Connecticut Museum of Culture and History - Hartford, Connecticut

Sherry Z.

This is an amazing museum - really child friendly with thoughtful programs. They have free weekend every first weekend of the month, and when I came, there was coffee activities for children. Coffee filter art, coloring pages, coffee cup decorating, mosaics.

Also, the auditorium has a play area in the corner, plenty of crawling space for a toddler. And the innovation center is such a calm and fun space for kids to play and draw. I feel like kids who have never met will also still play with each other, which I thought was very nice as my son is only starting to come out of his shell around others.

The staff are also very friendly and seem intent on making the space as nice as possible for visitors. If we didn't live over an hour away, I'd absolutely get a membership here.

Dr. R. A. R.

This is a very unique museum filled with so much to see. There are permanent exhibits; Making Connecticut and Inn & Tavern Signs of Connecticut. They also have an exhibit on Mental Health which I have never seen in any museum. Definitely will help bring awareness. An Exhibit of The Philip Cast of Hamilton; an American Musical. And do much more. BTW, I love the tavern signs!

There is also a gift shop but no souvenirs bearing name of museum which was very disappointing. It’s more like a small boutique because has a lot of jewelry but no real historical meaning. I could see if it were from a Native American tribe etc. I didn’t make a purchase because nothing in store caught my eye.

This museum was originally a home built for Curtis Veeder between 1925 and 1928. The society has added additions.

The ticket for adult was $12 which is very reasonable and it’s free every 1st Saturday. The staff is very friendly. I highly recommended visiting this museum and the nearby neighborhood. The old homes on Elizabeth St and nearby are simply beautiful. I also like that the museum have raised bed gardens with vegetables.

Kenneth D. V.

Great staff, super friendly. Very cool exhibit. A lot of info about coffee lol!

Laura J.

This is such an amazing museum! We didn’t really notice it was even there while it was the “Connecticut Historical Society” and when they changed their name we were excited to visit. They’ve packed a ton of great information into their exhibits (we spent almost 4 hours there!) with the “Making of Connecticut” permanent exhibit definitely being my favorite. We were also super lucky to get to go on a free hour-long guided tour of the “Connecticut’s Bookshelf” exhibit with a museum educator who was so knowledgeable and passionate about the content. Highly recommend to anyone for a fun day!!

Kristie W.

This museum is full of information. Gorgeous interior for it used to be a residence, and the grounds are well kept. Great timeline exhibit of CT history. And the exhibits: so interesting: tavern signs and especially the one about mental health.

karen L.

The place is large and well organized, when you enter someone tells you where you should go. The duration in depends on how fast you see things but it is between half an hour and an hour. On the second floor there are many fun and educational activities for children.
We went today because it was free the entrance but if you have to pay l don’t know how much.

Cydonie B.

Omg. One needs at least four hours to fully enjoy everything inside the museum

Charles R.

This kid-friendly museum does a very nice job of presenting life and some historical events from the mid 1600s to today. There are lots of activities for kids, such as learning how to bind books, tying moccasins, etc. But my main complaint is that much of the exhibits can represent anywhere else in New England, the mid-Atlantic states, and even the Southern states that were first settled in the 17th century. To be sure there is a little information on Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Amistad, The Pequot and King Philip Wars, urban renewal in Hartford, and a superb collection of tavern signs from the 18 and 19th centuries, but the bulk of the museums exhibits are generic to the US East coast. Perhaps I missed it, but I saw nothing related to important Connecticut contributions such as the "Connecticut Compromise" to the US Constitution; Eli Whitney and the development of interchangeable parts; the old Post Road; Connecticut's important role in the arms, defense, clock, and insurance industries; and even Yale University.