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.

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 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.

Beth was a wonderful tour guide, informative and fun Enjoyed our day there. No wait time and…read morereally liked the house. Beautiful setting and a nice day ~ thank you Beth.

Visited the adult home of this famous child of the Mississippi River, during the final days of our…read moretrip to Connecticut. It was a very enjoyable experience. My wife and I were flying out of the Hartford airport (Bradley International) to go back home, so decided to spend the day before in the area. A popular tourist attraction is the Mark Twain (two fathoms or 12 feet deep) House & Museum, so decided to center our day around that. Maps will take you right to it, passing by large and beautiful homes from the turn of the (19th) century. The end destination was a large parking with plenty of spaces on a Friday afternoon. Daily hours are 9:30 - 5:30, with seeing the house only available through guided tours, so it was recommended to pre-reserve slots online. There are two versions of the tour, both guided but with the less frequent Living History Tour being led by a cosplay actor. We arrived at 11:20 and was able to get tickets for the 11:30 normal tour (on this day, the normal tour had hours at 9:45, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, and 4:15). Because the tour lasts about an hour, there were multiple groups in the house at the same time, but it is big enough to absorb the three concurrent groups, all seeing different parts of the home. The entire home is maintained only by ticket admission ($28 adult, $26 senior, $15 children). This was the home where he spent the most productive 17 years of his life, raising his three daughters with his wife, and writing his classics, including Huckleberry Finn. The house tour included all four stories of his home, with complete restoration being just completed in 2016. Rules: no photos or videos inside the house; don't touch anything, stay in same room as guide at all times, and no food/drink. The house was built with forced air vents, and the AC was working well within the house this day. Upstairs on the second floor was the living area, and the 3rd story attic was where Twain had his offices. The basement were the servant quarters. The entire house was fully furnished with either originals or faithful reproductions. We later learned that much of it had been given away initially, but the restoration brought much of it back. There are no elevators in the Twain home. In the visitor center, anybody could enjoy a 20 minute version of Mark Twain documentary by Ken Burns. The most celebrated Mark Twain actor was Hal Holbrook (he played a mean Lincoln too), and his very familiar voice could be heard quite a bit throughout. The souvenir shop in the visitor center had a variety of things related to his life, but to the hobby of reading for pleasure in general. There were distinctive wallpaper patterns inside the house (our favorite was that of a honeybee colony), and the same patterns could be purchased as paper in the gift shop. Because the main house is on elevated ground, one story above the visitor center, there are two parking areas. The main one near the visitor center is what Maps will guide you to, whereas the much smaller one south of the house at the same elevation is meant for handicapped spots and being much smaller, will fill up. We did see if we could walk from this parking area via local roads, but found it was much easier to just go back from where we came. We spent about 2 hours here, and saw what we wanted to see. We both felt it's well worth visiting.

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.

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!

The Witch's Dungeon Classic Movie Museum is a classic movie monster museum that opened in Bristol,…read moreConnecticut in 1966. It was founded by local artist Cortlandt Hull. As a young boy, Hull was frequently ill and occupied much of his time by building Aurora monster plastic model kits. He soon became fascinated with movie makeup and how it could transform an actor into a fearsome creature. Hull was disappointed with the "Chamber of Horrors" at many wax museums, so he decided to open his own horror museum. He started building life-size monster figurines. The first one he built was "Zenobia, The Gypsy Witch". Hull's father Robert helped him build a Swiss chalet-style building to house the full-size monsters, and the museum officially opened in 1966 when Hull was just 13-years-old. As an adult, Hull worked in the film industry creating art prints as well as creating special effects make-ups. He made a lot of connections with various actors and make-up artists over the years. His museum continued to grow and the monster figures continued to improve. For several decades the small museum was located on Hull's home property and was only open during the Halloween season. In the 2010s, the museum relocated to the Bristol Historical Society. There was more room for the monster figures and Hull was also able to showcase many of the authentic movie props he had collected over the years. The museum moved to its current larger location in Plainville in time for Halloween 2020. It is now open year-round, not just for Halloween. I have visited the Witch's Dungeon several times over the years since I was just a young boy. I still remember that first visit very well because it made such an impression on me. I'm a huge fan of the classic movie monsters. I've enjoyed watching the museum grow and improve over the following decades. There's an impressive collection of various movie artifacts and props, but the real stars of the museum are the full size figures of classic monsters that appeared from the 1920s to the 1950s. Some of my favorites include the Frankenstein Monster, the Phantom of the Opera, Count Orlok, the Fly, and the Werewolf of London. The latter was portrayed by Hull's great uncle: the late actor Henry Hull. If you're a fan of horror films then you must visit the Witch's Dungeon Classic Movie Museum!

What an amazing toy collection! Every American toy you can imagine. A giant hulk promotion…read moresculpture is a bit scary. Hundreds of lunch boxes in alphabetical order line the ceilings. Disney, board games, dolls, cracker jacks, You name it, they have it. Joe is a fountain of knowledge and very friendly. Admission is very inexpensive. There is a second floor that I skipped did to the stairs.

What a joy to visit. The art gallery, much larger than it looks from the street is packed full of…read morememories. Disney, Hannah Barbara, Harry Potter and much more amazing lithographs. A friendly and helpful staff along with fair prices round out this gallery. Next door is the toy and cartoon museum with over 100,000 items. Toys and items I never dreamed existed and others took me right back to my own childhood and that of my children. The museum also has a most helpful and knowledgeable guide or wander on your own, take pictures and most of all enjoy. I feel this review doesn't do justice to this experience. Do yourself a favor and go. Make sure you check times before you go.

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!

Excellent museum, worth your time. There are many carousel horses and figures. Arranged by…read moreproduction region some quite old and some fairly new. There is also a restoration area on view. There is a small section that is a Greek history museum. Additionally a firefighting museum with an impressive collection of equipment, many from local fire stations. All of the staff greeted us. They have a banquet room where they host parties and weddings. Lots for children to do. Also, there is a small gift shop. Across the street is an impressive mural featuring Martin Luther King.