Hartford Attractions

Mystic Aquarium   
30,000 sharks, stingrays and fish!

The Mystic Aquarium just finished a $52 million expansion and is bigger and better than ever. The showpiece of the exhibit gallery is the reef, featuring 30,000 corals, sharks, stingrays and many colorful fish species. Don't miss the daily dolphin shows, the outdoor Beluga whale exhibit and the Institute for Exploration.

Location:
75 Greenmanville Avenue
I-95 Exit 90
Mystic, CT 06355
860-572-5955

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Dinosaur State Park  

Beneath the exhibit center's geodesic dome lies a real Jurassic park: 200 million-year-old dinosaur tracks, an 80-foot diorama depicting the scene when the tracks were left, and a 30-foot diorama of the Connecticut Valley in the late Triassic period. Outside the dome, you can make plaster casts of actual dinosaur footprints (but you have to bring your own supplies -- 10 lbs plaster of Paris, a quarter-cup of vegetable oil, a bucket, cloth rags and paper towels. Call for details). The park also offers picnic areas and hiking trails, and is a National Historic Landmark.

Location:
400 West Street
I-91(Exit 23)
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
860-529-8423

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Mystic Seaport  

This year, a reconstruction of the schooner Amistad is added to the world's largest collection of boats and maritime photography. Plus, there's the entire reconstructed seaport village, featuring 19th century building and ships and daily demonstrations of maritime trades.

Location:
75 Greenmanville Avenue
Mystic, CT 06355
888-9SE-APOR

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Harriet Beecher Stowe House  
Former home an important American writer.

With a visit to the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, and then one to Mark Twain’s mansion right next door, you can enjoy a tour of major American writers’ homes all in one day. The writer of perhaps the most important novel ever written about slavery, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Stowe and her home were part of a thriving literary community called Nook Farm in the late 19th-century. Her home is now dedicated to an exhibition that focuses on race relations and women’s roles, issues that concerned Stowe and her circle. There’s also a library on the premises that emphasizes Stowe’s writings and serves as a research collection on 19th-century literary history.

Location:
73 Forest Street
Hartford, CT 06105
860-525-9317
 

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New England Air Museum   
Travel through the history of aviation.

Travel through the history of aviation at the New England Air Museum. In two huge display hangars, more than seventy aircraft from all periods of aviation history are on display, beginning with a circa 1870 wicker air balloon basket. Helicopters, amphibians, modern jets and trophy-winning racers are among the craft on view. WWII airplanes include the B-25 Mitchell, the P-47 Thunderbolt, the Corsair and the Hellcat. There are movies and newly-installed exhibits on the 57th Fighter group and the Kaman Corporation. It's even possible to monitor the nearby Bradley International Airport control tower. Special events, such as "Open Cockpit Sundays" are held throughout the year, so be sure to call ahead. --S.K. Thiel

Location:
Bradley International Airport
Windsor Locks, CT 06096
860-623-3305

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Foxwoods Resort Casino  
Enormous Native American gaming resort.

Rising like a bright futuristic city out of the dark Connecticut woods, Foxwoods really is a wonder. A world-class casino with over 5,000 slot machines and hundreds of tables for craps, blackjack and roulette, plus bingo, poker, keno, and race book. There are three hotels in the resort complex, as dining choices from buffets to lounges, specialty shops, and a 1,500-seat showroom hosting headline entertainment and boxing.

Location:
Route 2
I-95 Exit 92
Ledyard, CT 06339
860-312-3000

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Wadsworth Atheneum   
One of the nation's oldest public museums.

One of the nation’s oldest public art museums, the Wadsworth Atheneum has a truly impressive array of works, ranging from the ancient to the contemporary. The museum is particularly known for its exhibit of seventeenth-century American furniture and decorative arts; its collection of Hudson River School paintings, the largest such collection in the world; and the Amistad Foundation African-American Collection, which chronicles the history of African-American culture from the slave period to the present. The Wadsworth also has a fine collection of French and American Impressionist painting.

Location:
600 Main Street
Hartford, CT 06103
860-278-2670

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Historic Ship Nautilus & Submarine Force Museum  

Home of the world's first nuclear submarine, the Nautilus. Board the submarines, learn about the history of the U.S. submarine force, and peer out actual working periscopes. There's also a gift shop and space for picnics.

Location:
1 Crystal Lake Road
Groton, CT 06349
800-343-0079
 

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The Mark Twain House   
A window into Twain's life and the Gilded Age.

Samuel Clemens (a.k.a., Mark Twain) built this house in 1874 and lived here until 1891. He also happened to write most of his major works during his time in Hartford. The Mark Twain House is now dedicated to encouraging an appreciation of this important American’s work, yet it also offers an historical window into the life and architecture of the Gilded Age. The structure houses interior design work by Louis Comfort Tiffany (of lamp fame) and an extensive collection of photos of Clemens and his family. The National Trust for Historical Preservation acknowledged the site’s historical significance with a major award. Admission is by guided tour only.

Location:
351 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, CT 06105
860-493-6411
 

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Mohegan Sun  
Native American gambling and entertainment resort

This gaming and entertainment complex features over 3,000 slot machines, nearly 200 table games, and high-stakes bingo in an elaborate Native American-themed environment. There's also a wide range of dining options, shops, and live entertainment in the Wolf Bar and Showroom.

Location:
1 Mohegan Sun Blvd.
Route 2A East ( Exit 79A)
Uncasville, CT 06382
888-226-7711
 

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