Connecticut trivia for $100, please…read more Q: What is CT's state animal? A: The Sperm Whale. For bonus points--where can you find a 60-foot long replica of such a creature? The answer is on the grounds of the CT Children's Museum. This iron and cement whale model even has a name - "Conny". It was built between 1975 and 1976 -the result of thousands of hours of volunteer labor. Conny is hollow, so you can enter and exit Conny's innards via two doors carved into its blubber. Be sure to check out Conny's impressive fluke and lower jaw. All in all, quite a bizarre but wondrous site..

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!

I have come here twice to see this documentary "No Other Land" because it isn't streaming or…read moreplaying anywhere else. I'm grateful that we have a theater like this in Hartford! I am not a member yet but I intend to become one. There is also an art gallery which I have not explored yet. I took a star off because the popcorn was not great. I only got it once. Maybe it wasn't fresh. I'm going back tomorrow to see the movie one last time before it's gone and will check out the art gallery and try the popcorn again!

We had the pleasure of attending the opening of " MIDAS."…read moreThe theatre was perfect in size and the chair not tight fitting! The staff were great in directing us to the evening's event and activities. We will return!!

This place was nice! We went for a group outing of seven people. When I called earlier in the week,…read morethe guy said we didn't need a reservation and could just walk in for Saturday. We all planned to meet there at 5 PM, but when we arrived, they told us we actually needed a reservation and had to come back at 6:45. Thankfully, West Hartford has plenty to do, so we walked around, grabbed some food, and returned for our reservation. One thing to know is that you pick the pottery you want to paint it's not a place where you make the pottery yourself. That has pros and cons, depending on your preferences. I'm honestly not that artistic when it comes to freehand painting, so I picked a simple snowflake design (probably the cheapest option at around $14). My friends picked reindeer, cookie trays, and other fun items. Painting was fun, but you have to leave your piece for 2-3 weeks to be glazed, so don't expect to take it home the same day. The space is small, but I liked the intimate setting. The staff was also very nice, and overall, I had a good experience. I would definitely go back.

I have not had a hand in pottery since high school so this was a nice activity to do and spend…read morequality time with friends and family. Claypen is located on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford Center between Walden and Dale streets. Lookout for the sessions posted outside if looking for something specific. I was attracted to the Studio Ghibli theme they were having and immediately made a reservation. I honestly didn't know what to expect until I arrived there. Upon check in, we were shown where we'd be seated and were told that we select any ceramic on the shelf and will be provided the paints and can even replenish it ourselves from the shelf. As well as take as much time as we needed to complete our design. My daughter did her own thing and drew Sanrio on different sides while I wanted to paint Haku and my friend, Totoro. I think it all came out really well!! I looked up an image tried to copy it onto the jar. Originally using a pencil and lightly tracing it onto the surface to not affect the image, although I was told that the pencil burns off during the baking process. We were also instructed to paint more than 1 coat so that the paint will show. The whole process was easy enough. When finished, everything can be brought to the counter for payment. Essentially the painting is free, it's the ceramic that needs to be paid for. I would think that the piece is averagely priced. If wanting to be sure, definitely ask before picking a piece. I'd certainly do this again.

Love this clean, bright, welcoming public library where locals are getting tutored, using the…read morecomputers, reading, generally taking advantage of a valuable community space together. Always glad to see public libraries doing well.

I've frequented this library quite often since moving to CT. Mainly because they have a children's…read moresection at the lower level. We took the elevator to this level; there is a tween/teen, toddler, and baby section. The baby room is locked from the outside but you can reach over to unlock the door; this is for babies and crawlers. They had some baby toys and books in there. The toddler section has a mini kitchen, fake groceries, baby dolls, doll house, Legos, and toy cars which kept my toddler busy. We put away the toys we played with before we left just to be courteous. We had to print out some paper and it's 10 cents a page. Keep in mind when putting the quantity in the computer, it doesn't specify dollars or pages; it's actually quantity of dollars not pages. This location is nice because it's walking distance to all the stores and restaurants. Overall, a clean and organized library!

I went to Gay Pride @ West Hartford Town Hall on the last Saturday of June, & I had such an epic…read moretime! It was 1st time attending this annual event.Alyssa Edwards from RuPaul's Drag Race was the headliner, which was the main reason I was there! She was so entertaining & def brought the energy. There were also a whole bunch of drag queens & singers performing throughout the event, & they were all so much fun to watch. There were tons of vendors set up where you could shop, along w/ a bunch of free giveaways, which I always love! The whole event had such a fun, welcoming vibe, & I really enjoyed myself. Everyone who attended looked so happy & free!! I'll def be back next year!

This was my first year attending the West Hartford Pride Festival, and I absolutely loved it! The…read moreatmosphere was welcoming, positive, and full of positive energy from start to finish. I think it's wonderful that they hosts an event like this for the community. There was something for everyone, from local vendors and food trucks to activities, entertainment, and community organizations. Every vendor I stopped by was friendly, approachable, and happy to chat. One of the biggest highlights was seeing Alyssa Edwards perform. She's such a great entertainer, and it brought my sister so much joy to see her in person. It was exciting to have such a well known performer as part of a local community event. I also appreciated all of the free giveaways, including stickers, flags, and helpful community resources etc. Overall, the event was well organized, inclusive, and community focused. My sister and I had such a great time that we were already talking about coming back next year before the festival was even over.

Like so many libraries, I want to know more about the history. What was this building originally?…read moreWas it a library? A library with beautiful half circle windows all around the wall letting in beautiful natural light? Could such softness exist in a government design? There is a smallish parking lot in the back of the building, and a free little library stocked by a non-profit. Do not donate books to said LFL, seek additional information on the non-profit and see how they accept donations. The interior (in addition to the natural light) has high ceilings that make it feel open, with places to sit and peruse books at your leisure. The children's section has an adorable train themed mural. The librarians are, as most indeed are, friendly and welcoming!

A cozy little library, without question the smallest I have visited. Small music CD section (I did…read morepick up some Dylan, Cranberries, Kings of Leon and R.E.M. Of the half a dozen libraries I have visited, this is the only one where the actual CDs aren't kept in the CD cases. The cases in the racks are empties. So when you want to check out your music, the librarian has to go into her office, match up the actual CDs (which must be hidden away somewhere safe), place them in their respective cases, bring the cases to the scanner, open up the cases, take out the CDs (because the bar codes are hidden behind the CDs), scan the bar-codes, put the CD back in the case, and move on to the next one. Needless to say, check-out time takes a bit longer here than it does in some of the other local libraries..

I work from this library branch often, I'm happy to have it open again. I do wish they opened at…read more8am at least I'm typically an early morning work kinda gal. There's a healthy amount of noise for a library but I do appreciate that the staff doesn't have an issue telling people to quiet down. I also have attended for the yoga classes and loved every minute. The location is super accessible to the cafes and restaurants downtown.

It's a nice downtown library in the city which has improved compared to pre-pandemic times and…read morebefore the pipe burst from the day before Christmas Eve 2022 destroyed it. It's a very cool place to explore, read, relax and And study. The children's room looks nice and the main floor looks cool which makes the library an inviting and welcome place to spend time at. They have some cool books and many other resources. There's also a lot of seating and they even have unique things such as Library of Things collection, a DVD checkout slot machine and many more. The staff are caring, courteous and helpful. The customer service is great and the people served are good people. It's a wonderful place to spend time when you're in Hartford and need some down time. This library serves patrons from any neighborhood in Hartford.

Beautiful park in the center of Hartford! The carousel, fountain, Pond (when well maintenanced),…read moreand direct access to the Capitol building make this one of Hartford's most popular tourist destinations. The train station is directly across the street making it easily accessible. A lot of people don't know that this is America's oldest publicly funded park, but they offer tours that allow you to find out more about everything that has gone into the park over the years. The views of the city from the top of the arch on Trinity Street are gorgeous. Many events and clubs are hosted in the park like the annual Jazzfest and weekly run club and yoga.

I have been here a few times recently. My son had an appointment at CCMC, so we decided to go…read morebefore hands. It gives a mini NYC park vibe. There are food trucks, lots of walking space, a playground, a carousel, and lots to look at! There is a lot of space to sit and relax or have a picnic. I would love to see a little more love with the landscape. I'm bummed that the carousel was closed too.

Like much "contemporary" art, I generally don't understand it. And this piece is another that is…read morebeyond my understanding. They're nice rocks, A 7 foot tall one leaning on a 5 foot tall cubic one. But why that's art and especially why it's "Perseverance" that has anything to do with Abraham Lincoln, I do not know. The caption is as follows... Perseverance Darrell Petit, 2005 "... you can not fail if you resolutely determine that you will not." Lincoln is often regarded as a model for overcoming life's little adversities. He experienced many setbacks in life including: * Defeated in his first run for the Illinois state legislature * His first business, a store, failed * His sweetheart died * Defeated to be Speaker of the Illinois state house * Defeated for nomination to Congress * Defeated for U.S. Senate * Defeated again for U.S. Senate * Lost two sons - one at nearly four years of age, one at age 11 * Publicly maligned for his political positions Despite these stumbling blocks, and perhaps because of them, Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as one of the most revered presidents and possibly the most admired American in U. S. history. [Review 15165 overall, 667 of 2021, number 21 in Connecticut.]