Surrounding, Hartford
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There are a number of interesting towns and attractions within a short distance of Hartford.
Related Attractions
Phelps Homestead, Simsbury, Connecticut
The Phelps Tavern Museum is operated by the Simsbury Historical Society with a museum store, research archives and award winning period gardens to highlight the visitor's experience.The Phelps Tavern Museum uses period rooms and interactive exhibition galleries to interpret the use of the Phelps House as an inn from 1786 to 1849. Three generations of the Phelps tavernkeepers are featured along with the social history of taverns in New England. The Phelps Tavern hosted locals and travelers who traveled by horse, stagecoach and boat.
Bristol, Connecticut
Located southwest of Hartford, Bristol (pop. 61,000) offers a range of attractions, both cultural and recreational. Page Park and Rockwell Park offer opportunities for swimming, skating, and other outdoor sports. There are also some interesting museums, such as the American Clock and Watch Museum and the Carousel Museum.
American Clock and Watch Museum
The American Clock & Watch Museum displays more than 3,000 watches and clocks dating back to the late 1500s. There are also recreations of an 1825 clock shop and an 1890 Victorian clock and watch store.
Harry Barnes Memorial Nature Center (closed)
ATTRACTION CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION - Trails are still accessible.The Nature Center covers 70 acres which serves as a natural habitat for a variety of wildlife. There are also nature trails and an interpretive center.
Lake Compounce Theme Park
Lake Compounce Theme Park offers a variety of rides and games. It is thought to be the oldest operating amusement park in the United States and is home to a 1927 wooden roller coaster and a 1911 carousel.
New England Carousel Museum
New England Carousel Museum displays a variety of carousel pieces, as well as a recreated carving shop.
Surrounding Area
There are several towns and attractions within a short driving distance of Bristol.
Plainville Historic Center, Plainville
The Plainville Historic Center is housed in the 1890 Town Hall. The center displays items related to the history of the region, including the Farmington Canal (1828-1848), agricultural exhibits, antique toys and dolls, and displays on American Indians.
Lock Museum of America, Terryville
The Lock Museum of America displays a collection of locks, including door locks, padlocks, handcuffs, safes, vaults, and others from various time periods. One of the oldest locks in the collection is a 4,000 year old Egyptian made pin tumbler lock.
Litchfield History Museum, Litchfield
Litchfield History Museum displays early American paintings, furniture, decorative arts, and exhibits on the history of the area.
Thomaston Opera House, Thomaston
The Thomaston Opera House offers a full season of performances each year.
Roaring Brook Nature Center, Canton, Connecticut
Roaring Brook Nature Center, originally known as the Canton Children's Nature Museum, covers 115 acres and features trails and an interpretive center with an Indian longhouse replica. In 1973, the Nature Center became affiliated with The Children's Museum (formerly the Science Center of Connecticut).
Historical Society of East Hartford, East Hartford, Connecticut
The Historical Society maintains a three building complex featuring the 1761 Makens Bemont House, the 1820s Goodwin Schoolhouse, and the 1850s Burnham Blacksmith Shop. Guided tours through these buildings are available through the Historical Society during summer months.
Somers Mountain Museum of Natural History (closed), Somers, Connecticut
Attraction closed until new home is found.The museum displays a variety of American Indian artifacts. The collection includes clothes, dolls, pottery, beadwork, pipes, and primitive stone tools. There is also a teepee and birchbark canoe on display.
Canton Historical Museum, Collinsville, Connecticut
Located in a Collins Co. building, the Canton Historical Museum displays antique tools, farm equipment, toys, dolls, vehicles, wedding gowns, and other historical items.
Old Newgate Prison Museum, East Granby, Connecticut
The Old Newgate Prison Museum is a former Revolutionary War prison built in mine tunnels. Used as a copper mine in the early 1700's, it began to house criminals in 1773.
Enfield, Connecticut
Enfield (pop. 46,000) is located eighteen miles north of Hartford. The town was settled in 1679 and became part of Connecticut in 1750. In 1793, Enfield was the site of a Shaker Village.
Martha A. Parsons House Museum
Martha Parsons was a successful business woman in the early 1900's, which was regarded as an unusual accomplishment at that time. The house, formerly known as Sycamore Hall, was built in 1782. The house was purchased in 1906 by the Parsons family and is the house in which Martha grew up.
Old Town Hall Museum
The Old Town Hall was built in 1775 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today it houses a number of exhibits relating to the history of the area, including local businesses, the Shakers, agriculture, landmarks, and other changing exhibits.
Wallop School Museum
Built around 1800, the Wallop School was one of the last one room school houses in Connecticut when it closed in 1947. A fire in 1959 severely damaged the structure but it was restored by the Historical Society.
Farmington, Connecticut
Farmington (pop. 21,000) lies to the west of Hartford. The town's main street runs along the river. Of interest in the town are some old homes and the Hill-Stead Museum.
Hill-Stead Museum
The Hill-Stead Museum is an impressive art gallery featuring works by Cassat, Degas, Manet, Monet and Whistler. The building itself is a 29 room Colonial Revival house, built in 1901. The grounds, which cover 152 acres, feature a sunken garden.
Stanley-Whitman House
Built in the early 1700s, the Stanley-Whitman House features period furnishings and other household items. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
Unionville Museum, Unionville, Connecticut
The Unionville Museum features three exhibits a year, all of which are related to the history of the area. Displays include photographs, letters, vintage clothing and tools that were either owned by Unionville residents or manufactured in the town.
Manchester, Connecticut
Manchester (pop. 52,000) is located just east of Hartford. The town grew in the early to mid 1800s with the development of the Cheney Brothers Sild Corp. Today the city is a major manufacturing center in the area.
Cheney Homestead
The house was built by Timothy Cheney in 1785. On display are some of the original 18th century furnishings, much of which was bought in Philadelphia by one of the Timothy Cheney's sons.
Lutz Children's Museum
The Lutz Children's Museum, founded in 1953, features interactive displays in the areas of art, history, science, nature, and ethnology. It also maintains a collection of small animals.
Fire Museum
Located in the 1901 Manchester Fire House, the museum displays old firefighting equipment and firetrucks, complete with a horse drawn hose wagon.
Wickham Park
Wickham Park is a 215 acre area with gardens, an aviary, a log cabin, and outdoor sports facilities. There are also walking and fitness trails.
Nathan Hale Homestead, Coventry, Connecticut
This was the family home of Captain Nathan Hale. The house was built in 1776, the same year he was hanged by the British for being a spy. The house contains some of the personal items of the Hale family.
Windham Textile and History Museum, Willimantic, Connecticut
The Windham Textile Museum is located within the old mill complex of Willimantic Linen Co. The store, library, and store warehouse were built in 1877. The museum depicts the history of the textile industry in southern New England during the Industrial Revolution.
New England Center for Art, Brooklyn, Connecticut
The New England Center for Art displays contemporary American and Chinese paintings and sculptures.
Henry C. Bowen House, Woodstock
This 1846 Gothic Revival style summer house is also referred to as Roseland Cottage or The Pink House. On the grounds are an icehouse, a barn with an indoor bowling alley, and a garden house.
Photomobile Model Museum (closed)
ATTRACTION IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED.The Photomobile Model Museum displays a variety of solar electric vehicles
New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain (pop. 72,000), located south of Hartford, is the self proclaimed "Hardware City" due to the number of metalworking companies.The downtown area features a number of Art Deco style buildings.
New Britain Museum of American Art
The New Britain Museum focuses on American art dating from the mid 1700s to present. The collection includes more than 11,000 pieces, with works by Thomas Hart Benton, Mary Casset, John Singleton Copley, Winslow Homer, and Whistler.
New Britain Youth Museum
New Britain Youth Museum offers school programming outreach, art and history exhibits and special events as well as highlighting the cultural heritage of the diverse cultures in central Connecticut.
Copernican Observatory & Planetarium
Copernican Observatory & Planetarium is located at Central Connecticut State University. Shows include current night sky, and comets, asteroids, and meteors.
Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Dinosaur State Park contains one of the largest Jurassic fossil track sites in North America. Some of the tracks are contained within the Exhibit Center's geodesic dome. Also located on the grounds is the Dinosaur State Park Arboretum.
Hotchkiss-Fyler House, Torrington, Connecticut
The Hotchkiss-Fyler House is a Victorian mansion with displays of antique furnishings, glassware, porcelain, Oriental rugs, and art by Connecticut artists. There is also a working machine shop and museum with local historical items.
Holley House (Closed Permanently), Lakeville, Connecticut
Holley House deals with 18th and 19th C history, 1870s kitchen exhibit and the role of women.
Vernon Historical Society Museum, Vernon, Connecticut
The Vernon Historical Society collects and displays local historical items. Highlights of the collection include paintings and etchings from Charles Ethan Porter and Gustave Hoffman.
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford (pop. 60,000) was the hometown of Noah Webster, creator of the American language dictionary. There is a sculpture of him, created by Korczak Ziolkowski, in front of the town hall.
Noah Webster House (Museum of West Hartford History)
Noah Webster House is the restored farmhouse and birthplace of Noah Webster, creator of the first American dictionary. Exhibits include items of Noah's, including his early works, and changing exhibits on the history of West Hartford.
The Children's Museum (formerly Science Center of Connecticut)
The Children's Museum offers a marine petting pool, small animals and shows, a planetarium, a hands on discovery room, and a 30 foot walk-in kaleidoscope, as well as other displays.
New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, Connecticut
The New England Air Museum is spread throughout two large hangars with more than 70 aircraft. On display are helicopters amphibians, jets, WWII aircraft, and others.
Noden-Reed Park Museum
Noden-Reed Park Museum is a 22-acre park that contains an 1840 house and an 1826 brick barn. This was also the site of Connecticut's first Christmas tree.
Hatheway House, Suffield, Connecticut
The main portion of the Hatheway House was built in the 1760s with further additions and alterations done in 1794. Some of the rooms are still decorated as they were in the late 1700s, including original French wallpapers.
Avon, Connecticut
Avon is located along the banks of the Farmington River. The town was settled in 1645 and originally known as Northington.
Farmington Valley Arts Center
Farmington Valley Arts Center allows visitors to watch artists at work, view finished creations in a gallery or learn the skills necessary to create work of their own. There are 20 artist studios and two galleries that sell fine arts and crafts.
Living Museum
This 19th century structure was once a schoolhouse. The Living Museum displays artifacts, memorabilia, historic photographs and maps related to the history of the area.
Connecticut Trolley Museum, East Windsor, Connecticut
The Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor displays trolleys and rail cars dating from 1894 to 1947. Visitors can take a short ride in an antique trolley car.
Connecticut Fire Museum
The Connecticut Fire Museum displays antique fire equipment and vehicles dating to the late 1800s.
Newington - Kelsey House
Located on Main Street, Kelsey House was built in 1799, and is operated by the Kelsey Historical Society.
Kellogg-Eddy House
Kellogg-Eddy House was built in 1808 and was furnished by the Newington Historical Society.
Barnes Museum, Southington, Connecticut
The Barnes Museum displays local historical items, including photos, documents, clothing, and other artifacts dating from the 1800s.
Old Tolland County Jail Museum and Warden's Home, Tolland, Connecticut
The 1856 prison displays farm tools, Indian artifacts, and other historical items. The Warden's home was built in 1893 and is furnished in period.
Wethersfield, Connecticut
Wethersfield is one of the oldest English settlements in Connecticut. Many 18th century structures still stand, some of which are open to the public.
Hurlbut-Dunham House
The Hurlbut-Dunham House was built in the late 1700s and is furnished in Colonial Revival style. The interior features original Rococo Revival wallpapers, painted ceilings, furnishings and accessories that belonged to Howard and Jane Dunham, a prominent area couple.
Cove Warehouse
The Cove Warehouse dates to the 1600s and was the only warehouse not destroyed in the 1692 flood. On display inside are maritime exhibits highlighting the 17th and 18th century.
Buttolph-Williams House
Built in the early 1700s, Buttoph-Williams House is furnished in period. The house was the setting for Elizabeth Speare's book, Witch of Blackbird Pond.
Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum
The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum consists of three 18th C homes that have been restored and are furnished in period.
Wethersfield Museum at Keeney Cultural Center
The Wethersfield Museum offers displays on the history of the area, art, and changing exhibits.
Fyler House, Windsor, Connecticut
Built in 1640, Fyler House is one of the oldest remaining frame dwellings in Connecticut. The home has been restored and contains period furnishings.
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