The Mark Twain House & Museum has restored the author’s Hartford, Connecticut, home, where the author and his family lived from 1874 to 1891. Twain wrote his most important works during the years he lived there, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. In addition to providing tours of Twain’s restored home, a National Historic Landmark, the institution offers activities and educational programs that illuminate Twain’s literary legacy and provide information about his life and times. The museum is currently open 7 days a week from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM (final tour begins at 4:00 PM)! The historic home is shown by guided tour only. We offer two kinds of tours each day: general house tours and living history tours. Click here to learn more and purchase tickets. Do you want to use your museum membership or other discount to visit the house? Click here to find out how.
PLAN AHEAD! Due to the limited capacity on tours, we recommend that you purchase tickets in advance, as tours sell out days ahead of time. If you choose to show up without purchasing tickets in advance, we may not be able to accommodate you and your group.
Beginning April 1, 2023, the museum will be open to the public 7 days a week for the rest of the year, except for the following holidays: Easter Sunday, July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, December 24, December 25, and January 1.
General House Tour Sam & Olivia Clemens built this unique 3-story mansion in 1874. For the next 17 years, they raised their 3 daughters here with the able assistance of their butler, coachman, maid, cook, gardener—and a lot of pets! Join one of our historic interpreters on a 55 minute guided tour of the home where Sam—better known as Mark Twain—wrote his most enduring works! Senior Citizens (ages 65+) $24 Adults (ages 17-64) $26 Children (ages 6-16) $14 Children Under 6 FREE!
Living History Tour Offered daily, our living history tours are an immersive experience that allow you to explore a slice of life in the Clemens household. Meet the family and friends that shaped Mark Twain’s day to day life and celebrate the hardworking servants that kept the household running, ask questions face to face, and hear their stories in their own words. Led by an actor portraying a member of the household, each tour is about 70 minutes and includes opportunities not available on a general house tour. Senior Citizens (ages 65+) $29 Adults (ages 17-64) $29 Children (ages 1-16) $21
Fernridge is a beautiful park with large shady trees and open fields. The park is open to the public with a small parking lot and street parking available. The park includes a pond with fountain, pool, splash pad, playgrounds, and picnic areas. There are also public restrooms available. The splash pad is located adjacent to the pool. It’s a fully fenced in area, so there’s no need to worry about anyone running off. There are benches around the perimeter of the splash pad and a covered grassy area that’s perfect for blankets and fold-up chairs.
The Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society (NWH & WHHS) is located in the restored 18th-century birthplace and childhood home of Noah Webster, the creator of the first American dictionary and “Blue-Backed Speller”, a teacher, lawyer and early abolitionist. The home was restored by the Noah Webster Foundation, a private 501(c)(3) organization, and opened to the public as a museum in the late 1960s. In 1970, the West Hartford Historical Society merged with the Foundation. Today, the museum building includes the historic house, the Jodik Education Center with a working reproduction open hearth, two exhibition galleries, a newly renovated Visitor Reception Center (VRC), and the Hamilton Gallery. The VRC includes a museum shop, a one-room schoolhouse theater, and a long-term exhibit on Noah Webster. The museum holdings also include a diverse collection of decorative arts, manuscripts, books, and ephemeral artifacts related to Noah Webster as well as to the local community.
Each year the Noah Webster House serves approximately 10,000 school children and thousands of general visitors from around the world. An important part of our school services is the many free-of-charge experiences that we offer to at-risk children. The Noah Webster House also provides numerous workshops, summer camps, and a history club for young people. Admission Museum Members – FREE Adults (18-61) – $10 Senior Citizens (62+), Students (6-17 and college students with valid ID), Military (with valid ID) – $8 Children (5 and under) – FREE Complimentary admission provided to NARM members and employees of other museums with proper ID The museum is partially wheelchair accessible and air conditioned. Hours The museum is open Monday-Saturday from 1 – 4 p.m.
Hartford’s Oldest House (1782) 396 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103 (860) 247-8996 The Butler-McCook House & Garden is the only 18th-century home remaining on Hartford’s Main Street. It is a time capsule of Hartford’s past and the history of one family. Visitors are taken on a guided tour of the house that primarily focuses on the McCook family during the late 19th century and their artistic and intellectual interests. Guests will learn about a family who loved music, art, and travel through explorations of the museum’s collections which include paintings, Japanese samurai armor, furniture, and toys. Hours Open for tours by reservation at least 7 days in advance, and for public programs. For school groups and special curriculum-based programming, to reserve tours for groups of 10 or more, or to rent the facility, please call 860.247.8996. Admission $12/Adult $10/Senior, Student, or Teacher $5/Child 6-18 Free for Connecticut Landmarks Members & Children under 6
You do not have to be a scientist – or a child – to enjoy the Connecticut Science Center. We open the doors of science to every visitor in an approachable, accessible way. Expanding scientific and technological discovery through increased knowledge, and even a future career, is at the very core of our mission, particularly for those who may believe that STEM success is beyond their reach. Our mission resonates in every person who walks through our doors, and in communities all across Connecticut. Inside the Science Center, you can experience an ever-changing variety of more than 165 interactive exhibits that involve you in everything from race cars to rocket ships, from strength in your muscles to wind in your sails, from brainwaves to butterflies to missions on Mars. Explore Our Changing Earth, watch a lively 3D movie and discover your own inspiration with friendly, knowledgeable staff in live science demonstrations. Our traveling exhibits and permanent exhibits evolve and change, which means you will always find something new to explore and enjoy. Adults - $26 Seniors - $24 Summer Hours: 9AM–4PM
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 of green space, and is visited by over one million people each year. Paths through the park contribute to the East Coast Greenway.
The late Hazel Lutz was a beloved art teacher and also a world traveler. During her travels, she collected a variety of artifacts and trinkets that she believed would be of interest to children. Hoping to use these items as educational tools, she established a “museum” in the storage closet of her schoolroom. Her collection grew through the donations of others and began to include items that could be related to most academic disciplines. From her storage closet, the collection was moved to progressively larger and more public spaces. The Lutz Children’s Museum was founded by the PTA in 1953 and named in her honor. To this day, the museum offers children educational and cultural opportunities that they may not have otherwise and gives teachers an additional source of enrichment and resource materials. Museum Hours: Monday: Closed Tuesday - Friday: 9:00am to 12:00pm Tuesday - Friday: 1:00pm to 4:00pm Saturday - Sunday: 12:00pm - 4:00pm *Reservations are required Museum Admission: Children & Adults: $8.00 Members & Children Under One Year Old: Free