Things to Do in Derby

In 2012, the Bluefish became the first team in Atlantic League history to reach 1,000 victories. It was a huge milestone for a franchise that today, stands as one of only two remaining charter teams throughout the entire league. The 'Fish initially brought baseball back to Park City in 1998, and advanced to the league championship series in a losing effort. A year later, though, they returned with their first league title after defeating the Somerset Patriots.

The team's early success established a winning tradition–in fact, the Bluefish didn't suffer their first losing season until their eighth year of existence. Winning hasn't been the only tradition in Bridgeport, however. The Bluefish battle the Long Island Ducks every season for the Ferry Cup, trying to establish regional supremacy on the baseball diamond instead of by firing a barrage of used baseballs across the Long Island Sound.

Nestled in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Area Discovery Museum entices children's inquiring minds with a host of exhibits modeled after the surrounding sea and city. The Wave Workshop lets kids explore the San Francisco Bay's ecology and test their own boat designs against simulated wind and waves. In the 2.5-acre Lookout Cove which overlooks the bay itself, a 23-foot-tall Golden Gate Bridge entices children to put on hardhats and help construct a giant model.

After his daytime gig as a financial planner in Manhattan, Eli Newsom returns to his theatrical roots as artistic director of Bridgeport Theatre Company, a nonprofit founded by a band of Connecticut-based artists in 2010. Eli harnesses more than 15 years of performing and teaching expertise into each season's productions, which range from acclaimed dramatic fare to beloved musicals. The company’s ace staffers strive to bring each script to life with local actors and designers, and the BTC New Works program annually highlights the work of local playwrights, actors, and directors. In addition to its local cast and crew, each production depends on the aid of 25–50 volunteers, who lend a hand with countless tasks such as set construction, ushering, and haunting the theater dressed in a phantom costume.

In 1976, educator, musician, and kinesiologist Robin Wes longed for a children's gym that prioritized personal growth over competition. Unveiled at a time when physical-education classes pushed students to focus almost exclusively on winning, Robin's program was swiftly adopted and is now used in more than 300 Little Gyms worldwide. Robin still pens original music to accompany lessons, which engage whippersnappers aged 4 months to 12 years with gymnastics, dance, karate, and parent and child activities.

Each of The Little Gym's classes introduces simple movements that sharpen motor skills and set brains whirring, allowing kids to progress at their own pace until they can finally build a computer out of macaroni and glitter. Staff members strive to build a base for lifelong social skills and self-assurance with each exercise, including activities rooted purely in fun, such as summer camps or birthday parties, which helped The Little Gym to earn title of #1 Birthday Chain in Parents Magazine.

Twin Lakes Golf Course is set on grounds that have been walked by golfers for more than 50 years, but enjoy the modern touches of a recent revamping. New tee boxes reside atop the professionally manicured greens that carpet the 10-acre course. Its renovated clubhouse offers guests the supplies they need for gameplay, including clubs and pull carts. After a round, players can return to the clubhouse where pizza bubbles in a wood-burning oven and cool beverages flow freely from taps.

Sprawled throughout 8,000 square feet, Fun Factor of Middlebury's indoor inflatable playground, free WiFi, and fleet of arcade games regale children and adults alike. As youngsters bounce atop the facility's soft recreational equipment, grownups can supervise, join in the merrymaking, or talk reason to the screens of arcade games in an attempt to score their kin prizes. A cache of preschool-appropriate toys keeps littler ones entertained, and staff members can shepherd toddlers into a special play area suited to their size.

Fun Factor of Middlebury also bolsters rambunctious revelry with classes and day camps and frequently hosts staffed birthday parties, local fundraisers, and regional Duck, Duck, Goose championships in two party rooms. Though the facility welcomes guests of all ages, most activities are geared to children aged 1–12 years old.