Sights in Hartford
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Bushnell Park
Spreading down the hill from Capitol Hill is the 37-acre Bushnell Park, designed by Jacob Weidenmann in the 1850s. The Gothic Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch, which frames the Trinity St entrance, commemorates Civil War veterans and offers fine views from its turrets, unfortunately accessible only on a tour. If you're a botany buff, take the self-guided tree tour of the park. Pick up a brochure at the Memorial Arch. The Tudor-style Pump House Gallery (1947) features art exhibits and a summer concert series. The park's carousel is a 1914 merry-go-round designed by Stein and Goldstein, with 48 horses and a 1925 Wurlitzer band organ. Even if you’re not game for a ride, stop…
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Center Church
This church was established by the Reverend Thomas Hooker when he came to Hartford from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636. The present building dates from 1807 and was modeled on St Martin’s-in-the-Fields in London. In the Ancient Burying Ground behind the church lie the remains of Hooker and Revolutionary War patriots Joseph and Jeremiah Wadsworth. Some headstones date from the 17th century. Adjacent to the church is Carl Andre’s Stone Field sculpture, which to some is a powerful minimalist statement. To others, it’s exactly what it sounds like – a field of rocks.
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Elizabeth Park Rose Gardens
Known for its fine collection of 15,000 rose bushes, Elizabeth Park at Asylum Ave is a 100-acre – and 100-year-old – preserve on the Hartford-West Hartford town line. More than 900 varieties such as climbers, American Beauties, ramblers and heavily perfumed damasks cover the grounds. June and July are the months to see the roses in full flower, but they bloom, if less profusely, well into fall. Besides roses, the park tends a tall dahlia display, herb gardens and greenhouses. The landscaped paths make for excellent jogging trails.
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Trash Museum
JRun by the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA), it enlightens visitors on earth-friendly recycling techniques. A viewing platform overlooking the sorting operation takes center stage while cool sculptures made from trash and wormy composting displays plug the green side of it all. You'll also get the scoop on CRRA's trash-to-energy program that fuels a billion kilowatts of green electric power annually. To get to the museum take I-95 to exit 27, which dumps you right at the site.
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Museum of Connecticut History
While you’re up on Capitol Hill, have a look at this museum housed in the State Library and Supreme Court Building just across from the State Capitol. Nationally known for its genealogy library, it also holds Connecticut’s royal charter of 1662, a prime collection of Colt firearms (which were manufactured in Hartford), coins and the table at which Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
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Travelers Tower
Score the best views of the city and the Connecticut River from the observation deck of the 34-story Travelers Tower, named after its tenant, the Travelers Insurance Company, and once the tallest in New England. The observation deck is free, but only open from May through October, and you have to climb 70 steps along a spiral staircase from the elevator to the deck.
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Mark Twain House & Museum
The former home of legendary author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain, is now the Mark Twain House & Museum. It was here that Twain penned many of his greatest works, including A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. The house itself, a Victorian Gothic with fanciful turrets and gables, reflects Twain's quirky character.
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Wadsworth Atheneum
America's oldest art museum, Wadsworth Atheneum, showcases outstanding collections of Hudson River School paintings and sculptures by renowned Connecticut artist Alexander Calder (1898-1976).
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Ancient Burying Ground
In the Ancient Burying Ground behind Center Church lie the remains of Hooker and Revolutionary War patriots Joseph and Jeremiah Wadsworth. Some headstones date from the 17th century.
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Stone Field sculpture
Adjacent to Center Church is Carl Andre's Stone Field sculpture, which to some is a powerful minimalist statement. To others, it's exactly what it sounds like - a field of rocks.
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State Capitol
You can tour the State Capitol, built in 1879 in such a hodgepodge of styles that it's sometimes dubbed 'the most beautiful ugly building in the world.
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Harriet Beecher Stowe House
Harriet Beecher Stowe House was the home to the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
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