Located on Main Street in the Willimantic Arts and Eats District, the Windham Textile and History…read moreMuseum is a hub of activity, culture, and has a rich and diverse history that is an important part of the town of Willimantic, CT. The gift store features original art of all kinds from area artists and beyond. You can find unique gifts including those that focus on the frog culture of our city. You'll see lots of frogs in town including four 2-ton ones on top of spools of thread at the Thread City Crossing Bridge nearby. You can tour the museum, the factory next door, and even see the library where people who worked at the museum were tutored in English and life skills. You can come with children, too, as the museum is very doable in a couple of hours or more should you wish to stay longer. In nicer weather, you can have a picnic across the street at the part and even take a walk on the Garden on the Bridge which is very nearby. There is a Farmer's Market nearby during the May through October growing season as well as other fine eateries that reflect the uniqueness of the Town of Willimantic. Exhibits at the museum are ever-changing. A dedicated troop of volunteers keep the place up and running. Look to the museum for cultural events, interesting exhibits, and memorabilia from days and cultures through the years.

Also known as 'The Mill Museum'…read more www.millmuseum.org This museum is a gem. Excellent! Connecticut is so fortunate to have a museum such as this one still in existence. For those who wonder "how did we get here" in terms of our technological age and current lifestyle, or how the industrial revolution affected thread and textiles in CT, this museum is a must see...excellent. The only other museum that I am aware of in this category is the Genius Museum in Montville, CT. It is so illuminating and interesting to see the extent and development of industry (mills) in CT and to see how something as simple, yet as important, as thread and textiles were such an intrinsic part of our economic development of our state and lives in general. Not only is the process of making thread a fascinating story, the evolution of the repetitive manufacturing process is extremely educational. Willamantic is known as "The Thread City" as it was a dominant player in that industry, and had many innovations in processing cotton into thread as well as such things as being the first business to illuminate its factory with Edison incandescent light bulbs. It is easy to dismiss such inventions without understanding the overall impact on business and society...as electrification and the light bulb changed factory architecture, the ability to utilize multiple work shifts, etc. There are so many dimensions on which to appreciate the museum including learning of the lifestyles of the times and the hardships people endured. This museum should be on every public schools agenda for student trips.

The oldest structure in Hartford has no reviews? That's a shame because it's a great historical…read moregem. Although open seasonally, the tours are very thorough. There is an exhibit on old Hartford. The house stayed in the Butler-McCook family for many generations, so most of the items were preserved, and it's great to see old Hartford next to new, modern buildings. Plus there is a great history where a car rammed through the front about 20 years ago. Luckily restorers were able to put together the couch, so the preservation is just as important to the story as the restoration. The guides were able to explain a lot about the art and furniture in the house, and they had a big binder to fill in information as needed. They were thorough discussing the family history. Most of the rooms were displayed accurately as they were designed over 100 years older. It was cool to learn about life in earlier Hartford. No gift shop, but there is a nice little garden in the back, a small parking lot in the back, and plenty of street parking. It's a nice 1-2 hour afternoon by some passionate guides who love history.

Really interesting and fun tour of a beautiful historic house. Well worth the $26 per person senior…read moreprice.

Madison was the best tour guide! Very knowledgeable and answered all kinds of questions. Such a…read morebeautiful place to visit!

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.

With things you would never expected to find in CT like the Emerac machine from Desk Set and the…read moreonly remaining ET from the movie this gem has movie history to share. The special effects room has movie props and makeup appliances from movies like Beneath Planet of the Apes and The Exorcist. The wax museum has life size movie monsters of the classics, Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, werewolves. Come and be entertained !

My mother is a lover of all things old Hollywood, so when I learned of this museum online, I knew I…read morehad to take our family as a Christmas present. We weren't sure what to expect from our experience, but we spent about an hour here and thought it was really cool! The owner is so nice and really takes the time to go through each and every piece of his exhibit with you. Learning about the connections he had with the actors and how he obtained the different props was so interesting. If you're looking for something different to do, I recommend stopping by for a tour!

Surprisingly great little art museum / historical home. It's on the more expensive end of tours at…read more$18, but the previous owners were big art collectors: so you'll see Monet, Manet, Degas, Chippendale, and more. There's a great art range, and the tour guide was very informative to the Pope family and the daughter Theodate who did a lot of the architectural designing. The house has a lot of great things to look at (between the art and furniture in all the rooms) and at the visitor's center there is a small art exhibit. No photos in the house allowed though. There are trails on the property and a sunken garden. On a nice weather day, it's great for walking around the property. It was crowded when I went on a Saturday, and tours are on the hour, so don't show up at the last minute. Overall, a great site to visit!

Came here for a work catered event so cannot speak to the actual museum. Had no idea that this…read morehidden gem was nearby to where I work. The grounds are beautifully kept and well maintained. Great photo ops for all occasions. Plenty of parking available. The event inside space can easily be opened up to the outside to make the venue space bigger for larger groups. Great event space with plenty of privacy for intimate gatherings and parties.

It's technically the Wood Memorial Library & Museum. Impressive collections of Native American…read moreartifacts, taxidermy collections of local birds, artwork, and early American furniture by accomplished artists and craftsmen. Wish they were open more than two days a week! Mondays 11-5pm, Thursdays 10-4pm. The Wood makes the CT River Valley proud!

The Wood is open on Mondays 11am-5pm and Thursdays 10am-4pm, by appointment and for special events…read more Great place for music, children's storytelling. Check www.wmlm.org or facebook @woodlibraryandmuseum

Well, this is a small museum and not something on the scale as the one on Harrisburg or Appomattox,…read morebut it's a great display of the local community's history. There are a lot of artifacts from GAR of the Northeast. It's very thorough in its exhibit, but it is free and should take about an hour. They also had reenactor, so you feel the passion for preserving history. He was constantly surrounded by some older ladies, so I didn't get a chance to talk to him, but I appreciate the spirit. There is also a small gift shop, and the employees were very friendly and helpful.