Programs & Events

3/18/2025 Update: This event is now sold out. Please continue to register and join the waitlist. If a ticket becomes available you will be notified.

More than 20 grand estates that covered much of Ridgefield a century ago will be the focus of a bus tour presented by the Ridgefield Historical Society, from 10am to 1pm on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

Jack Sanders, author of the book, Ridgefield’s Great Estates, will lead the group to and sometimes through these grand properties during a 25-mile excursion of the town, describing the grounds and mansions – some of which are still standing and have been repurposed. Beginning and ending at Jesse Lee Church at 207 Main Street in Ridgefield, CT the tour is entirely by mini school bus and will not include walking around or inside buildings. Seating is limited to 17 people and is expected to sell out quickly. Tickets for this unique opportunity are nonrefundable and priced at $75.

For a complete experience, tour-goers should bring their copies of Ridgefield’s Great Estates, for illustrations to which Mr. Sanders will be referring throughout the trip. Copies may be ordered as an add-on at checkout here and will be distributed on the bus tour. This book can also be purchased from our friends at Books on the Common. A couple copies will be available on loan for the tour.

A Fairfield County native and graduate of Holy Cross, Jack Sanders retired in 2014 after 45 years as an editor of The Ridgefield Press. He’s written a dozen books on Ridgefield history, and also created and administers the “Old Ridgefield” group on Facebook, which has more than 9,000 followers. He and his wife, Sally, a retired newspaper editor who is on the board of the Ridgefield Historical Society, live in a 250-year old farmhouse in Ridgefield.

For additional information contact: [email protected] or 203-438-5821 or ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org