In 1877, American Impressionist painter Julian Alden Weir traded a still-life painting he had bought in Paris for $650 for this sprawling farm, now the Weir Farm National Historic Site (735 Nod Hill Rd., Wilton, 203/761-9945, www.nps.gov/wefa, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Wed.–Sun. May–Oct., 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Thurs.–Sun. Nov.–Apr., free), in Branchville in the heart of Fairfield County.

Weir, who signed his paintings J. Alden Weir, was one of the fathers of the American Impressionist movement, teaching classes alongside John Twachtman at the Cos Cob Colony for a time. While he spent most of the years in New York, every summer he’d come back to the farm to commune with nature and wander the grounds with his easel.

The site is now Connecticut’s only National Historic Site and sports a museum showcasing much of Weir’s artistic output, along with the works of later artists who owned the farm.

The on-site Art Farm Center (203/761-9945) now encourages visitors to bring their own easels to paint on the grounds; with brushes or without, you can wander through acres of woodland paths and wetlands.