Discover 35 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Hartford (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Mark Twain House, XL Center, and Wadsworth Atheneum. Also, be sure to include Connecticut State Capitol in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Hartford (Connecticut).
Table of Contents
Mark Twain House
Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens and his family from 1874 to 1891. It was designed by Edward Tuckerman Potter and built in the American High Gothic style. Clemens biographer Justin Kaplan has called it "part steamboat, part medieval fortress and part cuckoo clock."
Clemens wrote many of his best-known works while living there, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Tramp Abroad, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
Poor financial investments prompted the Clemens family to move to Europe in 1891. The Panic of 1893 further threatened their financial stability, and Clemens, his wife Olivia, and their middle daughter, Clara, spent the year 1895-96 traveling so that he could lecture and earn the money to pay off their debts. He recounted the trip in Following the Equator (1897). Their other two daughters, Susy and Jean, had stayed behind during this time, and Susy died at home on August 18, 1896, of spinal meningitis before the family could be reunited. They could not bring themselves to reside in the house after this tragedy and spent most of their remaining years living abroad. They sold the house in 1903.
The building later functioned as a school, an apartment building, and a public library branch. In 1929, it was rescued from possible demolition and put under the care of the newly formed non-profit group Mark Twain Memorial. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962. A restoration effort led to its being opened as a house museum in 1974. In 2003, a multimillion-dollar, LEED-certified visitors' center was built that included a museum dedicated to showcasing Twain's life and work.
The house faced serious financial trouble in 2008 due partly to construction cost overruns related to the new visitors' center, but the museum was helped through publicity about their plight, quick reaction from the state of Connecticut, corporations, and other donors, and a benefit performance organized by writers. Since that time, the museum has reported improved financial conditions, though the recovery was marred by the 2010 discovery of a million-dollar embezzlement by the museum's comptroller, who pleaded guilty and served a jail term.
The museum claimed record-setting attendance levels in 2012. It has featured events such as celebrity appearances by Stephen King, Judy Blume, John Grisham, and others; it has also sponsored writing programs and awards. Also in 2012, the Mark Twain House was named one of the Ten Best Historic Homes in the world in The Ten Best of Everything, a National Geographic Books publication.[1]
Address: 351 Farmington Ave, 06105-6400 Hartford
XL Center
Arena in Hartford, Connecticut. The XL Center is a multi-purpose arena and convention center located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Owned by the City of Hartford, it is managed by the quasi-public Capital Region Development Authority under a lease with the city and operated by Spectra. In December 2007, the Center was renamed when the arena's naming rights were sold to XL Group insurance company in a 6-year agreement. The arena is ranked the 28th largest among college basketball arenas. It opened in 1974 as the Hartford Civic Center and was originally located adjacent to Civic Center Mall, which was demolished in 2004. It consists of two facilities: the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the Exhibition Center.
On March 21, 2007, the CRDA selected the Northland/Anschutz Entertainment Group proposal to operate the arena complex; Northland also developed the Hartford 21 residential tower on the adjacent Civic Center Mall site. It was revealed that Northland will assume total responsibility for the building paying for any and all losses, and will keep any profits. In 2012, the CRDA put the contract out to bid with hopes of combining the operations with Rentschler Field. In February 2013, Global Spectrum of Philadelphia, was chosen to take over both the XL Center and Rentschler Field with Ovations Food Services taking over all food and beverage operations.[2]
Wadsworth Atheneum
19th- and 20th-century American artists. The Wadsworth Atheneum is an art museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wadsworth is noted for its collections of European Baroque art, ancient Egyptian and Classical bronzes, French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as collections of early American furniture and decorative arts.
Founded in 1842 and opened in 1844, it is the oldest continually operating public art museum in the United States.
The museum is located at 600 Main Street in a distinctive castle-like building in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, the state's capital. With 75,000 square feet (7,000 m2) of exhibition space, the museum is the largest art museum in the state of Connecticut. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
The museum is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museums program.[3]
Address: 600 Main St, 06103-2990 Hartford
Connecticut State Capitol
Historic building with a gold dome. The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the State Senate, and lower house, the House of Representatives, as well as the office of the Governor of the State of Connecticut. The Connecticut Supreme Court occupies a building across Capitol Avenue.[4]
Address: 210 Capitol Ave, 06106-1535 Hartford
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
Museum. The Harriet Beecher Stowe House is a historic house museum and National Historic Landmark at 73 Forest Street in Hartford, Connecticut that was once the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Stowe lived in this house for the last 23 years of her life. It was her family's second home in Hartford. The 5,000 sq ft cottage-style house is located adjacent to the Mark Twain House and is open to the public. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and declared a National Historic Landmark in 2013.[5]
Address: 77 Forest St, 06105 Hartford
Old State House
Building in Hartford, Connecticut. The Old State House in Hartford, Connecticut is generally believed to have been designed by noted American architect Charles Bulfinch as his first public building. The State House is currently managed by the Office of Legislative Management of the Connecticut General Assembly.
The exterior building and the Senate have been restored to its original Federal style; the Representative's chamber is Victorian, and the halls and courtroom are Colonial Revival.
The Hartford State House is, in appearance, very similar to the Town Hall of Liverpool, England, built in the mid-18th century and perhaps depicted in one of Bulfinch's architecture books. However, all materials came from the United States. Its first story is 20 feet high and constructed from Portland, Connecticut brownstone. The second and third stories are brick patterned in Flemish bond. The cornice is wooden.
The State House has been modified somewhat since it was first built. As originally constructed, the building had neither balustrade or cupola, but the balustrade was added in the early 19th century for the protection of firemen, and the cupola was constructed in 1827 with its bell and John Stanwood's statue of Justice. An original (1796) stone spiral staircase behind the northern arch, designed by Asher Benjamin, led to the second and third floors; it no longer exists. In 1814, the Hartford Convention was held there. In 1839, the start of the Amistad trial was held there.
The building had been in danger of closing in 2008 due to financial constraints. State and Hartford officials have recently signed a 99-year lease placing Connecticut's Old State House under new management. The lease puts the city-owned historic building under the control of the state Office of Legislative Management.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
Exhibits focus on the history of Hartford and important events in Connecticut history. Visitors can also tour the original legislative rooms.[6]
Address: 800 Main St, 06103-2301 Hartford
Bushnell Park
Amusement park in Hartford, Connecticut. Bushnell Park in Hartford, Connecticut is the oldest publicly funded park in the United States. It was conceived by the Reverend Horace Bushnell in the mid-1850s at a time when the need for open public spaces was just starting to be recognized. Today the park comprises 50 acres of green space, and is visited by over one million people each year. Paths through the park contribute to the East Coast Greenway.[7]
Address: 1 Jewell St, 06103-2101 Hartford
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch
The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park, Hartford, Connecticut, honors the 4,000 Hartford citizens who served in the American Civil War, including 400 who died for the Union cause. It is notable as the first permanent triumphal arch to be built in America.[8]
Address: Bushnell Park, Hartford
Corning Fountain
Fountain in Hartford, Connecticut. Corning Fountain is a fountain with sculpture located in Bushnell Park, Hartford, Connecticut.
The two-tiered fountain was designed by sculptor J. Massey Rhind and dedicated in 1899. It was given to the city by John J. Corning in memory of his father, John Benton Corning, a Hartford businessman who operated a grist mill on the site. It is 28 feet tall, made of bronze and granite, and features stylized Saukiog and Oneida Indians topped with the figure of a stag as Hartford's emblem.
The fountain features four bronze Saukiog braves around the lower basin, a center pedestal surrounded by four bronze Oneida maidens, and an upper basin topped by a bronze hart. The Saukiog braves are: holding a spear; wearing a feathered headdress and scanning the horizon; raising a tomahawk; holding a peacepipe and lifting his hand in a gesture of peace. Below the upper basin are four animal heads as water spouts. As viewed Sept. 15, 2017 these have been removed. Below the lower basin are four lion heads, which arealso water spouts. Water flows over the edges of each tier and into a large concrete basin at the base of the fountain.
The text on the bronze plaque in front of the base reads, "THIS FOUNTAIN IS / ERECTED AS A TRIBUTE / TO THE MEMORY OF JOHN B. CORNING BY HIS SON / JOHN J. CORNING 1899."[9]
Connecticut Science Center
Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Connecticut Science Center is a nine-story museum located on the Connecticut River in Hartford, Connecticut designed by César Pelli & Associates, which opened on June 12, 2009. The building measures a total of 154,000 square feet, including 40,000 square feet of interactive exhibits consisting of videos, audios, visuals, tactile components, programs, and live demonstrations.[10]
Address: 250 Columbus Blvd, 06103 Hartford
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Performing arts theater in Hartford, Connecticut. The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts venue at 166 Capitol Street in Hartford, Connecticut. Managed by a non-profit organization, it is marketed as Connecticut's premier presenter of the performing arts.[11]
Address: Hartford, 166 Capitol Street
Ancient Burying Ground
Burying ground. The First Church of Christ and the Ancient Burying Ground is a historic church and cemetery at 60 Gold Street in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the oldest church congregation in Hartford, founded in 1636 by Thomas Hooker. The present building, the congregation's fourth, was built in 1807, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The adjacent cemetery, formally set apart in 1640, was the city's sole cemetery until 1803.[12]
Address: 60 Gold St, 06103-2905 Hartford
Dunkin' Donuts Park
Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut. Dunkin' Donuts Park is a 6,121-seat baseball park in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the home field of the Hartford Yard Goats of the Double-A Northeast. The stadium has a total capacity of 6,850 people, including standing room, which was reached numerous times during its inaugural season of 2017. It was planned to open for the 2016 season on April 7, but numerous constructions delays postponed this opening and forced the Yard Goats to play the entire season on the road. The stadium opened in time for the team's 2017 home opener on April 13.
Dunkin' Donuts purchased the naming rights for the stadium for an undisclosed amount. The stadium has maintained the Dunkin’ Donuts name and branding after the company rebranded as Dunkin’. The ballpark is part of a larger $400 million redevelopment plan called Downtown North (DoNo). DoNo will include a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) supermarket, the relocated Thomas Hooker Brewing Company, housing, retail, and restaurants. In December 2015 it was also announced that the development would include the first Hard Rock Hotel in New England. These plans were eventually scrapped. Dunkin' Donuts Park was voted as Ballpark Digest's best minor league ballpark among Double-A facilities in both 2017 and 2018.[13]
Address: Hartford, 1214 Main Street
Connecticut Convention Center
Convention center in Hartford, Connecticut. The Connecticut Convention Center is a convention center located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, United States, overlooking the Connecticut River.[14]
Address: 100 Columbus Blvd, 06103-2806 Hartford
Constitution Plaza
Plaza in Hartford, Connecticut. Constitution Plaza is a large commercial mixed-use development in Downtown Hartford, Connecticut.[15]
Cathedral of St. Joseph
Catholic cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut. The Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut, United States, is the mother church and seat of the Archdiocese of Hartford. Dedicated on May 15, 1962, it stands on the site of the old cathedral which had been destroyed in a fire. It is located on Farmington Avenue just outside downtown Hartford.
In 1979, the cathedral was included as a contributing property in the Asylum Avenue District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[16]
Address: 140 Farmington Ave, 06105 Hartford
City Place I
Skyscraper in Hartford, Connecticut. City Place I is a 38-story, 163.7 m skyscraper at 185 Asylum Street in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the tallest building in the state, and two meters taller than Travelers Tower, built in 1919. City Place I was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and completed in 1980. The majority of the building is office space, though there are various restaurant and retail establishments found on the lower floors.
The building was sold on April 2, 2012 to CommonWealth REIT, a real estate investment trust based in Newton, Massachusetts, for $99 million, by the original owner, CityPlace LLC. This price is approx. $112 per square foot.[17]
Trinity College Chapel
Chapel in Hartford, Connecticut. The Trinity College Chapel is a Collegiate Gothic structure built in 1933 on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. It was designed by Philip H. Frohman of the firm Frohman, Robb and Little, who also designed the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.[18]
Address: Trinity College, 06106 Hartford
Cedar Hill Cemetery
Place of burial. Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut is located at 453 Fairfield Avenue. It was designed by landscape architect Jacob Weidenmann who also designed Hartford's Bushnell Park. Its first sections were completed in 1866 and the first burial took place on July 17, 1866. Cedar Hill was designed as an American rural cemetery in the tradition of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The cemetery straddles three towns. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, in Hartford, Newington, and Wethersfield. It includes the Cedar Hill Cemetery Gateway and Chapel, also known as Northam Memorial Chapel and Gallup Memorial Gateway, which is separately listed on the NRHP.
Cedar Hill Cemetery encompasses 270 acres (110 ha) and includes several historic buildings, including the Northam Memorial Chapel (built 1882), which was designed by Hartford architect George Keller, and the Superintendent's Cottage (built 1875), which continues to be occupied by Cedar Hill's Superintendent to this day.
The cemetery is open from 7 a.m. until dusk every day.[19]
Address: 453 Fairfield Ave, 06114 Hartford
Hartford 21
Hartford 21 is a 36-story, 134 m skyscraper located at 211 Trumbull Street in Downtown Hartford, Connecticut. It is the fourth tallest building in Hartford and the fifth in the state.[20]
Bulkeley Bridge
Arch bridge in East Hartford, Connecticut. The Bulkeley Bridge is the oldest of three highway bridges over the Connecticut River in Hartford, Connecticut. A stone arch bridge composed of nine spans, the bridge carries Interstate 84, U.S. Route 6, and U.S. Route 44 across the river, connecting Hartford to East Hartford. As of 2005 the bridge carried an average daily traffic of 142,500 cars. The arches are mounted on stone piers, and vary in length from 68 feet to 119 feet; the total length of the bridge is 1,192 feet.
Completed in 1908, the Bulkeley Bridge is the oldest bridge in the Hartford area and one of the oldest bridges still in use in the Interstate Highway System. It is also the largest and one of the last major stone arch bridges to be built in New England.
Due to its historical, architectural and engineering significance, the Bulkeley Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[21]
Connecticut Historical Society
Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Connecticut Historical Society is a private, non-profit organization that serves as the official statewide historical society of Connecticut. Established in Hartford in 1825, the CHS is one of the oldest historical societies in the US.
The Connecticut Historical Society is a non-profit museum, library, archive and education center that is open to the public. The CHS houses a research center containing 270,000 artifacts and graphics and over 100,000 books and pamphlets. It has one of the largest costume and textile collections in New England.[22]
Address: 1 Elizabeth St, 06105 Hartford
Founders Bridge
Beam bridge in East Hartford, Connecticut. The Founders Bridge is one of the three highway bridges over the Connecticut River in Hartford, Connecticut. The steel stringer bridge carries the Route 2 expressway, and also crosses over Interstate 91. As of 2013 the bridge had an average daily traffic of 29,200.
One of the centerpieces of Hartford's Riverfront Recapture project, it features a wide pedestrian promenade and access to the rest of the riverfront park area as well as to Constitution Plaza.
The bridge makes up a section of the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile (4,800 km) system of trails connecting Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida.[23]
Address: Route 2, Hartford
Cinestudio
Movie theater in Hartford, Connecticut. Cinestudio is an independent film theater located on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. The theater is a single-screen venue with a seating capacity of approximately 485, a classic McKim, Mead & White design from 1935. Regionally, it is known for its large screen, 70 mm film projection capability, Ultra High Definition 4K Digital Cinema and classic movie palace atmosphere. The Dolby/Altec sound system is legendary. Cinestudio features a spectacular gold austrian screen curtain that rises at every show, real balcony seating, and the gold lion courant insignia.[24]
Address: 300 Summit St, 06106 Hartford
Grace Episcopal Church
Church in Hartford, Connecticut. St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church, known more recently as the Templo Sion Pentecostal Church, is a historic church at 1886-1906 Park Street in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Built in 1900, it is a good example of Romanesque Revival design. It was built for a working-class congregation to a design by the nationally known church architect George W. Kramer, proponent of the Akron plan of church interiors, which this one follows. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[25]
Address: 55 New Park Ave, Hartford
Xfinity Theatre
Amphitheater in Hartford, Connecticut. Xfinity Theatre is an outdoor/indoor amphitheatre located in Hartford, Connecticut, owned by Live Nation. The capacity of the venue is 30,000. The indoor area holds 7,500 and the outdoor lawn area holds an additional 22,500 during the summer months making it one of the largest amphitheatres in the country. Live Nation predecessor SFX bought the theatre in 1997.[26]
Address: 61 Savitt Way, 06120-1528 Hartford
Building at 83–85 Sigourney Street
Building in Hartford, Connecticut. 83–85 Sigourney Street in Hartford, Connecticut was an Italianate style double brick house. Built in 1865, it was the oldest surviving residential building on the southern part of Sigourney Street in the city's Asylum Hill neighborhood. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, at a time when there were no known threats to the building. A modern building, housing the former Connecticut Culinary Institute, was built on the site in 1981 and now stands at 85 Sigourney Street; it is the Hartford campus of the Lincoln Culinary Institute, and is part of the Lincoln Group of Schools.[27]
Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Methodist church in Hartford, Connecticut. The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is a historic Methodist Episcopal Church at 2051 Main Street in Hartford, Connecticut. This High Victorian Gothic structure was built in 1873-74 for an Episcopal congregation, and has since 1926 been the home to the city's oldest African-American congregation, which was established in 1833. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.[28]
Address: 2051 Main St, 06120 Hartford
Charter Oak Bridge
Beam bridge in East Hartford, Connecticut. The Charter Oak Bridge is one of the three highway bridges over the Connecticut River in Hartford, Connecticut. The twin steel stringer bridge carries the Wilbur Cross Highway over the river, connecting downtown Hartford with East Hartford.
Named for Connecticut's famed Charter Oak, the original crossing opened as a toll bridge in the early 1940s, allowing through traffic to pass south of downtown Hartford. It was replaced by the current bridge in 1991, which is free to motorists. It has an average daily traffic of 79,800 motorists.[29]
Fourth Congregational Church
The Fourth Congregational Church, also known historically as the Horace Bushnell Congregational Church and now as the Liberty Christian Center International, is a historic church at Albany Avenue and Vine Street in Hartford, Connecticut. The church building was built in 1913-14 using parts of an older Greek Revival church, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its architecture and role in local historical preservation efforts.[30]
Hartford Public Library
Public library in Hartford, Connecticut. The Hartford Public Library serves the city of Hartford, Connecticut, United States. The library's main branch is located at 500 Main Street in downtown Hartford. The nine branch locations are named Albany, Barbour, Blue Hills, Camp Field, Dwight, Goodwin, Mark Twain, Park and Ropkins. All branches feature free public access computers and free Wi-Fi.[31]
Address: 500 Main St, 06103-3003 Hartford
Travelers Tower
Skyscraper in Hartford, Connecticut. Travelers Tower is a 24-story, 160.63 m skyscraper in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Travelers Tower was the seventh tallest building in the world when it was constructed in 1919, and is currently the second tallest building in Hartford. Travelers Tower is the fourth headquarters of Travelers Insurance Company. The architect of Travelers Tower was Donn Barber, who also designed the Connecticut State Library, Supreme Court Building and The Hartford Times Building.
It was the tallest building in New England until Boston's Prudential Tower opened in 1964, but remained the tallest building in Connecticut until City Place I opened in 1984.
The tower is actually an extension of two other buildings of which it begins at the tenth floor so it is sometimes considered to have 34 floors. At the 27th floor is an open observation deck. The top of the building has become a nesting spot for peregrine falcons, which are observed by web cameras. Due to maintenance to the tower, the web cameras have been taken offline and the nest box has been relocated to the Travelers Plaza Building.[32]
Address: 1 Tower Sq, 06183-0001 Hartford
Hartford ArtSpace Gallery
Museum
Address: 555 Asylum Ave, Hartford
Connecticut State Library
The Connecticut State Library is the state library for the U.S. state of Connecticut and is also an executive branch agency of the state. It is located in Hartford, Connecticut directly across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol. The State Library provides a variety of library, information, archival, public records, museum, and administrative services to the citizens of Connecticut, as well as the employees and officials of all three branches of state government. Students, researchers, public libraries and town governments throughout the state are also served by the State Library. In addition, the State Library directs a program of statewide library development and administers the Library Services Technology Act state grant. "The mission of the Connecticut State Library is to preserve and make accessible Connecticut's history and heritage and to advance the development of library services statewide."[33]
Address: 231 Capitol Ave, 06106-1548 Hartford
Great River Park
Top attraction, View point, Park, Relax in park
Address: 301 East River Drive, 06108 East Hartford