Washington DC – both moves related to Eric’s job as an executive at Mastercard (whose HQ is in Purchase, NY near White Plains).
Back in Ridgefield we had the peace and space that we craved (and now miss again) after years of city life. The house and grounds truly made 24 Strawberry Ridge our own little castle. Highlights include:
Venturing from home, our favorite activities in the area include:
Though tucked away on a cul-de-sac with no traffic to speak of, it’s only a 5-minute drive to major amenities in town or off route 7. Our recommendations include:
One last note… At first when we moved from Norwalk, we were worried about Eric’s commute to White Plains. This worry soon evaporated. It turns out that, when you factor in comparatively fluid traffic on routes 35 and 684, Eric’s average commute was consistently 45 minutes; from Norwalk it could be 35 minutes on a good day, but inevitably 90+ minutes on a Friday afternoon. Also, the Metro North station at Branchville makes getting into New York an easy ride – many Ridgefielders commute into the city on a daily basis.
We moved here from Norwalk in 2010. With a 4 year-old in hand and planning for a second child, our priorities were good schools and quiet living space. After looking at over 100 properties in the area (including Wilton and Weston) we found this ideal spot in in the ‘rural suburbia’ of Branchville.
Our daughter finished second grade at Branchville Elementary School, just down the hill overlooking Route 7. Her experience there was excellent. With great teachers, facilities and family involvement throughout the academic year, it is no wonder that Branchville and Ridgefield schools as a whole have award-winning results year after year. We loved the fact that we could walk our daughter to her bus stop at the end of Strawberry Ridge Road and know that she was relishing every minute of her day in class, in the gym or on the playground. (When did kids start liking school?)
After the end of the school year in 2014 we moved to Singapore and then returned stateside in 2018 to Washington DC – both moves related to Eric’s job as an executive at Mastercard (whose HQ is in Purchase, NY near White Plains).
Back in Ridgefield we had the peace and space that we craved (and now miss again) after years of city life. The house and grounds truly made 24 Strawberry Ridge our own little castle. Highlights include:
- Sitting in the sunroom watching the kids running around or playing hide-and-seek in the back garden or swinging and sliding at the playset (no longer on the property)
- Soaking in the hot tub on a cool autumn evening after putting the kids to bed
- Kicking back with a beer and roasting marshmallows over the firepit, watching the fireflies
- Summer barbecue parties, opening up the sunroom, kitchen, and family room/wet bar to the patio and deck
- Preparing holiday meals, with the oven and all burners firing, while visiting family and friends settle into the bar stools with cocktails
- Tearing away the children from their painting and crafts in the playroom for dinner
- Working out in the home gym with the windows open on the lower level as the sun rises
- Sprawling out on the sectional sofa watching movies on the 55-inch flatscreen television with a 7-speaker surround-sound home theater system
- Looking out through the large picture windows from the kitchen to spot wildlife around the pond and woods: otters, herons, wild turkeys, red-tailed hawks, bats, turtles, raccoons, and deer
- Observing hummingbirds inches away, stationed at our feeder hanging outside the eat-in-kitchen
- Meandering through the woods on the other side of the pond
Venturing from home, our favorite activities in the area include:
- Hiking the trails at Weir Farm National Historic Site (http://www.nps.gov/wefa/index.htm) just a few minutes’ walk up Nod Hill Road. (Don’t miss the tiny 19th-century cemetery along the way.)
- Jogging or bicycling up and down the hills through Ridgefield and Wilton
- Beautiful outdoor swimming at Martin Park Beach (http://ridgefieldparksandrec.org/facility/martin-park-beach-2/)
- Trying out different parks in Ridgefield for the best winter sledding (http://ridgefieldparksandrec.org/facilities/). (We recommend the big hill behind the school at Veterans Park or the hill at Branchville Elementary School.)
- Swimming, dance and other activities at the state-of-the-art Recreation Center (http://ridgefieldparksandrec.org/)
- Catching a comedy show or a blast-from-the-past band (like the Go Go’s or Blue Oyster Cult) in concert at the Ridgefield Playhouse (http://www.ridgefieldplayhouse.mcjr.net/)
- Venturing to the newly-expanded library on Main Street (http://www.ridgefieldlibrary.org/)
- Christmas caroling with farm animals in a manger, astronomy nights at the observatory, and enjoying seasonal festivals at New Pond Farm (http://www.newpondfarm.org/) in West Redding
- Exploring the Woodcock Nature Center in Wilton (http://woodcocknaturecenter.org/)
Though tucked away on a cul-de-sac with no traffic to speak of, it’s only a 5-minute drive to major amenities in town or off route 7. Our recommendations include:
- Groceries and more at Caraluzzi’s (http://caraluzzi.com/)
- Brunch, lunch or dinner at the Little Pub on the corner of route 7 and Branchville Rd (route 102). (http://www.littlepub.com/)
- Espresso, gelato and much more at the Tuscan Cup, Branchville’s café hangout (http://www.tuskandcup.com/)
- Our Community Sustained Agriculture (CSA) farm, The Hickories (http://www.thehickories.org/)
- Farmers markets in front of the Branchville train station and in Georgetown
One last note… At first when we moved from Norwalk, we were worried about Eric’s commute to White Plains. This worry soon evaporated. It turns out that, when you factor in comparatively fluid traffic on routes 35 and 684, Eric’s average commute was consistently 45 minutes; from Norwalk it could be 35 minutes on a good day, but inevitably 90+ minutes on a Friday afternoon. Also, the Metro North station at Branchville makes getting into New York an easy ride – many Ridgefielders commute into the city on a daily basis.