Weir Farm National Historic Site

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 [1], 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Wed.–Sun. May–Oct.; 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Thurs.–Sun. Nov.–Apr., free) in Branchville in the heart of Fairfield County [2].

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 [3], 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 [4] 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.