What to do in Hartford, CT

Activities, attractions and tours

Hartford which includes an administrative building, a city and heritage architecture
Hartford showing central business district and a city
Hartford showing a garden and heritage elements
Hartford showing a city
Hartford showing outdoor art and a garden

Hartford Attractions

Plan Your Trip to Hartford

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Hartford, Connecticut, is nicknamed the Insurance Capital of the World. The city is a major tourist attraction for business travelers, vacationers, and people who are passing through on their way between New York and Boston.

There are many Hartford excursions to spots like Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, Mystic Aquarium, and Hammonassett Beach. They are all situated only a quick drive on the map from Connecticut’s capital city. The city has earned the nickname of The Heartbeat because of its vibrant cultural scene and bustling commercial industries.

The Mark Twain House

The Mark Twain House is one of the best attractions in Hartford. Visitors can tour the estate where Twain penned many of his novels. Many famous contemporary authors, actors, and historians visit the Mark Twain House and accompanying museum for lectures. Daily tours are offered and exciting cultural events happen all week long.

Elizabeth Park

A trip to Elizabeth Park is the quintessential Connecticut experience. The park spans 102 acres of manicured grounds and horticultural delights. It is one of the most serene places in the city. The famous rose garden inside Elizabeth Park is an important spot on Hartford tours. The garden boasts over 800 varieties of roses. Visitors can also enjoy historic greenhouses that line the park's walking paths. Be sure to relax beside the park's popular pond during your visit. Entry to the park is free.

Bushnell Center for Performing Arts

The art scene in Hartford is alive and well. One of the best things to do in Hartford is catch a Broadway show at the Bushnell. The center offers tours behind the stage with rare glimpses of the green room, the electricians’ room, the projection room, and a hall of autographs.

Trinity College

Trinity College is one of the most beautiful college campuses in America. Be sure to visit The Long Walk. This portion of the campus was constructed in the 19th century and features beautiful architecture. The college's chapel is modeled after a medieval chapel and it attracts admirers from all over the world. The pews inside the chapel are comprised of hand-carved wood that features stunning symbols. Parking is free on campus.

Hartford is one of the top spots in New England for business, leisure, and fun. You simply must see all that Connecticut's capital city has to offer. Let Expedia.com help you plan fun local Hartford activities.

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Top places to visit

1. Mark Twain House & Museum

Explore a piece of literary history at The Mark Twain House & Museum. From the outside, the Gothic building might look like just another historic home in Hartford, but inside lived one of the world’s most beloved authors.
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Mark Twain House showing heritage architecture and a house

2. Bushnell Park

Opened in 1854, Bushnell Park is one of America’s oldest publicly funded parks. Join Hartford residents and visitors exploring the rolling lawns and historic monuments of this special place.
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Bushnell Park featuring heritage architecture, château or palace and a park

3. Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts

If you are in Connecticut and want to see a show, you will likely find yourself at Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. “The Bushnell,” as it is commonly called, has been a destination for theater and music since the early 20th century.
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Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts which includes interior views

4. Elizabeth Park

Elizabeth Park is an estate turned public park and garden in Hartford, Connecticut. Explore its world-famous rose gardens or enjoy a meal at the restaurant nestled among the foliage.
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Elizabeth Park featuring a pond and a garden as well as a small group of people

5. Connecticut Science Center

The Connecticut Science Center is a fairly new addition to Hartford’s cultural scene. Have fun learning about science from over 150 interactive exhibits, an eye-popping 3-D movie theater and frequent special events.
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Connecticut Science Center featuring interior views as well as children

Recommended things to do in Hartford

Number of things to do
1
Cheapest thing to do on Expedia
Hartford Bar Hunt: Hartford Party: CA $18
Top 5 things to do
Half-day tours
With kids

What to do in Hartford

Discover the most popular places to visit in Hartford

Mark Twain House showing heritage architecture and a house

Mark Twain House & Museum

4.5/5(3 reviews)

Walk in Mark Twain’s footsteps at the author’s beloved Hartford home. The museum next door will complete your Twain education.

Mark Twain House & Museum
Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts which includes interior views

Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts

While seeing a play or concert in Hartford’s historic venue, look up to admire one of the largest ceiling murals in the United States.

Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Bushnell Park featuring heritage architecture, château or palace and a park

Bushnell Park

4/5(4 reviews)

Relax near the pond or take a ride on the antique carousel at one of America’s oldest publicly funded parks, located in the heart of Hartford.

Bushnell Park
Connecticut Science Center featuring interior views as well as children

Connecticut Science Center

Leave your textbooks at home and learn about science by playing, exploring and inventing your way through this interactive science center in Hartford.

Connecticut Science Center
Connecticut State Capital

Connecticut State Capital

After visiting Connecticut State Capital, make a plan to see the other sights and activities in Hartford. Experience the area's great live music or attend a sporting event.

Connecticut State Capital
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

You can browse the exhibits at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, a museum with a story of its own, during your travels to Hartford. Experience the area's great live music and acclaimed theater scene.

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Riverside Park which includes a park

Riverside Park

Explore Hartford’s portion of the Connecticut River at this park. Walk along the Riverside and Sculpture trails, go boating or enjoy a picnic outside.

Riverside Park

XL Center

3.5/5(9 reviews)

Catch an event at XL Center during your trip to Hartford. Experience the area's entertainment choices and acclaimed theater scene.

XL Center

Connecticut Convention Center

4.5/5(2 reviews)

Learn about the events happening at Connecticut Convention Center during your trip to Hartford. Experience the area's great live music and entertainment choices.

Connecticut Convention Center

Explore areas of Hartford

Connecticut Science Center featuring a garden

Downtown Hartford

3.5/5(6 area reviews)

Downtown Hartford boasts a bustling business district, housing major corporations and Connecticut's state government. Explore historic sites like the Wadsworth Atheneum, Bushnell Park, and the Old State House, while enjoying convenient access to Connecticut Transit Hartford and Union Station.

Downtown Hartford
Riverside Park which includes a garden

North Meadows

2/5(6 area reviews)

Unique features of North Meadows include the live music and theaters. Make a stop by Xfinity Theatre or Connecticut River while you're exploring the area.

North Meadows
Mark Twain House which includes signage

Asylum Hill

You'll enjoy the museums and churches in Asylum Hill. You might want to make time for a stop at Harriet Beecher Stowe Center or Mark Twain House & Museum.

Asylum Hill
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Barry Square

If you're spending some time in Barry Square, Webster Theater and Assaiante Tennis Center are top sights worth seeing.

Barry Square
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Frog Hollow

While Frog Hollow might not have many sights to explore, venturing just a little farther will lead you to top things to see and do like Connecticut State Capital and Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.

Frog Hollow
Underneath that blue dome lies the east armory of a factory once owned by a man who changed American history, the innovator of the revolver, Samuel Colt. Sprawling around the crumbling red brickwork of the old Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, once the largest private armory in the world, are the remnants of Coltsville, the utopian village he built for his workers. A model of 19th century industrial paternalism, Coltsville included a church, a social hall for dances and lectures, workers’ housing, a giant landscaped park home to deer and peacocks, sculpted botanical gardens, and thousands of feet of greenhouses filled with tropical fruit and flowers. Samuel Colt felt such responsibility for the welfare of his workers outside the factory that he went so far as to build Potsdam Village, to replicate the feel of the German village from which he imported his skilled craftsmen to work in his willow ware factory. The National Park Service began having on-site presence in 2015, with workshops and tours, including up into the Blue Onion Dome which affords magnificent views of downtown Hartford, the Connecticut River and Colt Park, formerly the back yard of Armsmear, Samuel & Elizabeth Colt’s mansion. By 2016, an NPS ranger had taken up residence in the South Armory and was giving walking tours of Coltsville. The old South, East and North armories are under renovation and the two 1855 brownstone buildings, the oldest structures on site, will become the National Park Service Visitor Center. The armories themselves have been or are being renovated into apartments, offices and education facilities.

Sheldon-Charter Oak

While visiting Sheldon-Charter Oak, you might make a stop by sights like Connecticut River and Charter Oak Tree Memorial.

Sheldon-Charter Oak

 

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Day trip destinations from Hartford

Photo by John

East Hartford