Located in the woods of North Stamford, Connecticut, the 118-acre museum property is home to a 10-acre working farm, a Tudor-style museum and gallery which hosts exhibitions, an interactive nature center, 80 acres of outdoor trails, a large planetarium, a 4-story observatory with a research telescope, an otter pond, and a large playground designed for children to experience animals' perspective on nature.

In addition to the facilities, the SM&NC offers seasonal family-oriented exhibits and weekend festivals, year-round childhood educational programming, camps, and volunteer opportunities.

In 1936, the museum's founders envisioned a safe and stimulating sanctuary where children and families could learn about the natural world, the agricultural sciences, astronomy, art, and history.

Opened to the public on June 27, 1936, this early incarnation of the museum drew families from the area, still its prime demographic today.

Henri Willis Bendel was a department-store pioneer and philanthropist who, with architect Perry Barker, built his dream castle in North Stamford in the late 1920s.

Using two Tudor mansions located in Maidenhead, England, as inspiration, Barker built the epitome of the American "castle" of the time for his client.

The house is on a hill overlooking the lake and has lead-framed glass windows, half-timbered walls, gargoyles, arching staircases, slate roofs, and multiple chimneys.

Notable items in the SM&NC permanent collections include totem poles from a World's fair, telescopes, outdoor sculptures, farm tools, Native American artifacts, Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalí prints, vintage local pedal cars, antique Yale & Towne keys and locks, and works by Stamford artists Gutzon Borglum and Reuben Nakian.

Its pastoral backdrop is dotted with barns, a maple sugar house, organic vegetable garden, open pastures, and dozens of farm animals.

Visitors are encouraged to experience rural life by observing the wildlife and staff who carry out daily chores to keep the farm running smoothly.

A small farmyard containing a miniature barn was home to a lamb, a young goat, bantams, a hen and rooster, and numerous rabbits.

Many orphaned or injured animals were brought to the museum where they were cared for by Junior Curators, a group of students who were studying in the nature and wildlife conservation classes.

The move to the Museum's Scofieldtown Road location in 1955 brought with it the opportunity to build a larger model farmyard and barn which could accommodate more wildlife.

Teeming vernal pools, glacial erratic boulders, mature forests, and maintained woodland meadows are found throughout the area.

[2] The Stamford Museum & Nature Center has a four-story observatory which houses a 22-inch (560 mm) reflecting telescope and is used for research (primarily of binary star systems) by the Fairfield County Astronomical Society (FCAS).

Following a demonstration at an astronomical conference at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Spitz received considerable publicity, and began marketing his Model A planetarium for $500.

Within a few years, Spitz introduced the model A-1, which incorporated the Sun, Moon, and five naked eye planets, still using the dodecahedron shape for the star projector.

Each fall, the Stamford Museum & Nature Center hosts its annual Harvest Fest Sundays, focused on seasonal activities including apple cider demonstrations, hayrides, apple slingshots, pumpkin carving, farm animal demonstrations, face painting, storytelling, crafts, a costume parade, and more.

At the Hecksher Farm sugarhouse, one can view tree tapping, sap collecting, and taste the sweet maple sugar that ushers in the annual agricultural awakening.

Other offerings include scavenger hunts, storytellers, face painting, maple-themed crafts, pancake brunch, and a Chef's Cook-off Challenge.