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THINGS
TO DO
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The
Downtown area of Hartford is extremely walkable. Get your
bearings from the Keney Clock Tower (the North end of
Hartford) and head east to the Chamber of Commerce located
on Pratt Street. Peruse the shops and galleries along
the way.
Legislation
lovers can take a tour of the state capital (Saturdays
April-October, weekdays year-round). Visit the Hall of
Flags and see the General Assembly when in session.
 Walk
east to the newly redeveloped Riverfront. Cross the river
bridge. Don't miss a cruise down the Connecticut River
in one of the elegant riverboats of Mark Twain or Lady
Fenwick Cruises. Embarking from Riverfront Plaza,
narrated, lunch, brunch and cocktail cruises are offered
from April through December (weekends only in winter).
The
Old State House, in the center of town, was built
in 1796. It has some unique draws: daily cannon firing,
the original Stuart portrait of George Washington, Joseph
Steward's Museum
of Curiosities, American Puppet Theater, and historic
reenactments. Of course its most notable event was hosting
one of several trials associated with the Amistad
case of 1839-1842 (the case—inspiration for Steven
Spielberg's
movie of the same name—that challenged the legality
of slavery).
For a more structured tour recognizing the importance
of the movement toward freedom for black Americans, go
on the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail, including
Underground Railroad sites, stretches the entire state
of Connecticut from Wilton to North Stonington. Pick up
a self-guided tour at the Chamber of Commerce.
The
Bushnell Park Carousel (left) in Bushnell Park is
at Elm and Jewell and was built in 1914.The carousel features
48 ornately-carved horses, two lovers' chariots, a myriad
of oval and square mirrors reflecting 800 twinkling lights
and a Wurlitzer Band Organ. It's sure
to delight lovers, kids and kids-at-heart! For only 50
cents a ride, it's
a stolen romantic moment. (Closed in winter, however.)
The
park proclaims itself as America's oldest public park,
and volunteers give 1/2 free tree tours and a history
of the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch by
request.
Take
a stroll through the Ancient Burying Ground at
Main and Gold. The history buried six feet under is fascinating;
almost as fascinating is the artistic and archeological
wonders of the gravestones themselves. While everything
else in Hartford before the 1600s has
vanished, this remains. About 6,000 Harfordians are believed
to reside here, though only some 450 of them could afford
gravestones.
America's
oldest art museum (built in 1842), the Wadsworth Athenaeum
Museum of Art, is located downtown and is regarded
as one of the top 12 museums in the U.S. The museum boasts
world-renowned collections of Hudson River School Landscapes,
French and American Impressionist paintings, costumes,
and American furniture and decorative arts from the Pilgrim
era through the Gilded Age.
 If
on foot, take the CT transit bus (Route E) along Asylum
Street (which merges into Farmington Ave.) to get to a
few other "must-see" attractions a few miles
out, like Mark Twain's House and the Harriet Beecher Stowe
Center.
A literary town, Hartford was the home of Samuel Clemens,
a.k.a Mark Twain, from 1871 to 1891. The Mark Twain
House is now a National Historic Landmark and museum.
You'll be astonished at the number of books examining
Mark Twain's writings and Sam Clemens' life when you visit
this gift shop lobby. Also of note in the gift shop are
the Tiffany scarves and miniature faux stained glass windows
that can be had for much, much cheaper than at the Met
or The Museum Store in NYC. The tour is worth the money
if for nothing else than the architecture and colorful
interior design of this well-to-do family's Victorian
mansion.
 The
neighborhood—Nook Farm—was actually a colony
of writers and reformers, including Harriet Beecher Stowe,
abolitionist and author of the epochal anti-slavery novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin, who made her home on the same
block as Clemens from 1864 to 1896. The Harriet Beecher
Stowe Center, a compound encompassing exhibits of
Stowe, slavery and women's rights, is a must-see. Get
the combo tour with the Twain House.
With
all the patriotic fervor these days, you might want to
pay homage to the courageous and brave at the Hartford
Police Museum on Pearl St. There is also a Museum
of Connecticut History on Capitol Ave., where you
can learn more about state governors and see the world-famous
Colt Firearms Collection.
 The
Connecticut Women's
Heritage Trail focuses on the lives of women: mothers,
wives, daughters whose lives have been forgotten in the
dust of history until recently. Also a statewide tour,
many sites can be found in the Greater Hartford area.
Don't miss the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame
at Hartford College for Women. Be sure to call ahead,
as the exhibit may be traveling.
If
going by car, be sure to pick up a self-guided Connecticut
Impressionists Art Trail guide at any of the above-mentioned
attractions. The self-guided tour traverses the Hartford
Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company, Wadsworth
Athenaeum Museum of Art, the Hillstead Museum and the
New Britain Museum of American Art, and continues outside
the Hartford area to Greenwich, New London and New Haven.
A
few miles west of Hartford, kids will enjoy laser shows
and hands on displays at the Science Center of Connecticut.
Paleontologists will dig the archeological remnants of
Dinosaur State Park in nearby Rocky Hill. The largest
track site in North America features early 200-million-year-old
Jurassic Tracks in sandstone. The park's
300-foot-long swamp boardwalk and life-size dioramas will
awe visitors.
Of
course, a fall drive through this region is breathtaking!
The quintessential New England Tour highlights a kaleidoscope
of fall colors, a riverboat cruise, lovely architecture
and quiet beauty.
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There's something going on
in Hartford—past and present.
As
with all cities this size the lodging options vary. 
Long
considered the epitome of dining, The Polytechnic Club
(left) is on the 20th floor of the Hartford Steam Boiler
Building—an exclusive spot for haute cuisine with
commanding views of the Connecticut River and city lights.
The Bushnell Center (left) recently expanded and
features an astounding number of productions from children's
theatre to a comedy series, to dance and cabaret productions.
