The state of Connecticut's capital, despite frequently being overlooked by other New England communities, is definitely worth seeing. Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, both had houses in Hartford, making it a popular destination for book enthusiasts.
A sizable and exceptional collection of American art is housed in the Wadsworth Atheneum, and the city's cultural attractions also include a number of other museums and historic mansions. Youngsters will like Bushnell Park's carousel and the Connecticut Science Center. With the help of our list of Hartford, Connecticut's top tourist sites, you can organize a family-friendly vacation.
1.Mark Twain's home and museum, to start
In Hartford, Samuel (Mark Twain) and Olivia "Livy" Clemens built a new house, which they moved into the following year. On the tour of this three-story Victorian mansion, you'll witness some of the most modern conveniences that the home had to offer. You'll see some of the exotic influences that were fashionable at the time because Louis C. Tiffany was one of the four designers hired for the interior of the mansion.
You'll hear interesting tales during the tour that provide insights into the personalities of Samuel and Livy as well as the rather odd habits of the entire family. The family sold the home in 1903 because it was impossible for them to move back into it after the loss of their daughter.
But Clemens remembered Twain's time spent there as the happiest and most fruitful of his life. He penned several of his best-known writings, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, here. A National Historic Landmark, the Victorian Gothic home.
2. Wadsworth Athenaeum
One of the best collections of American art, especially pieces from the Hudson River school, may be found at the Wadsworth Atheneum. The spectacular Gothic-style edifice that houses it includes more than 50,000 items of art, making it the oldest free public museum in the country.
Italian Baroque painting, highlighted by significant pieces by Caravaggio, as well as the Surrealist movement, as shown in works by Salvador Dali, Joan Miró, Max Ernst, and René Magritte, are prominent highlights of the European collection. The Impressionists are represented by paintings by Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and the museum continues to promote modern artists by routinely acquiring new pieces for the collection.
A strong emphasis is placed on decorative arts, and among the 7,000 items in its collection of European decorative arts are antique glass and bronzes as well as an exceptional collection of ceramics, particularly Meissen, Vincennes, and Sèvres ware.
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The Cabinet of Art and Curiosity, a chamber inspired by Victorian collectors who devoted rooms to their collections of art, technology, and natural wonders, is possibly the most interesting one. More than 200 items from the collection of European Decorative Arts are shown in cabinets much as they could have been in a wealthy collector's house. Despite the fact that you may learn more about any piece via a mobile tour or digital touch displays, their lack of labels encourages a more individualized and participatory experience.
3. Connecticut Science Center
Most of the 168 exhibits in this interactive science museum will appeal to both adults and children. Each part includes kid-friendly DIY activities while exploring a different aspect of the world around us. They can build and test flying machines at Forces in Motion, and kids can race robots and create things out of Legos at Invention Dimension.
Children may experience hurricane-force winds and create their own weather forecasts with the help of the interactive exhibits in Planet Earth. Others include River of Life, which is a marine touch tank that investigates the Connecticut River and its inhabitants, Sight and Sound, Exploring Space, Picture of Health, Energy City, and Sight and Sound.
4. State Capitol
The High Victorian Gothic State Capitol, constructed in 1879, is located on Capitol Hill and looks out over Bushnell Memorial Park. The State Senate Chamber, State House of Representatives Hall, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Secretary of State offices are all located there. The structure is a National Historic Landmark and has numerous exquisite elements, including stained glass windows and floors made of inlaid white, red, and Connecticut and Italian marble.
Ask for a tour brochure for more information. On guided and self-guided tours, you can see the Hall of Flags, the Connecticut Hall of Fame honoring outstanding accomplishments by residents of Connecticut, and, when the General Assembly is in session, you can watch the proceedings from the public galleries.
5. Rose Garden at Elizabeth Park
Elizabeth Park Rose Garden, which bears her name, was established on 102 acres Charles H. Pond donated to the city in 1903 and is the third-largest rose garden in the United States. 800 different species of roses are among the more than 15,000 plants in the garden today.
They include floribunda, shrub, pillar roses, climbers, hybrid perpetual, old and new forms of hybrid tea, and hybrid perpetuals. Although they remain in bloom all summer long, late June and early July are the best times to visit when the ramblers that cover the arches are in full bloom. The park offers ice skating in the winter.
6.Bushnell Park & Carousel
It is noteworthy that this 37-acre park near to the Capitol grounds was the country's first open space. It houses the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, the Pump House Gallery, the Israel Putnam statue, and the Civil War Memorial.
One of the three remaining Stein and Goldstein carousels, built in 1914, has 48 hand-carved wooden horses and two chariots that revolve around a Wurlitzer band organ. It is a favorite destination for families in the city.
From May through October, tours of the park are available on the second Saturday of each month, and from that same period onward, tours of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch are available on Thursdays at noon.
7. The Bushnell Center for the Art
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, which has a number of performance venues ranging from the beautiful 2,800-seat Mortensen Hall to the 900-seat Belding Theater, is Connecticut's top venue for music and performance.
A recent season featured performances by the Russian Ballet in Swan Lake and the Connecticut Lyric Opera in Die Fledermaus. Other events included screenings from the Banff Film Festival, tributes to the Beatles and Aretha Franklin, The Blue Man Group, jazz singer Diana Krall, and the Broadway productions Hamilton and My Fair Lady. More than 350 events, including significant Broadway tours, are featured during each season.
Regular performances by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra here feature a wide range of musical works, from Shankar's Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The biggest hand-painted ceiling mural in the country, measuring 187 by 40 feet, is the centerpiece of Mortensen Hall's lavish 1930 Art Deco design.
8. Harriet Beecher Stowe Institute
In Hartford's Nook Farm area, next to Mark Twain's home, is the restored home that novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe called home from 1873 to 1896. With her portrayal of slavery in her book Uncle Tom's Cabin, Stowe made a significant contribution to the abolitionist movement, to the extent where Abraham Lincoln once attributed her for sparking the Civil War.
The kitchen included in her book The American Woman's House served as the inspiration for the Gothic Revival cottage's kitchen design. While the home, which has two side porches, a bay window, and a steep hip roof, is undergoing extensive repair, tours of the property are still provided, and they provide information about how such a major historic building was restored.
Great activities for young families in Hartford Connecticut this month. pic.twitter.com/20HBWbEKHr
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The Stowe Center Research Library and administrative offices, which are located next door at the former home of the author's grandniece and are now utilized for the center's sponsored exhibits and programs, are also featured.
9. Connecticut Historical Society Museum
The Colonial Revival estate that now houses the Connecticut Historical Society's holdings was once owned by inventor Curtis Veeder. The collections contain more than 200,000 objects and pictures, as well as books and manuscripts that date as far back as the 1600s. More than 500 of these items are on display in fascinating exhibits that are frequently interactive.
The largest collection of inn and tavern signs in the nation, Inn & Tavern Signs of Connecticut, is particularly intriguing. Other special exhibits cover topics related to New England history and culture, such as women's suffrage, the home front, WWII propaganda posters, Victorian clothing, traditional folk artists, and costumes from Hartford's West Indian Community.
10. Old State House
The Hartford Convention and the initial Amistad Trial were held where the Old State House now stands. The ruling that the slaves were free and not the property of Spanish slave-traders was later affirmed by courts all the way up to the US Supreme Court. This decision was made in the first of multiple trials.
One of the country's oldest state houses is this National Historic Landmark, which dates back to 1796. Several fascinating displays, artworks, and historical items are on show. The structure, according to some, is haunted. There are both guided and unguided tours available.
11. Unwind in Riverside Parks
Downtown Hartford is bordered by the Connecticut River, which has four public parks that are connected by riverwalks. With a riverfront stage and 2,500 seats on a slope of grassy terraces, Mortensen Riverfront Plaza is the hub of these events. The Riverfront Asian Festival's annual dragon boat races are best viewed from this location.
Riverside Park, which is located north of the city center, features miles of walking trails, a community rowing program called Riverfront Rowing, as well as a boat launch, fishing access, picnic tables, and a playground.
South of the center, at Charter Oak Landing, there are also ballfields, picnic areas, a boat launch, and a playground. A 350-seat amphitheater is part of the outdoor performance space in Great River Park, which is accessible through the Charter Oak Bridge from East Hartford.
12. Connecticut Historical Museum
The Museum of Connecticut History, housed in the State Library and Supreme Court Building, has a collection of weapons, portraits, and other artifacts that chronicle the state's history and advancements in technology. Original drafts of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence written in Connecticut are shown here, along with other political artifacts including buttons, banners, and signs.
Here, from the 17th century to the present, is one of the best collections of American coins. Hartford, the birthplace of Colt's Manufacturing Company, was a significant hub for the production of firearms in the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the finest collections of Colt-made weapons may be seen at the museum.
The Freedom Trail Quilt Project quilts, which honor the significance of the Amistad Case, the Underground Railroad, and the African American experience in Connecticut, are the most recent additions to the museum. A well-known tourist destination, the Freedom Trail connects historical buildings, graveyards, and memorials connected to these and other individuals like Paul Robeson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Prudence Crandall. In 1998, four quilts honoring the Freedom Trail were finished, each one depicting a different region of Connecticut.
13. The Butler-McCook Mansion and the Ancient Burying Ground
Those who are interested in history will enjoy visiting two nearby attractions on Main Street. The only historical site from the 1600s to still exist is Hartford's Ancient Burying Ground. Since it served as Hartford's sole cemetery until the early 1800s, the oldest gravestone dates from 1648, and there are around 6,000 graves there.
Just three blocks south on Main Street, at the Butler-McCook House & Garden, you may find out more about early Hartford. Butler-McCook Homestead, the oldest residence in Hartford and where generations of a family resided from the Revolution to the middle of the 20th century, was built in 1782.
With the help of their comments and experiences, "Witnesses on Main Street" depicts how Main Street has evolved from wooden dwellings and tiny businesses into a contemporary city made of steel, brick, and stone. The house is not depicted at a particular point in its lengthy history by the art, antiques, and other household items on display, but rather by the changes that have taken place over time.
Women, art, and the Cook family's global travels are just a few of the subjects covered by special interest excursions. Jacob Weidenmann was responsible for creating the Victorian garden.
14. See a performance at Hartford Stage
Hartford Stage has created ground-breaking new plays and musicals for almost 60 years, in addition to cutting-edge revivals of well-known classics. The theater got its start in a converted former grocery store warehouse and swiftly rose to prominence across the country as a significant cultural hub.
A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, which won four 2014 Tony Awards, was produced by Hartford Stage, a recipient of the Tony Award for Best Regional Theatre. On its stage, celebrities including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Olympia Dukakis, Marlo Thomas, Lynn Redgrave, and Angela Lansbury have performed.
The Stage, which is renowned for its avant-garde productions and fresh perspectives on revivals, also actively promotes education for children and engages the neighborhood through activities like Sunday Afternoon Talk and AfterWords Conversation, which bring cast members and audience members together.
15. Historic Colt Park and Coltsville District
In honor of Samuel Colt, a gunmaker from Hartford, the 114-acre park on his former Armsmear Estate was donated to the city. In Colt's day, there were gardens, lawns, conservatories, fountains, reflecting pools, fish ponds, and a deer park, making it a spectacular occasion.
The park was a location where Colt employees and their families could unwind and take in the scenery, not just for his own family and visitors. This was a component of Colt's "paternalistic capitalism" theories, which also included an industrial community with a church.
Edward Tuckerman Potter, who also created the Mark Twain House in Hartford, is the architect of the Church of the Good Shepherd, a magnificent example of Gothic Revival design. The use of Colt revolver components in the Armorer's Entry ornamentation is a distinctive aspect of the chapel.
The Coltsville Historic District, which is listed as a National Historic Landmark, includes both the chapel and Colt Park. Colt Park, which is also a component of Coltsville National Historical Site, has two public swimming pools, playgrounds, sporting equipment, and walking trails today.
16. Enjoy a riverboat tour
The Connecticut River offers two boats that provide picturesque cruises, which are the ideal place to see Hartford's distinctive skyline.
Lady Katharine Cruises offers 60- and 90-minute cruises that depart at the Charter Oak Landing and visit the local wildlife, riverbank attractions, and historical sites. The 113-foot Lady Kate has two climate-controlled dining decks and a covered observation deck. It spent 20 years cruising New York Harbor before coming to Hartford. Together with sightseeing tours, it is well-liked for Sunday breakfast, lunch, music, and dance cruises.
You may discover the nature and history of the Connecticut River by taking a sail along it. You'll be astounded by the amount of wildlife as the boat exits the city, from eagles in the riverside trees to sturgeon jumping in the water.
17. St. Joseph's Cathedral
The Cathedral of St. Joseph, which replaced a previous Gothic Revival cathedral that was damaged by fire, was dedicated in 1962 and included as a contributing property in the Asylum Avenue District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The new edifice has the soaring lines of the old one and a tower 284 feet high, and it was constructed in a more contemporary interpretation of the Gothic style.
Biblical themes are painted on tall bronze doors, and a frieze honoring Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the chapel, is shown above the entry. Features of the inside include the altar painting of Christ in Glory, which is believed to be the largest in the world, and a set of stained-glass windows measuring 70 by 14 feet that were made in France. The state's biggest pipe organ is here.