Beautiful Hartford

Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. This city has been nicknamed the “Insurance Capital of the World” because it is home to many insurance company headquarters and is the region’s major industry. Hartford was founded in 1635 and is among the oldest cities in the U.S.

Mark Twain House was the home of author Samuel (Mark Twain) Clemens and his wife Olivia “Livy” Clemens. The house has every latest convenience which you can see demonstrated on the tour. This is a three-story Victorian mansion. The tour includes stories about the owners and their family. After the death of their daughter, the house was sold in 1903. It was in this house that Mark Twain wrote “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”. It is a National Historic Landmark.

The Wadsworth Atheneum has one of the finest American art collections including the artwork of the Hudson River School. It is the oldest free public museum in the U.S. and has over 50,000 artworks. It is an impressive Gothic-style building. There is an impressive European collection and European Decorative Arts collection. The museum also supports living artists by adding contemporary artwork to the collection regularly.

Elizabeth Park Rose Garden is the country’s first municipal rose garden and the third-largest in the U.S. It was named after Elizabeth Pond. The garden has over 15,000 plants with 800 varieties of roses. A great time to visit is in late June and early July when the ramblers covering the arches are in full bloom. In the winter you can go ice skating here.

Author Harriet Beecher Stowe House is in the Nook Farm neighborhood not far from the Twain House. Stowe made a profound contribution to the Abolitionist movement with her depiction of slavery in her book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. She described the kitchen design of the Gothic Revival cottage in her book “The American Woman’s Home”.

You can also tour the neighboring Katharine Seymour Day House which was the home of the author’s grandniece and is now the Stowe Center Research Library and the Stowe Center administrative offices. It is used for exhibits and programs sponsored by the center.

The Museum of Connecticut History has found its home in the State Library and Supreme Court Building. It offers a collection of firearms, portraits, and other historical exhibits which trace the history of the state and its technology. You can see Connecticut’s original manuscripts of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. There is also a lot of political memorabilia. One of the finest collections of the American coin can be found here, covering from the 17th century to the present. Hartford was a major center of firearms manufacture in the 19th and 20th centuries and the museum has one of the world’s finest collections of Colt-made weapons on display.

The High Victorian Gothic State Capitol sits on Capitol Hill overlooking Bushnell Memorial Park. It consists of the State Senate Chamber, the Hall of the State House of Representatives, and the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Secretary of the State. The building is a National Historic Landmark and has many lovely features like the inlaid white and red Connecticut and Italian marble floors and stained glass windows. Guided and self-guided tours are available.

Bushnell Park is noted for being the first public park in America. The park has the Civil War Memorial, the Pump House Gallery, the Israel Putnam statue, and a 1914 Stein and Goldstein Carousel that has 48 hand-carved wooden horses and two chariots and a Wurlitzer band organ. It is one of only three surviving Stein and Goldstein carousels in existence.

Connecticut Science Center has 168 exhibits and is a hands-on museum. Each section explores some facet of the world around us and children love the DIY activities. There are things to explore like the Air Forces in Motion where children can make and test flying devices, Invention Dimension where robots can be raced and things invented with Legos and so much more. The River of Life has a marine touch tank that lets children take a look at the Connecticut River and its creatures.

The Ancient Burying Ground is Hartford’s oldest historic landmark and the only one to survive from the 1600s. There are about 6,000 graves, being the city’s only graveyard until the early 1800s.

The Butler-McCook Homestead is the oldest house in Hartford. “Witnesses on Main Street” uses their words and experiences to show the changes in Main Street from wooden homes and small shops to modern buildings of steel, brick, and stone. There are displays of art, antiques, and other household furnishings. There are special interest tours which focus on various topics. The Victorian Garden was designed by Jacob Weidenmann.

The Old State House was built on the site of the former Hartford Convention and the first Amistad Trail. It is a National Historic Landmark built in 1796 and one of the nation’s oldest state houses. There are many interesting exhibits. The building is claimed to be haunted. There are guided and self-guided tours available.