Things to Do in Orange

Schooner Inc began in 1975 as a means to highlight the plight of the Long Island Sound and to help amplify the positive difference that the Clean Water Act was starting to make in US waters. Today, the company connects more than 8,000 people each year to the beauty and history of New Haven Harbor via public sails, summer camps, and educational programs.

For the last 23 years, the Quinnipiack—central Connecticut's only traditionally rigged tall ship—has hosted hands-on marine experiences for kids and adults. The New Haven mayor has officially decreed the schooner to be the city's flagship, as well as the ship Most Likely to Wear Couture Sails. The spacious boat was named to honor the Native Americans who inhabited the region and is helmed by an experienced and friendly crew.

At LoveHealing Massage Studios, a licensed massage therapist relaxes bodies and relieves tension with a range of massage modalities that inspire mind-body harmony. These indulgent services are all performed within the cozy confines of her softly lit studio, that please clients' eyes as their bodies sink into relaxation. The studio also offers facial beauty massages that enhance the face's skin and provides a fresh look for the eyes.

The consortium of professional instructors at Fred Astaire Dance Studio, which was cofounded by the legendary toe tapper himself, shepherds students of all ages and skill levels through lessons that span the style spectrum. Low-pressure private sessions allow enthusiastic teachers to fine-tune individual students' techniques and form, using their expert eyes and mechanical dancing shoes preprogrammed to do the Charleston. Patrons can learn how to cavort through classic waltz and fox-trot romps or swivel through the modern steps of salsa, swing, or samba. For dancers hoping to hoof it up in a social setting, the group practice parties provide a one-night extravaganza of instruction, demonstrations, and amateur firewalking.

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.

At the turn of the 20th century, bowling alleys routinely locked their doors for the summer, forcing bowlers to brainstorm alternatives. And so, in the early 1900s, a group of bowlers decided to tweak their pastime to accommodate off-season play, shrinking both bowling balls and pins. Modified rules allowed bowlers to roll their scaled-down balls three times per turn. And upon impact, the lighter-weight balls caused pint-size pins to skitter like a flock of ducks. Thus, duckpin bowling was born.

The accessible sport spread throughout the world and, near the peak of its popularity, found a home at Johnson's Duckpin Lanes in 1955. After undergoing renovations in 2009, the alley's synthetic lanes continue to delight duckpin bowlers all year long. The alley also entertains guests with an arcade, onsite snack bar, as well as personalized birthday parties, which unfold on weekdays and during weekend sessions of Glo & Bowl.