If you are a history buff then this is definitely a place for you. My recent visit to Litchfield…read morewas a journey through the 19th century. While exploring I learned how Litchfield became such a valuable institution and game changer in the education system especially empowering women. The hands-on and interpretive exhibits alters your perception of what museums are for sure. Don't be fooled by the small size, the exhibits were beautifully laid out, very detailed and informative .. what I liked most is you can do it at your own pace. The museum is free to all and street parking is fairly easy. P.S: don't forget to catch a glimpse (across the street, while you still can) of the last sycamore tree planted by Oliver Wolcott...representing 13 colonies marking victory over British rule.

The Tapping Reeve House is the site of the first law school in America. Having gone to law school,…read moreand being kind of a nerd, I had to visit when I was in the area. There are only a few rooms with exhibits on the first floor of the house and no real tour, but the exhibits are informative, and the house itself is very nice inside. Tapping Reeve's first student was Aaron Burr, and as the school grew, he built a small classroom next to his house, which you can peek into. We skipped the 15-minute informative video, but the friendly staff member there gave us a brief synopsis of the history of the school, and I think that was enough. Admission is now free.

This museum is adorable! I came because of a Groupon, and parking may be an issue for events. It…read morewas very limited on the property itself, although there is handicapped parking right next to the main house. Outside there is a barn and old outhouse, and a beautiful garden display. it's very well maintained. The entrance is off the front porch, where you're greeted by a docent or intern. Tours of the house are 20-30 minutes, and it contains so many original items from the original family who owned it (it went right from the last surviving to a museum), and the last generation was into collecting. There's a lot of local history, many dog decorations, and GOBLETS. There's over 1,000 goblets, and most seem to be single styles. They are working on cataloging them. The house is beautiful, and the history is fascinating. If you live in the area, you'll pick up pieces of Southington back in the day. Children would even enjoy seeing the cases of old products and what names they may recognize. And the goblets are breathtaking. This is a great value museum! (They also sell postcards for a great price)

This guy never…read more threw out anything The Barnes Museum, formerly known as the Bradley Homestead, is a cool old house that serves as a historical library and is open to the public. It was built in 1836 and for five bucks you get to see and hear about another time and way of life. The first thing you notice once you are inside the house is that there is a lot of stuff. Lots of lots of stuff. All kinds of stuff. Stuff everywhere. It turns out Bradley Barnes, a son of the original builder of the house never threw out anything. He collected and kept all kinds of stuff. Some very cool stuff but also a lot of crap. It seems every single receipt, letter, photo, magazine, toy, knick knack and doo dad he every owned he kept. Perhaps some serious OCD going on there. It almost seemed like he knew the house was going to be a museum and wanted it well stocked with stuff. Of course all this stuff makes the house interesting to tour. The lady bringing us around seemed to know exactly what every single piece in the house was and where it came from. Pretty cool and amazing. All the stuff isn't from Bradley or from one temporal moment. Leela Barnes, Bradley's wife was a prolific painter and many of her paintings are scattered throughout the domicile. She also had many collections and also seem to keep just about everything she ever owned. You can definitely see what the attraction between these two was The house was being lived in until the 1970's when it was donated to the town so there were modifications and changes to the original structure and items from different decades. Going through the place is almost like a walk through time. Shifting back and forth through different years ands individuals. Of course you inevitable go back to Bradley's stuff. A great old house that is in absolutely pristine condition. It's filled with lots of very cool and some not so cool stuff. So much stuff that you have to thread carefully in places so that you don't end up breaking some of the stuff. I have a feeling that Leela and Bradley were a couple of crazy sob's but because of them we have a great old historic house filled with lots of very interesting stuff.

More than just a garden, this is a sensory experience. When everything is in bloom, there are…read morebeautiful colors and textures to see, terrain to explore, country fresh air to breathe and babbling water features to surround you. It's a treasure in the Litchfield Hills. One caution: The uneven land and rock staircases might be challenging for people with mobility difficulties.

ORIGIN: The Hollister House was built in the late 18th…read morecentury for Preston Hollister by his father Gideon, a local entrepreneur. The Hollister family resided in the home for generations, and continued having a prominent role in the community. The house is currently owned and maintained by tenant George Schoellkopf and a nonprofit-- Hollister House Garden. LOCATION: The house and garden are located on 25 acres in rural Washington, Connecticut. EXPERIENCE: George Schoellkopf purchased Hollister House and began transforming its landscape in 1979. The garden, which is open to the public, reflects his unique vision -- a relaxed English Garden. The garden is a great to see, but also to generate ideas for your own garden. Linda Levin, the Visitor Experience Manager, helped me identify some perennials that caught my attention during my most recent visit. A variety of workshops are offered at Hollister House Garden. Recently I participated in a mushroom growing workshop, and left with an oak log that will bloom in the spring. TIPS: Local residents are eligible got a discounted membership rate. With membership comes benefits, such as free admission at gardens across the country. Visiting hours are on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons with a $10 admission fee. Become a member for unlimited admission and emails about what is in bloom.

The museum for New Britain's industrial history in basically one large room on the second floor of…read moreCentral Connecticut State University's Institute of Technology and Business Development Training Center. (That building's name is way too long.) And there were a few elderly volunteers who gave us about an hour long talk on the history of industry in New Britain. I learned that more hardware has been produced and distributed from New Britain than any other city in the United States. So it's interesting that all the other places (e.g., Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis, Philadelphia) are more well-known that New Britain.

We had some time before we needed to catch a flight out of Hartford. My husband found this place…read moreand it happened to be open on Saturdays. It is on the first floor of a building that houses a college. You have to ring the bell on the outer door to be let in. Then it is down the first hall on the right. We walked in the room and it is filled all sort of displays. After a few minutes Karen came out of her office and asked if we wanted a tour. She gave us about a 45 minute tour of all the displays. She has so much information. She also answered all of our questions. The experience wouldn't have been the same without her tour. I am glad we got her time. There is no fee but a place to give a donation. Karen gave us her card to send her an email and pictures of things we may own that has been made in New Britain. If in the area, I would stop buy and learn how much New Britain has done for America. An enjoyable place to visit.

The Litchfield History Museum is located in the impressive colonial brick building that houses the…read moreLitchfield Historic Society. The small museum highlights life in Litchfield and surrounds with a series of small rotating exhibits. There's a small gift shop and the reasonable $5 admission includes admission to the Tapping Reeve House and Law School, which is right down the street. Open mid April through November.

We took the Leprechaun Express to celebrate St. Patrick's Day weekend from the station in Thomaston…read morewith a destination of Bad Dog Brewing in Torrington. Tasting two different Irish style ales on the train ride, we enjoyed a corned beef and cabbage meal at the brewery. On the way back to Thomaston, we were served fudge from the Nutmeg Fudge Co. The Naugatuck Railroad always provides a fun experience!

We rode on the 90-minute Fall Foliage trip out of Thomaston, the first time we've ridden on the…read moreNaugatuck Railroad in five years. Our experience was good, mostly. We paid extra to ride in the Governor's Coach which was comfortable enough but not as pleasant as the slightly less expensive Naugatuck Lounge Car. We had chair seating but no tables and small windows; the Naugatuck had large windows that opened, chairs with convenient tables and the same comfy chairs. A much better deal. Wish the museum folks had made that clearer. We got free snacks: chips and water. The views were nice but not spectacular; most of the fall colors had faded. We did stop for close to 30 minutes at Fascia Chocolates in Waterbury, which offers tasty if rather expensive chocolates for the large crowds that swarm in when the train stops. Overall we enjoyed ourselves, but we kept feeling just a tad annoyed by our rail coach decisions. We like these trains, and we support the museum, and we're happy to urge others to do the same. But be careful in your planning, like we apparently weren't.

"Nights in white satin Never reaching the end…read moreLetters I've written Never meaning to send" (Moody Blues) The White Memorial Conservation Center is truly an embarrassment of riches. Our visit started with a stop at their Nature Museum, which was spectacular. The building is jam-packed with exhibits of the area wildlife in the form of dozens of taxidermied animals. So expect to see things like bears, mountain lions, birds, foxes, fish, geese, deer, butterflies, snakes, etc. Children will be enthralled by them, if not a little scared by the snakes, and pointy toothed fishes. Much of the museum is dedicated to children, with their "Children's Corner" of a live beehive, a very cool digital microscope, a big display on "The Art of Taxidermy," and a fluorescent rock cave where black light turns some ordinary looking rocks into an acid trip-like experience. But the museum is just the tip of the iceberg because surrounding it is a massive system of 40 miles of trails that crisscross the property. We hiked on their most popular trail, known as the Little Pond or Boardwalk Trail. Yes, it's a real boardwalk that stretched well over a mile over the swampy wetlands in a loop around the pond. Fair warning- the boardwalk at times is pretty narrow and there are no guardrails at all. So as long as you watch your step you'll see and hear a lot - songbirds, bullfrogs, gorgeous water views, and a huge beaver dam are some of the highlights. The scenery is breathtaking. What a wonderful place to visit. We sure had an outstanding time here.

I came here to visit family and was told this was a popular place to walk or explore. There was a…read morecenter building here but I didn't get a chance to go in so only experience the walking path they had. Overall, it was a very nice walk. I came on a day where the temperature was a bit chilled but the sun was out (thankfully no bugs bothered me and not hot at all). There was this little wooden path you walk on to avoid possible mud or uneven paths so was cool for me. There were very beautiful colors out for the season and the water looked cool (wouldn't swim in it though). Was able to see a few birds and even a snake too but no where near me thankfully. There were a few folks around but wasn't overcrowded at all. It was a fun place to explore and would come back for sure. Hopefully get a chance to check out the center as I'm sure has information about the area.

Amazing and educational experience with friends. The setting and decorations were beautiful. The…read morepuzzles and tools were intuitive. This is not like any other escape room. Very creative and entertaining!! Would 100% go again.

ESCAPETHEROOMers are very excited to visit this location because this escape room is very special…read moreas it's located inside a museum! The Institute for American Indian Studies Museum & Research Center (IAIS) has an incredible museum exhibit which allows visitors to travel through time - displaying astounding artifacts while presenting information on prehistoric to contemporary Native Americans. They have a parking lot available right in front. To further their educational services, IAIS created "Wigwam Escape" - an escape room to challenge the ordinary museum experience. In continuing to preserve and educate the public about pre-contact natives, "Wigwam Escape" allows you to do so though an interactive, stimulating and captivating experience. We were fortunate enough to meet with the program coordinator and the room designer. The level of creativity that was implemented into the storyline, decor, and the puzzle designs really shows the level of passion IAIS and the staff have for their culture. From the customer service provided when you arrive to the lobby area, the staff is extremely kind and professional. The room itself had a fair amount of technology incorporated but because the storyline is that it happens in the year 1518, it's kept at a minimum. The technology used was cleverly used to keep up with the year 1518 which was quite impressive. The decor provided a realistic, immersive experience. Just a heads up that "Wigwam Escape" has is that some of the puzzle designs require bending down which could be physically challenging for some people but since this does require team work, we are sure you have someone in your group that's up for the challenge! We really recommend checking out IAIS and Wigwam Escape for an entertaining AND educational experience! Check out the location tour and interview on our youtube channel! *For more info, check out my Yelp profile.