Things to Do in Branford

Donavon is a surfer-turned-musician whose self-titled debut was released on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records and made the ARIA top 40 charts in 2004. In Mulcahy’s 1,400-person sound-o-sphere, his surf rock ballads, such as “It Don’t Matter” and “Move By Yourself,” will have the full force of live emotion and quality sound to superbly strum heartstrings and tickle earbones. Donavon’s Bermudan musical companion, Mishka, also has roots in the sea soil, having spent much of his childhood sailing and windsurfing before turning to reggae’s guitars and off-beat rhythms. In 2009, Mishka was named Best New Artist in the singer/songwriter category by iTunes.

For the tiniest tots, there are foam towers to topple in the Tot Spot and instruments with which to make rhythms in the mUSic area. Toddlers and preschoolers sift and shovel on the Sandy Island, and older children can use a penny to watch a 100-year-old Mutoscope silent movie or use the Bricks & Sticks wire spinner to design their own 3D shapes. Click here to see the museum’s activity gallery and plan out a day trip. Or, simply show up with plenty of energy and your favorite child to discover the museum together, and help him or her build vital skills in social interaction, education, and colored-block identification. Schoolchildren can bolster their studies without realizing they're learning by organizing games in the ClimbIt@LICM structure, or by comparing barometric readings in the Our Backyard outdoor area. Get today's Groupon to treat a special proto-adult to a day of horizon expansion, enjoyment, and giant bubbles.

A crimson curtain rises to unveil the operas, nationally touring musicals, children's shows, and films that pass under the historic movie palace's gilded ceiling. Originally built in 1926 as a home for vaudeville performances and motion pictures, the grand venue has survived more than eight decades with the help of The Garde Arts Center, Inc., a nonprofit organization that formed in 1985 to both preserve the building and pursue its mission "to engage, enrich, entertain, and inspire the region of Greater New London." Today, the center stages a slew of performances and events that keep guests on the edges of all 1,472 seats.

With two European-inspired quarter-mile courses, Grand Prix New York's sanctuary for speed captures the thrill of karting in the country's largest indoor race complex. Racers rumble and roar over speedways that change elevation six times, careen cars around 14 turns, and boast a gravitational pull quadruple that of a black hole. Drivers race in championship-caliber Sodi RX7 gasoline-powered karts equipped with race-proven safety-wrap systems and 6.5-horsepower engines that reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. Six custom tracks help racers curb repetition, and tyke-friendly Brownstone and Tunnel tracks give mini racers the opportunity to get behind the wheel. Apart from its karting specialty, Grand Prix New York houses a bowling alley, billiards room, arcade, and bounce castle. The onsite restaurant, appropriately named Fuel, serves up a menu of quesadillas, burgers, fajitas, buffalo-chicken spring rolls, and pasta. Fully enclosed and air-conditioned, Grand Prix New York shelters families from heat waves and summer storms, offering a comfortable arena for healthy competition or proving that six failed driving tests can be a fluke.

Along with providing classy urbanites with a pastoral setting of forested hills, treacherous water traps, and the scenic Moosup River, the Foster Country Club offers a full 18-hole, par 72 course for your golf-cart-rampaging pleasure. Players of all skill levels can get in on the action, but every golfer should beware of the approach to the elevated green on hole 6, the double dogleg on hole 12, and the resident troll beneath the covered bridge.

Shelves stretch across the walls of The Pottery Piazza Studio, abounding with more than 1,500 bisque mugs, plates, and figurines in need of decoration. Beside them sit stencils, brushes, bottles of paint, and more than 100 types of glaze. At the tables, clients adorn their blank bisque canvases with paint while sipping from their favorite home-brought wine. Staff members stroll up and down the store, eagerly awaiting their chance to offer advice on the best ways to design a piece, perform artistic techniques, or accidentally drop incriminating evidence into the kiln. During fairer weather, painters lay claim to the tables on the front patio, painting, snacking, and socializing alfresco style. Throughout the year, the shop hosts special events, including private parties, kids' summer camps, and BYOB ladies nights.