Explore Norfolk's Architectural and Outdoor Attractions Before Setting Out! @ WIN!

If you are in the mood for a Saturday or Sunday drive check out these new Winter Weekend In Norfolk Connecticut videos that will help you plan a route before setting out. Winter Weekend in Norfolk made its debut virtually last weekend and is still offering on-demand videos to stream. The videos featured are series to watch that will be helpful if you are planning an in-person drive to bucolic Norfolk. These videos will show viewers a variety of points of interest that can be explored safely in Norfolk from self-guided architectural tours to nature walks and even cross-country skiing and winter photography. There are many videos to choose from when visiting the Weekend in Norfolk website that will appeal to the entire family. For the Winter Win website https://weekendinnorfolk.org

If there were a competition for the most architecturally distinguished small U.S. town of 2,000 people or fewer, Norfolk, Conn., might win it. It is the only town of that size with landmark buildings designed by eight nationally-significant architects, all within a short walk of the town green, as well as many other distinguished buildings scattered throughout. If you want to see why architecture matters, take this virtual tour or, even better, plan on visiting Norfolk in person. 

William Hosley, your tour guide, is a curator, historian, writer, and photographer. He is passionate about local history and historic preservation and has developed a deep attachment to dozens of places worth caring about. He is the former director of the New Haven Museum and Connecticut Landmarks and was a curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum, where he organized several major exhibitions. 

This nine-minute video takes visitors on an in-depth tour of Norfolk's architectural wonders that will give visitors and residents alike a new appreciation of why Norfolk looks like it does today.  To take the tour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mTimVL-8GE

Another historic house tour offered is that of The Alders that is one of Norfolk’s grandest estates. Built-in 1898 to a design by Ehrick Rossiter, who also designed the Yale Norfolk Music Shed and the tower on Haystack Mountain, the Alders features stunning architectural details including intricate cherry woodwork, majestic Moorish arches, 20 stained glass windows, unique tile, and wood fireplace mantels and many more period details. 

Take a virtual tour of this grand estate and learn about Charles Spofford, the wealthy New Yorker who commissioned Rossiter to build the Alders and brought Gilded Age opulence to Norfolk. Spofford was the son of the country’s sixth Librarian of Congress and played a key role in the industrial revolution as a railroad magnate. He also founded companies with Thomas Edison to bring public transportation and electricity to towns and cities across the United States. To watch this video click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoy4_RMsDu0. The Alders is located on Maple Street in Norfolk.

Norfolk is also known for its great unspoiled natural beauty. As the "icebox" of Connecticut, there is a good chance there will still be snow in Norfolk when it has melted in other parts of the state! Norfolk has three state parks and miles of cross-country skiing trails just waiting to be explored. If cross-country skiing is in your future, this video is not to be missed.

Join local resident, Star Child's to find out about Norfolk's many cross-country ski trails. Cross country skiing is a wonderful winter sport for the entire family that wants to enjoy the fresh Norfolk air. Star offers some tips on how to get the most out of cross-country skiing and shares some of the best trails in Norfolk, including the highly recommended Landtrust Trails. To watch the video for an inside peek of where and how to cross-country ski in  Norfolk click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g33zMLLIC-s. Best of all, there are links to maps of all the trails mentioned in this video - so hit the trail and enjoy!

Doug McDevitte Photo

The white on white textures of winter photography can be tricky. If you are looking for an evocative place to sharpen your winter photography skills watch this video then head to Norfolk, it is a paradise for photographers. Ardent Norfolk photographers, Chris Keyes and Doug McDevitte offer tips and tricks for creating good winter images as well as sharing some of their favorite places to take photos in Norfolk in this helpful video. 

Photo: Chris Keyes @ Mountain Road

Some wonderful opportunities talked about and shown in this twelve-minute video include the Norfolk Green, Campbell Falls State Park, the Blackberry River, Haystack Mountain, Great Mountain Forest, and many others In addition to photography tips, the best things to wear in the snow and on the ice is also shared. To watch the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No7y5ZY3J90.