south norwalk historic district (sono)

donnan735

Lots of choices and the place rocks till late during the summer. A great stop over if you attend the annual Oyster Fest in October

ComstockHill2

SoNo has been "up and coming" for so many years. There are definitely some fun places, great restaurants, cute shops. But there is still something seedy about it. Saturday nights can be rowdy to the point of scary with the drunks lurching from bar to bar. If you are in the mood to party it can be great fun, but you will need a designated driver as the police set up a checkpoint just up the road between the main street and 95.

KaTe2

Pretty streets with art galleries and little hole in the wall places entice the walker, though the lower end past the train tracks can get seedier and the drunks from the bars a bit loud early in the evening. We didn't find any great food, but the area is nice to wander.

RoamingCT

SoNo is a nice neighborhood, with good restaurants and shops, but a lot of them are closing down due to high rents. They have a new leasing complex, IronWorks, with a bar, Harlan Publick, and a steakhouse, Washington Prime. Worth a visit.

hedo_traveler

We looked for a place to go to explore local shops and dining and bought into the hype of SONO. We were left scratching our heads as to what the attraction was. The area was devoid of people on a Saturday afternoon, many storefronts were empty and the ones that were open were the same junk we could get anywhere else. We couldn't believe we drove 90 minutes for this.

luciNY

Anchored by the Maritime museum, this neighborhood attracts a nice mix of locals and tourists out to enjoy a weekend meal and a stroll through the shops and river area.

HotelGeographer

The SoNo district is a small town area but nicely lined with a variety of restaurants to enjoy a night out.

kookla2014

I think this area has been abandoned. Too many empty stores for such a lovely, historic location. We did find a wonderful restaurant - La Cucina (sp) where the locals go. I had a soup and rice and my husband had chicken. Not at all fancy but really good food. A gem.I hope the area picks up because it is beautiful.

SJH3827

This is a lively and fun urban shopping and entertainment neighborhood with a multitude of restaurants, bars and shops for any taste and price range. Family friendly, too!

59AndrewM59

Sono has an old town feel, and offers lots of things to do. There are great restaurants, nightclubs, sports bars, and music. There are several museums and all within walking distance of each other.

JackL879

Wonderful restaurants, right on the water. Maritime Center is great for kids. Vibrant nightlife. Historical buildings make this a charming neighborhood.

Venamo

It has been 30 years of slowly reclaiming the old charming builings from the rot of time and poverty.Still a way to go before the area feels safe and fully gentrified.

CTTravelorNorwalk_CT

nice area to take kids if you have them. a few places to walk to, there is a movie theatre nearby, if you can't find something to do in the area, you are not seeing norwalk :)

cosmo144

This area used to have a number of small shops but landlord rents drove most of them out. The area is filled with restaurants, from pubs to coffee shops to casual and upscale dining. Donovan's is a great Irish pub with sliders and draft beers and fun family dining, while Pasta Nostra is upscale Italian and outstanding cuisine. Parking is somewhat difficult and if your meter expires by five minutes you will have a ticket. Friday and Saturday evenings are extremely busy with young people and the bar scenes. Family outings are better had during lunch time.

nicholasjane

A few new and really cute shops and restaurants to go to, but a very old and rundown framework, on the cusp of a very seedy and unsavory area. During the day, it's probably safe enough, but just barely. At night, the one block of restaurants is probably OK, but not a place to loiter. My husband and I go infrequently to Match Restaurant, which is quite good, but only if we can park on that one street, called "Restaurant Row". Because of the depressive area, my advice is to go elsewhere.