Some Westporters live on the water. Others live in the woods, or close to town.
But only residents of Woods Grove Road enjoy the Saugatuck River on two sides — with Coffee An’ just beyond.
Plus, of course, an easy stroll downtown.
Woods Grove is off Canal Street, on the right just past the parking lot for the old 323 restaurant, heading west toward Kings Highway.
Woods Grove Road is close to downtown. I’s bordered by 2 branches of the Saugatuck River.
AJ Izzo — owner of the old Crossroads Ace Hardware, another great close-by attraction (now replaced by an excellent liquor store) — says that when he grew up on nearby Richmondville Avenue, the area was woods, and a dirt road. Most houses were built in the 1940s and ’50s.
Ken Bernhard — who moved there from around the corner — calls Woods Grove “a charming respite.”
It’s a dead-end, so there’s little traffic. But it’s a long, winding road, so there are plenty of families. Kids play in the street. Neighbors chat.
Woods Grove Road is well named.
A “watering hole” features a dock and rope swing. “There’s nothing more pleasant than the sound of kids laughing and splashing,” he says.
The main branch of the river is great for canoeing and kayaking. Every morning, Ken says, a neighbor on the Wilton Road side paddles — with his German shepherd — to the dam and back. Everyone waves.
The neighborliness extends to Aquarion. The water utility owns land across the river. A while back, the pumping station made a distracting, growling sound. Ken offered to buy equipment to deaden the noise.
Nope, Aquarion said. They did it themselves.
A Woods Grove back yard.
Ken calls Woods Grove “delightful. The houses are not big, and the lots are not too large. Everything is the perfect size — just as much as we need.”
Besides Coffee An’ and the Merritt Country Store, residents can walk or bike to the library and Levitt. The Y — and Merritt Parkways exits 41 and 42 — are around the corner.
Yet one of the most interesting features of Woods Grove Road is one that neighbors barely mention.
A non-profit enterprise — the Westport School of Music — is located in a house halfway down the road. Established in 1938, it’s got a great reputation.
The Westport School of Music looks like any other home.
Students come and go quietly. There’s a little more traffic because of it than normal, but Woods Grove residents hardly notice. They’re happy to be near such a well-regarded, artistic enterprise.
Life on Woods Grove Road is good. Between the beautiful river and delicious donuts, who can complain?
