Museums
Connecticut Landmarks
www.ctlandmarks.org
Access historical and tour information on 12 landmark homes in the Hartford region.
Connecticut's Heritage Gateway
www.ctheritage.org
A comprehensive directory of Connecticut's history resources for teachers, students, researchers and others who want to understand the world around them by exploring the state's past.
Connecticut Fire Museum
http://www.thefiremuseum.org/
The Fire Museum, housed in a retired 1901 fire station, boasts a collection of hundreds of fine examples of early American firefighting memorabilia such as glassware, lighting, photography, textiles and paintings.
Connecticut Historical Society
http://www.chs.org/
The Connecticut Historical Society, the seventh oldest historical society in the nation, is renowned for developing such interpretive exhibitions as Amistad: A True Story of Freedom.
Connecticut Trolley Museum
http://www.cttrolleymuseum.com/
Rumble through New England history on a variety of lovingly restored trolleys. Admire the handsome mahogany woodwork in an enclosed streetcar, or savor the gentle breezes on an open car.
Dinosaur State Park
http://www.dinosaurstatepark.org/
With more than 2,000 tracks, Dinosaur State Park is one of the largest dinosaur track sites in the country. Spend a day walking in 200 million year old shoes and exploring the nature trails and arboretum.
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/
Visit the Connecticut home of the internationally acclaimed author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Open year round, the Stowe Center is on the Connecticut Freedom Trail.
Hartford Ancient Burying Ground
http://www.ancientburyingground.org/history.html
Once Hartford's only graveyard, the Ancient Burying Ground is the city's oldest historic site dating back to the 1600s.
Hill-Stead Museum
www.hillstead.org
Track the changing seasons on 152 spectacular acres of one of the country's finest examples of Colonial Revival domestic architecture. Enjoy a moment of repose in the Sunken Garden or take a guided tour and view major paintings from Hill-Stead Museum's Alfred Atmore Pope Collection.
The Mark Twain House & Museum
www.marktwainhouse.org
Step back to the Gilded Age on a year-round, guided tour of the home of one of America's most beloved authors. The 19-room, Tiffany-decorated mansion is where Mark Twain raised his family and created such classics as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
Martha A. Parsons House Museum
http://home.att.net/~mkm-of-enfct/EHSMartha.html
Visit the home of an extraordinary turn-of-the-century woman who made a name for herself in a male dominated business world.
Menczer Museum of Medicine & Dentistry
http://library.uchc.edu/hms/menczer.html
With an impressive collection of instruments, equipment, furnishings, and portraits from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, the museum places emphasis on the life of Horace Wells and the history of anesthesia.
Museum of American Political Life at University of Hartford
www.hartford.edu/polmus/polmus1.html
Illustrating the pageant, drama and excitement of presidential politics, the museum houses one of the most extraordinary collections of rare and significant political memorabilia in the nation, second only to the Smithsonian.
Museum of Connecticut History
http://www.cslib.org
Dedicated to Connecticut's government, military and industrial history, the museum is home to permanent and temporary exhibits that trace the growth of the state and its role in the development of the nation from the Colonial era to the present.
New Britain Museum of American Art
www.nbmaa.org
The New Britain Museum of American Art features one of the premier collections of American art in the nation with more than 4,300 pieces in its collection from such notable names as Norman Rockwell, John Trumbull, Raphaelle Peale and Theodore Robinson.
New England Air Museum
http://www.neam.org/
Celebrate the centennial of flight with a visit to the New England Air Museum, which features authentic and replica aircraft from the dawn of aviation to modern day military airplanes, helicopters, gliders, ultralights and flight simulators.
Noah Webster House/Museum of West Hartford History
http://www.noahwebsterhouse.org/
Costumed tour guides lead tours, and provide hands on activities and educational programs at the childhood home of Noah Webster, author of the first American dictionary.
Old New-gate Prison & Copper Mine
http://www.chc.state.ct.us/old_new.htm
First opened in 1707 as a copper mine, the tunnels of Old New-Gate became a prison in 1773 and housed prisoners of the revolutionary war. Visitors today can walk the grounds, visit the guardhouse and go down into the dark mines that became the home and final resting place of so many men.
Old State House
www.ctosh.org
Explore the beautifully restored Old State House on your own. Shoot the American Revolution era cannon, listen to a concert on the lawn or attend an opening for an art exhibit. Take a virtual tour online.
Oliver Ellsworth Homestead
http://www.ctssar.org/sites/windsor_ellsworth_homestead.htm
Explore the life and times of Oliver Ellsworth, who helped frame the United States Constitution, served as Connecticut's first Senator and authored the Judiciary Act, which forms the basis of our present day federal judicial system.
Plainville Historic Center
http://www.museumstuff.com/rec/org_20020201_16196.html
Visit the former Plainville town hall (1890) and see exhibits from the era of the Farmington Canal (1827-47), as well as toys, costumes, tools, clocks and bakery wagon.
Real Art Ways
http://www.realartways.com
Real Art Ways is an alternative multi-disciplinary arts organization that presents and supports contemporary artists and their work, facilitates the creation of new work, and creatively engages and informs audiences and communities.
Stanley-Whitman House
www.stanleywhitman.org
See how the Stanley-Whitman House preserves and interprets the history and culture of 18th-century Farmington and serves as one of the finest examples of colonial life and architecture in New England.
State Capitol & Legislative Office Building Tours
www.cga.state.ct.us/capitoltours/
Take a tour of the State Capital, a national historic landmark, observe the proceedings of the General Assembly and learn about the legislative process. Year-round tours are available for groups of all sizes.
Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum
www.webb-deane-stevens.org/
The museum brings the past to life through engaging exhibits and programs developed through thoughtful scholarship in social history, architecture, historic landscape and other related fields.
Vintage Radio & Communications Museum of Connecticut
www.nationalcommunicationsmuseum.org
When the museum opens in 2005, visitors will be able to trace the development of electronic communications technologies from Morse code to radio and television, and from telephone to advanced technology.
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
www.wadsworthatheneum.org
The Wadsworth Atheneum, America's oldest public art museum, was the first American museum to acquire works by Caravaggio, Frederic Church, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, and Balthus. Explore art, history and a store filled with wonder.
Wethersfield Historical Society
www.wethhist.org
Access information on historic sites, exhibits and educational tours for one of Connecticut's oldest towns and home to the state's largest historic district.
