Every year in early December the library has a Gingerbread House Festival with approximately 150…read morehouses on display, open to the public. Raffle tickets are sold for the houses and or scenes created as well as other items donated by local stores and businesses. The museum uses this as one of several fund raising events throughout the year. At the close of the event, raffle winners can pick up their items in plenty of time to feature them at home as part of their Christimas seasonal decorations. 2024 is the 14th year of this tradition; it is well worth a perusal as the quality of the displays are exceptional. Stop by and make this an annual Christmas event for you and your family.

That library actually hosts Gingerbread House Festival from a day after Thanksgiving to the last…read moreweekend before Christmas every year. I believe this is the only library in all of New England to hold a festival of gingerbread houses. It's one of the largest Gingerbread House Festivals in New England. In addition, they have an impressive permanent bird / natural animal collection as well! I love this historic library for reasons I think make it a special place to visit. You don't have to be from South Windsor to step foot inside to browse valuable treasures. That's one unique library for the community.

Oh heck yes, radio is a hobby of mine (amateur, collecting and listening), a profession (US Navy…read moreRadioman), and passion! I've been four times. First, was with my wife, and the rest with an amateur radio friend, AA1G, a fellow "Ham" as we say. The owner/collector/host guy is a retired teacher. Made a life of collecting antique sets. Kind of went from there and then grew out of control. Phonographs, audiophile, computers, and two way. Though no Scanners... darn shame. Walk in, sign the book, pay a modest fee, and walk through a timeline of telegraph, telephones, movie making, victrolas, radio, television, stereo equipment, and computers. You might hear them light up a jukebox box. You can watch cartoons they broadcast on their Transmitter to TV sets within the museum. A wonderful, operational, ham radio club too. W1VCM. You can operate the boat anchors to modern rigs. Lots of geek terms in that sentence- IYKYK. A really wonderful take. It is the owner's personal collection. The Atwater-Kent breadboards were my personal favorite. They host Examinations to be come a licensed amateur radio operator, Ham Flea Markets, educational services, elderly education, and local events on-site. It is a big building. Sensory overload. You will need to go a couple two three times. No negatives. Make a cash donation. Leave a radio - if they don't display it, they can sell it to keep operations going. Lots of wonderful volunteers too - many from the American Radio Relay League right down the road. 73s

Very cool place if you're into the history of radio and music players. Tour guides know a lot too…read more I have been twice. I recommend it.

Had one of the best tours I've ever been given. The people running the house are so knowledgeable…read moreand such hard workers at keeping the place running. I would definitely recommend it if you are visiting! Some of the friendliest people I've met on this trip.

Excellent collection of Victorian clothing and earlier furniture. A pleasantly delivered tour was…read moregiven to me because I only had 15 minutes. I could easily spent five times that amount hearing about the history from the highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic docents.

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.

This place is so big that definitely should have started at 10am. We went at noon and did not…read moresee/participate in all activities they had. Kid loved it. It was overwhelming in the negating, some exhibitions are geared towards older kids (older than 8yo) but every floor had something for every age.

Today we had another great visit to NEAM for the second time. We took my mom for Mother's Day…read moreweekend they were having an event where you could go inside the B-29 which was really cool. (Pictured below) Another difference in this visit was Dr. Flush! A navy vet and engineer who was a pioneer in space toilet technology... he had great stories to tell!

What a fun time. Not normally something on my radar, but I did the copper mine in the morning and…read morewanted something else to do before I went home to make the trip even more worth it, and this came up. A variety of old and wartime aircraft and a wealth of information. Plenty of docents around to consult if you have any questions, it was a great way to spend an hour.

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!

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.

We celebrated my son's 2nd birthday here, and they we so accommodating! The room was already set up…read morewith tables and tablecloths. We were able to bring in our own food and dessert. The staff was very friendly and very easy to deal with. We were a little worried about going over the limit for guests, but everyone was able to get a Trolley ride! They even let all the children pull the whistle, which they absolutely loved! The price was very reasonable, and they even opened up the museum part so the children could play and take a bunch of great photos! This children all received party favors of one free future Trolley ride. My advice is to get a membership for an even more amazing deal! Our party guests exclaimed that this was the most fun they've ever had at a birthday party! Great job!

My family and I recently took a drive up to the Connecticut Trolley Museum to experience their…read more"Winterfest and the Tunnel of Lights". The museum is run by the Connecticut Electric Railway Association which was founded in October 1940. It is the nation's oldest incorporated organization dedicated to the preservation of the trolley era. The museum operates a 1.5 mile heritage railroad on an original portion of the Hartford and Springfield Street Railway Company's Rockville Branch. The museum hosts a variety of events throughout the year that are themed around dinosaurs, Easter, Halloween and Christmas. 2023 marks the museum's 45th year hosting Winterfest. The museum and property are decorated inside and outside with over 15,000 lights. Guests have a choice of riding closed trolley cars or an open air 'electric sleigh' down the tunnel of lights for approximately 25 minutes. We chose the latter option, but be sure to bring plenty of layers and blankets as it can get very cold. Afterwards we headed into the Visitor Center where we saw multiple model train layouts and vintage trolleys decorated with holiday lights. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was playing on an endless loop in the theater room while children were writing letters to Santa. Cookies, hot chocolate, and other light refreshments are available to purchase. Guests also have the option to take family photos with Santa Claus himself! Winterfest continues until December 30th, so get your tickets while you can!

This place was mostly good. It is small and well-contained, so it is hard to lose anyone there. The…read morewebsite reccommends ages 2 to 10 but ideally, I would not say it is for anyone over 7. The animals were nice to look at. My granddaughter wanted to hold one of the rabbits, but they were not brought out that day. The staff brought out one animal for the morning session, and one for the afternoon, but what they bring out is random. They one handling the animals seemed into the children, but other than that, none were out on the floor to interact with the childen. My granddaughter had fun, but it got old after a couple of hours.

An amazing fun place for children and adults , they have live entertainment and lots of fun…read moreactivities for kids . The place is decorated like a little town and they even have a small stage for indoor events . I love the fact that they also rescue and care for animals . The staff is incredibly warm and helpful :) Definitely worth a visit .