Hartford: Recreation
Sightseeing
Downtown Hartford combines Yankee colonialism with a modern business atmosphere. Historic Hartford attractions include the State Capitol atop Capital Hill. With its gold dome, gray Connecticut marble walls, and soaring arches, the capitol, which opened in 1879, is considered an architectural gem. The state legislature continues to meet in the building's chambers. Inside, memorabilia of Connecticut history include Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette's camp bed, Civil War battle flags, ships' figureheads, and tomb-stones. The Old State House, the oldest in the nation, was designed by noted architect Charles Bulfinch and has been completely restored. The homes of authors Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe have been restored and contain many original furnishings. The Butler-McCook Homestead offers a view of Victoriana, complete with paintings, silver, toys, and a backyard garden. The Isham Terry house, built in 1854 for a Hartford businessman, was designed in the Italian Vila style; its fixtures and decor have been carefully preserved. The bell in the steeple at First Church of Christ (1807) contains portions of the bell brought to Hartford by English colonists fleeing Massachusetts in 1636. Adjacent to the church is the Ancient Burying Ground, where lie the city's early leaders near Carl Andre's controversial 36-boulder "Stone Field" sculpture. Self-guided walking tours of Hartford's historic sites are available.
The home of a Hartford insurance company, The Travelers Tower, is New England's oldest skyscraper. A landmark since 1936, the tower offers a panoramic view of the Connecticut River Valley. The observation deck is open to visitors on weekdays. Aetna Insurance's headquarters on Farmington Avenue is the largest colonial brick structure in the United States. St. Joseph's Cathedral, with its huge stained-glass windows, is an example of contemporary ecclesiastical architecture. The Phoenix is housed in a boat-shaped structure thought to be the world's only two-sided building. The glass and steel structure is now connected to downtown's Riverfront Plaza. The Menczer Museum of Medicine & Dentistry displays instruments and medications used for the past two centuries. Pictures and artifacts pertaining to the 134-year history of the Police Department are on exhibit at the Hartford Police Museum.
Bushnell Park, adjacent to the state capitol, boasts a 1914 carousel with a Wurlitzer organ and 48 intricately carved and painted wooden horses. The park, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, is reputed to be America's oldest public park. Within the park is the Pump House Gallery, site of many summer concerts; Veterans' Memorial Arch; Corning Fountain, celebrating the Native-American heritage; and a number of sculptural pieces. "Stegosaurus," a statute by Alexander Calder, is located between the Wadsworth Atheneum and City Hall. Elizabeth Park Rose Gardens contains thousands of common and rare plants, some in carefully landscaped beds and others in greenhouses. Another popular tourist attraction is the Connecticut River cruise aboard a restored steam-powered yacht.
Arts and Culture
For years, perhaps because of its corporate financial support, Hartford has enjoyed a number of nationally renowned musical and performing arts groups. The Greater Hartford Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1934 as part of the Great Depression's Works Progress Administration, is considered one of the top 20 orchestras in the country. The symphony's repertoire includes at least one modern composition at each
The Connecticut Opera Association, based in Hartford, puts on four annual productions at Bushnell Memorial Hall and features some of the finest voices in the world. Major popular music concerts ranging from rock to country are held at the Hartford Civic Center Coliseum. In addition, Bushnell Memorial Hall hosts visiting opera troupes and symphonies, off-Broadway productions, jazz, blues, and comedy performances. The Meadows Music Theatre, which provides a venue for concerts of various genres, is New England's only indoor and outdoor performing arts center.
Professional theater in Hartford revived with the advent of the Hartford Stage Company, the city's resident company and considered one of the nation's leading regional troupes. The Hartford Stage Company often premieres contemporary works by American and international playwrights during an October-June season. The Hartford Stage Company also puts on Summerstage, a series of three summer stock performances. Other theater groups include the Producing Guild and TheaterWorks.
The Wadsworth Atheneum, the country's oldest public art museum and highly ranked nationally, features exhibits ranging from pre-history to the present. Some of its 45,000 works are displayed in a special exhibit for the sight-impaired while others appear in changing exhibits of contemporary art. Major collections include Baroque art, Hudson River School landscapes, Meissen and Sevres porcelain, and early American decorative arts. The Atheneum presents more than 15 special shows each year. The Museum of Connecticut History in the State Library and Supreme Court Building focuses on the manufacture of firearms, while the Connecticut Historical Society Museum features changing exhibitions on the state's history in a beautiful old building on Elizabeth Street. The Historical Museum of Medicine and Dentistry includes an old-time dentist's office, along with exhibits of instruments and medicines.
Hartford's major art gallery, the Pump House Gallery, is maintained in a refurbished Victorian pump house in Bushnell Park. Works displayed include sculpture, pottery, paintings, photographs, and fabric creations. The Matrix Gallery at the Wadsworth Atheneum features revolving exhibits of contemporary art. Real Art Ways, a multi-disciplinary arts organization, promotes and supports contemporary artists. The gallery's home, a refurbished typewriter factory on Arbor Street, provides a venue for exhibitions, lectures, concerts, readings, and workshops, as well as housing a movie theater and lounge. Artworks Gallery, located on Pearl Street, is a nonprofit artists' cooperative that has repeatedly received the Hartford Courant's label of "Best Art Gallery." CRT Craftery Gallery is the most famous African American art gallery in the United States, while the Very Special Arts CT Gallery highlights the work of artists with disabilities.
Arts and Culture Information: Greater Hartford Arts Council, 48 Pratt Street, Hartford, CT 06103; telephone (860)525-8629
Festivals and Holidays
Bushnell Park is the site of the New England Fiddle Contest, held each May, circumstances permitting. The one-day event features old-time music and prizes. Rose Weekend occurs each year in mid-June, when the roses of the Elizabeth Park Rose Garden are in full bloom. The festival includes poetry readings, music, and activities for children. The Hartford Festival of Jazz plays each July in Bushnell Park. Along with three days of music by internationally renowned artists, the Festival includes foods and crafts. August's Mark Twain Days honor Twain's legacy and the city's cultural heritage through concerts, frog jumping contests, riverboat rides, storytelling and other events. Hart-ford's large West Indian population celebrates its culture in a colorful West Indian/Jamaican Festival in August. The Festa Italiana, an annual two-day neighborhood party with food, crafts, music, dancing, and entertainment, is held in September, as is the African American Freedom Trail Parade. The two-day Connecticut Antiques Show comes to Hartford in mid-March. Held in the Connecticut Expo Center, the show features eighteenth- and nineteenth-century furniture and accessories.
Special annual events in downtown Hartford include First Night Hartford, a family-oriented New Year's Eve celebration; A Taste of Hartford, featuring food prepared by local restaurateurs, in June; a Fourth of July RiverFest (involving activities on both sides of the Connecticut River); Kid'riffic, a festival for children held in September; and Hartford Holidays, beginning with the Festival of Light on the day after Thanksgiving.
Sports for the Spectator
Appearing at the Civic Center are the University of Connect-icut's NCAA men's and women's basketball teams, both of which have recently won national titles. The University of Connecticut's varsity football team plays home games at Hartford's Rentschler Field. Other Hartford area colleges field athletic teams in many varsity and club sports.
The Hartford Wolfpack represent Hartford in the American Hockey League. The Wolfpack play at the Hartford Civic Center and are a player development team for the New York Rangers. Minor league baseball is represented by the class AA New Britain Rock Cats. The Hartford Wanderers Rugby Football Team plays its matches at the Glastonbury Irish-American Home Society. Cromwell is the scene of the PGA's Buick Championship tournament, a nationally televised professional golf event held in late August. Hartford also has professional and amateur boxing, a cricket team, and an annual marathon. Hartford jai alai's season is year-round and parimutuel betting is permitted.
Sports for the Participant
Hartford's riverfront supports a thriving fish population. The city's fifty public parks and squares cover more than 27,000 acres, nearly one-fourth of the city's area, allowing many outdoor sports and recreation programs. More than a million people annually picnic, jog, attend rallies, and socialize at Hartford's restored Bushnell Park. Bushnell Park also offers summer Art in the Park walking tours, tours of the historic Memorial Arch, and carousel rides. Elizabeth Park features a 2.5-acre garden of more than 15,000 rose bushes. The park as a whole encompasses over 100 acres and has picnic areas, a pond, and recreation areas. Golf is played on two public courses in Hartford, one of which, in Keney Park, was recently named one of the best in the region. Its proximity to both mountain ski resorts and ocean beaches makes Hartford a year-round athletic attraction. Nearby state parks provide facilities for camping, hiking, picnicking, fishing, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. The Riverfront Recapture program has revitalized a number of recreational sites along the Connecticut River. Activities such as boating, fishing, mountain biking, and orienteering are available at the riverfront parks. Riverfront Recapture also hosts a summer youth program.
Shopping and Dining
Several retail centers in downtown Hartford are easily reached on foot. Currently, Hartford's Civic Center Mall is undergoing renovations and will be transformed into a more up-to-date home for retail, dining, and entertainment establishments. The completed mall will link up with the renovated Pratt Street neighborhood. Union Station, a refurbished landmark, features stores and restaurants. Other well-known downtown shopping areas are the Pavilion at State House Square; Pearl and Asylum streets; and Richardson Mall, housed in a building listed in the National Register of Historical Landmarks. The shopping and dining area is enhanced by the popular outdoor Main Street Markets, featuring farmers' market produce, imports, handcrafted items, baked goods and entertainment. Several large shopping malls are within a few minutes' drive from Hartford.
Dining opportunities in Hartford reflect the city's multiethnic make-up. Restaurant-goers can choose from European offerings ranging from French continental to Scandinavian, German, Polish, and Italian. Asian cuisine is also found, along with the native foods of Puerto Rico. Recent years have seen an influx of West Indians, who have opened bakeries and restaurants specializing in fare such as curried chicken, ackee, codfish, and sweet potato pie. Fresh fish from the Atlantic and traditional New England favorites such as chowder and baked beans are standard menu items in many restaurants.
Visitor Information: Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau, 31 Pratt Street, 4th Floor, Hartford, CT 06103; telephone (860)728-6789; toll-free (800)446-7811