Tours & Attractions - Area Overview
Welcome to the Constitution State! When I first began exploring Connecticut, I found out very quickly that it was not known for any one thing. Instead, the state is a like a multilayered book or painting: There are many ways to know it. As a teacher, I met thousands of Connecticut residents young and old, and talked to them about their experiences here. “Peaceful” to one and “exciting” to another, Connecticut often seems more the fluid opinion of the viewer than a hard reality.
However, there are some facts you can grab hold of. You should probably be on the lookout for Connecticut’s state flower, the mountain laurel, which can be seen blooming in the traprock highlands every spring. Connecticut’s state song is the timeless classic of the American Revolution, “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” and, yes, the correct lyrics do include “stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni.” Connecticut boasts America’s first public library, hamburger, telephone book, helicopter, pull-cord light switch, friction matches, and nuclear submarine, and the oldest stone building in colonial America, the Henry Whitfield House in Guilford, built in 1639.
But these are facts you can learn by looking at the state from the outside. It’s time to explore from the inside out.
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 77 Forest St.
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 351 Farmington Ave.
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 800 Main St.
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 231 Capitol Ave.
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 600 Main St.
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 1 Jewell St.
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 166 Capitol Ave.
8. Comcast Theatre
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (860) 548-7370
Address: 61 Savitt Way
Description: Once called the Meadows, this is the largest outdoor concert venue in Connecticut. You can sit “indoors” up front in the large barn, or behind on the general seating lawns with a blanket and picnic. Along with bringing rock and roll, country, alternative, hip-hop, pop, and more to Hartford, they are usually the spot for larger, all-day music festivals as well. The Comcast also hosts a few other events throughout the year, like the DayGlow World’s Largest Paint Party. Go early and park near the exit so you can get out of the tight squeeze of the free lot more quickly.
9. Celebration Of Connecticut Farms
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (860) 247-0202
Address: 77 Buckingham St.
Description: Since 2002 the private Connecticut Farmland Trust has worked toward preserving the state’s working farmland. Every year for one day in Sept, they hold their award-winning Celebration of Connecticut Farms, with celebrity guests like Jacques Pépin, to highlight the food and drink produced by these farms. Called the “hottest food event in the state” by Connecticut Magazine, it is held in a different location every year, so you might not find it strictly in Hartford County. Enjoy a feast of local food prepared by local chefs and wine, dance to live music, bid at a silent auction, and tour the farm.
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 50 Columbus Blvd.
11. Science Center Of Connecticut
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 250 Columbus Blvd.
Description: This interactive museum at the Hartford waterfront dedicated to science is really for both adults and children. On 5 levels, a variety of labs and interactive galleries demonstrate the power and wonder of science. Physics, chemistry, and biology are all explored from a variety of angles. The Sports Lab is a favorite, where you can analyze your performance at games scientifically. You can also learn about levitating trains and new helicopter designs. You’ll get to explore space, learn about DNA, and solve puzzles. Or you can just walk into the giant kaleidoscope or watch a film in the 3-D Theater. There’s a “kidspace” for children 2 and under and a roof garden you can visit in the warmer months. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the Science Center has dinosaurs, too.
12. Black-Eyed Sally’S
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (860) 278-7427
Address: 350 Asylum St.
Description: Watching a blues or jazz band jamming out in front of the gritty brick wall of Black-Eyed Sally’s “juke joint” is a pleasure not to be missed. But the other pleasure is their award-winning barbecue ribs, and Southern specialties like fried okra, catfish fingers, and gumbo. Get the Sally’s Pig Out, which is pork ribs, pulled pork, and local Nodine’s Smokehouse sausage with smoked cheddar cheese grits. This is one of the best blues bars in the nation, and you’ll see the greats here, as well as up-and-coming masters in this American art form. They’re closed on Sun except when there’s a UConn event. Every other day you can come to eat and boogie at Black-Eyed Sally’s. The bar really starts hopping after 8 or 9 each night when the live music starts.
13. The Brickyard Cafe
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (860) 249-2112
Description: This is no cafe. It is a multiple entertainment facility, with a DJ club on the second floor. On the third floor of the building there are also 27 televisions, arcade games, pool tables, air hockey, a virtual baseball simulator, and even a basketball hoop. In the summer an outdoor patio draws the crowds, with live rock, jazz, and funk bands. If you like things (a little more) quiet, head into the lounge area, where you can kick back a little. There’s another bar, usually run by the owner, Paulie, in the middle of the dance floor. You’ll find people doing Jell-O shots and ice luge shooters at the Brickyard, sure, but you’ll also find people who just want to bust a move.
14. City Steam
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (860) 525-1600
Address: 942 Main St.
Description: In the historic 1877 Richardson Building downtown, City Steam fits in many categories. First and foremost they are a brewpub, with handcrafted beers from Black Silk Stout to Colt Lager. They also have a restaurant with classic American sandwiches and pasta, as well as homemade ice cream. And third, the reason they fit so neatly into nightlife, is the Brew Ha Ha Comedy Club, which is Hartford’s only live comedy club, bringing in laugh meisters from around the country. There’s live music in the bar, and pool tables to pretend you’re a shark at. There’s even a cigar bar. Oh, and one more thing: The place is actually heated and powered by steam, brought in courtesy of the Hartford Steam Company.
City: Hartford, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 1 Civic Center Plaza