One of the best places to go in the Hartford area. It has an amazing collection of classic artwork…read moreand rotating collections of modern art. I've been many times and somehow I'm still surprised by some of the pieces on display (Van Gogh, Monet, Dali, etc.). They run various events and community days, and membership costs are very reasonable. Support the Arts!

I was miserable most of my time there. BUT. This was a great museum. I was miserable because the…read moreonly time I could go was on a Saturday, a free Saturday no less, on a day they had a festival, arts and crafts, and a Christmas tree event. So the crowds were INSANE. Like NYC level insane. That being said, I have lots of great things to say about this place, which underwent a huge renovation and modernization several years ago that was so good that the New York Times wrote an article saying it was "a masterpiece of renovation." The great hall is beautiful and though I don't care much for old school colonizer art, I was bummed it was teeming with Christmas trees and families, hindering my ability to take an artful photo to capture that masterpiece. The museum does a great job of mixing colors, styles, appreciating the classical, while also mixing in fun and modern elements. They have European art. Impressionist art. All that gold religious stuff. Modern art that's just some blocks and colors and makes you wonder, "is this really art?" They have a great surrealist section and a huge Dali painting, which is actually the marketing they used to get me here. They have some sculpture, some Greek sculpture and some contemporary art. I enjoyed the art by Black artists and art focusing on Black struggles in the Amistad Center, located on the third floor, though I wish this section was bigger. They had an Islamic art section, Chinese art, American art (most of what I saw was from the 20s through the 90s). I loved how each space was painted a rich, moody color. And the common spaces were full of patterns, stained glass, and multi-colored walls winding up the staircase. The staff were nice and helpful. I paid 20-something bucks for admission, but since I bought a ticket for a free Saturday, the staff was cool enough to contact me and ask me if I wanted a full refund. I told them to take the fee as a donation. I've seen almost all the museums in New York City, which is my favorite place in the world. But this one can hold its own. But if I ever visit again (which I doubt, cus who needs to see Hartford twice?)--I will avoid weekends and free days and definitely the Christmas tree festival!

The Science Center has a lot of interactive exhibits. There is plenty to read, if you want to, but…read morehonestly, the children I saw were jumping in and participating in the many hands-on exhibits. Some of the favorites were the air cannons where they tested their skills keeping a ball aloft while moving it toward a 'hoop' to drop the ball through. The interactive downhill ski machine was also visited often. The day we visited, a group of high school students were there with a display on aerodynamics. They had visual displays of air moving objects and then the children were allowed to build their own paper airplane, put it into a wind tunnel and see how well their design flew. They very much enjoyed that. There is a huge megalodon static display with a wide open mouth to show just how much one could eat in a bite. All the kids wanted to crawl inside, which of course is not allowed, but it was certainly large enough to swallow all of them whole! The shark exhibit had lots of information and a video game they could use to make a shark eat a squid. They enjoyed that as well. The admission is quite expensive, which I understand as everything is quite expensive these days and there are plenty of staff on hand in each exhibit to answer questions. Then there's maintenance, electricity, etc. At one time the Science Center offered passes through the libraries for half off admission which would certainly be helpful to families straining to live within a budget. Camp groups were in house during our visit so perhaps they choose to focus their giving back to the community in that way instead of offering the library passes. A sandwich shop and an ice cream shop are on the first floor along with the gift shop. The gift shop has a variety of items from games to jewelry at a variety of price points. Some exhibit spaces have restrooms and water fountains. Ask a staff member for directions. Very long, steep staircases lead between exhibits and you have to exit the exhibit on the correct side to access these stair cases. An elevator bank runs from the lobby to each floor as well. They do have a parking garage, which was full when we visited. The Convention Center parking garage is just across the street and a short walk away.

CT Science Center is located in Hartford and is a hands on science museum. There are many exhibits…read morein all the science fields that you can explore; it's also for all ages too. My favorite was the butterfly encounter; there is a room just for butterflies and they do land on you. There is a parking garage available. There are 4 levels open to the public. My family and I enjoyed the exhibits. There were plenty to keep us all busy. My children enjoyed the play kitchen, dinosaurs, and butterflies. Blue Chip Creamery is also located there. I highly recommend it and can't wait to go back soon.

Glow Hartford is definitely geared toward children (as is to be expected, but perhaps a tad more…read morethan expected), with lights, light swings, hoppity-hop areas, color-changing pads they can jump between, a small train, and some photo ops that kids will love. It's all indoors and warm, which is a plus for New England winters, but personally I'd rather find local outdoor light displays instead. For the lights themselves, the standout for most kids was probably the hanging "icicle" garden -- rows of lights you can walk through, which seemed to get the biggest reaction. Do it early enough next year, and you may even get a decent shot or two in time for your Shutterfly or equivalent Christmas card. The snack options were fine, and there's alcohol for adults, though some things are a bit on the expensive side. You'll probably also end up giving in to some of the add-ons -- glowing cups, light-up wands, or similar extras -- so your kid isn't the only one without one. (Maybe prepare yourself with a preemptive "OK, but just ONE.") The self-stamped passport activity was a nice touch, and the PEZ dispenser prize at the end was a cute detail. All in all, it's an OK experience and a nice family option if you take advantage of everything inside. I'd call it 3.5 stars -- fun to do once, but probably not something I'd make a yearly tradition.

"Morning glow, filled with light You can make the whole day…read morebright" (Michael Jackson) Glow is a family-friendly indoor winter festival of lights currently open in five Canadian cities, Eugene Oregon, and good old Hartford, CT. It was a beautiful display of color and design, highlighted by plenty of dazzling lights in the shape of iconic landmarks from around the world. If you ever hoped to see Christmas lights in the shape of the London Eye, Eiffel Tower, Asian temples, Taj Mahal, the Louvre, and London Bridge... well you'll be amazed at the images you see here. Complementing the visuals are bars, rides, food, photo ops with Santa and the Grinch, live music, and a vendor trade show. Plenty of kiddie activities too - a bounce house, train ride, glowing swing sets, and games. We saw quite a few families with kids of all ages, including a lot of strollers enjoying the show and taking advantage of the hundreds of photo ops. No doubt many of the pics will end up on next year's Christmas cards. All in all, this was a very enjoyable experience.

Visited this a few times living in southern New England. There are more scary haunts out there, but…read morethis one is fun and unique. I loved the way you walk through a wooded area for a good bit before you get to the actual event. Nothing jumps out at you, but there are sounds and sights in the woods to get your attention and get. you in the mood. Once you get into the actual haunt the sets are pretty good, and the actors as well, most of all the infamous scarecrow. Beware! Each time I was there the line moved along quick enough, and I would definitely not purchase a fast pass unless you're really pressed for time. But that's up to you. One negative was paying for parking. They aren't the only one doing it, but it's frustrating.

Amazing haunt! The sets, the actors were top notch! Well worth any wait time! Loved the hub…read moreareas with the food and drinks!

This Italian festival is located in Avon, CT and hosted by the Prince Thomas of Savoy Club. Parking…read moreis at the hotel but a free shuttle is provided and entry to the event is also free. It's a celebration of all things Italian. There was food, drinks, music, and vendors. I had a meatball sub and it was so good. Food prices were pretty affordable and it's definitely family friendly. I love these little community events and this one was pretty neat.

This weekend fair is held in August, and just a few minutes from Plymouth. Follow the signs, help…read morekeep traffic down! There's a lot of parking and several different lots. The fair is about middling in size compared to other fairs in the area, but a very diverse collection of food and retail vendors. The deep fried devil dogs were chocolate, gooey, deliciousness (although seriously oversugared). There are a lot of rides for adults and kids, a wide variety of farm animals, and a good way to spend many hours.

I'm not a huge fan of baseball at all but I will never say no to a yard goats game because Dunkin'…read moreDonuts park is so much fun! The people that work here are so incredibly friendly and hard working. Everyone from the people scanning tickets, the people at Bears Bbq, and the mini melts stand, to the people making sure the park is clean. All incredible and so hard working. This is a very family friendly venue and they've got everything from a little goat petting zoo to all the ballpark food you can think of. Having a relative that is allergic to peanuts I am so grateful that this is a peanut free facility. There are no bad seats here but some of them are more comfortable than others. Try to get clubhouse tickets during the peak summer dates as the clubhouse is air conditioned!

We came to Dunkin park when the Yard goats weee playing g the Fisher Cats. We got there a tad bit…read morelate but really enjoyed the game as we are a baseball family. We loved the game because it went into extra innings and the Yard Goats ended up winning the game The team store is somewhere that we already had planned on going and ended up shopping for family. I loved one of the Ushers had one. It said "goat herder" which was genuinely what someone in my family does!! I saw some of our family members with food and quite honestly I am sure they enjoyed it. Overall this was great family outing and it was so worth the price . We went on a Tuesday, June 9th, Eras night with Taylor Swift. Great songs and bingo!

I spent most of my youth growing up in Bristol and I think I only went to the Carousel Museum one…read moretime. Now, as a grown adult who lives thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, it was time to revisit this place on a recent trip back to the nutmeg state. My wife and I ended up coming here on a Wednesday morning because we collect museum magnets and we figured Bristol was a fun little spot to grab one of these. The building itself is insanely beautiful and gave me some wild flashbacks. From the moment we walked into this place to the second we left we are surrounded by hundreds of beautiful vintage carousels from the 1800's up to more recent times. On top of having the carousel's themselves they had binders with info on everything so you could absolutely learn every possibly detail about these things and that's so cool. On top of the carousels, they had a big section dedicated to Lake Compounce which is where I practically lived as a kid. It was super interesting to see photos from the original park, old photos of the Wildcat Coaster from back in the day, and a ton of old photos and memorabilia from old rides and the park itself. Are we done? No, they also had a fire museum upstairs and even though it's not something that really interests me, it was still a cool little bonus at the end of our tour. Overall, The Carousel Museum is such a cool spot and definitely somewhere everyone in Connecticut should go to at least once. It was really cool getting to see some of the same pieces I saw as a little kid 30+ years later. This was a wonderful time.

I had the best time at the Carousel Museum! Prices are a little steep but once you see everything…read morethey have to offer you can see it's worth it and totally necessary to keep them running! I originally went because I thought my toddler would love it honestly I think we all had an equal amount of fun and enjoyment here! Two floors of beautifully constructed animals and cool history of them all. My daughter loved the carousel ride and probably could've gone around on it for hours if we let her. She also loved the puppet show area with books and dress up items. Second floor was absolutely beautiful and a firehouse museum was on it which my husband enjoyed. Everything was super accessible. My mid 80s grandmother had a blast and everything was flat, walkable and had elevator access. People working are dedicated and passionate about this museum. I've been recommending it to everyone!