Booked the Living History Tour which lasted ~70 minutes and was led by a costumed actor. Even…read morethough it was raining, we enjoyed this experience. Our actor/tour guide portrayed Katie, one of the servants in the house. She told interesting stories and facts about Mark Twain, his family and the house. Pictures were not allowed during the tour except at the last part/basement and outside the house. Parking was not a problem as there was a lot before entering the museum which can lead to Mark Twain's house. There's a 20+ minute introductory video (separate from the tour) that you can see in the museum. The gift shop has magnets, t-shirts, other clothes, books, toys, pins, snacks, etc. There's also a cafe in the museum. This house/museum is about 20 minutes away from Bradley International (Hartford) airport. Would recommend this tour!

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.

I don't know who put this all together, but it was a genius move. Spectacular way to display Van…read moreGoghs work, even if you don't know another about him, you will get all you need heretic room where everything definitely wakes up is so beautiful, and the VR was really cool too. Look up the immersive experience in your town and go!!!

It was great when it WAS here!…read more This must be very out of date as Van Gogh exhibit closed more than a year ago!

"Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh"…read more Do you know that the original title of the song we know today as Jingle Bells was "The One Horse Open Sleigh?" Yup, it was written in 1857 and it's original purpose was lost to history. Some say it was written for a Sunday School choir, others say it was a drinking song. So, take your pick. You'll see a bunch of beautifully painted one-horse open sleighs along Hopmeadow Street as part of the Simsbury Sleigh Trail. The sleighs all date back to the mid-1800's and are part of a Simsbury Historical Society's winter program to refurbish these aging antiques, and sponsor the painting of decorative murals on the sleds by local artists. The artists worked within the theme of "Winter Scenes" and were to illustrate life in the 1850's. Many of the sleighs were rotting away in old barns and their owners welcomed the opportunity to donate them. There was a lot of rodent and insect and deterioration damage to renovate before they were ready for the artist's palette and paintbrush. The sleds have gorgeous color paintings of landscapes, a bobcat, a fox, bears, horses, an owl, a cardinal, villages, farms, local landmarks, a snowman, and children sledding. The detail is amazing, and the colors are gorgeous. What a nice way to honor the past and add some splashes of color and creativity to our lives! (Word of warning -the exhibit closes at the end of February)

A beautiful combination of art, garden, and urban storm water educational piece. Enter the wrought…read moreiron sculpture entrance on Salem St and take a stroll through the alley for various art works and gardens along with info panels about the storm water project features.

An urban green public art gallery! Love! A collaboration…read morewith the Acre neighborhood group, city, and university with contributions of art by local Public Schools and poetry too! Don't forget to get Cote's famous beans on Salem St (and throw in a whoopie pie)!

very cute! when I went there was kids activities and big bubbles on which made the whole experience…read more10/10. Fun place!

This sculpture garden is right in the center of Springfield Museum plaza. There were a handful of…read morecopper/metallic sculptures of many famous Dr. Seuss characters. There's also a giant book sculpture that has some famous verses from Dr Seuss engraved in it. The garden has elegant walking pavement covered by trees. It leads to entrances of four museums around the plaza. There's also an outdoor tent for people to sit in front of the garden. Overall it's a nice garden for families and kids.

9/23/26 Visit: The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum for my 700th Review! A Must See Museum!…read more The outside of the museum looks like an old castle. We arrived at 12 PM for the 1230 *Museum highlights tour. Unfortunately, we were told that the tour was canceled. A Jewish Artists tour was scheduled for 2 PM. So we had time for lunch. We asked the staff where was the best place for Pizza. They recommended, "The Brownstone". It was about a 10 minute walk. The pizza was delicious! Back to the Museum! Susan was our wonderful docent for the Jewish Artists tour. She encouraged a lot of group participation. On the Jewish Artists tour, some of the more well known artists were Marc Chagall and Camille Pisarro. In addition, Susan pointed out other highlights in the museum. Many thanks to Susan!! The rest of the museum staff were wonderful too! After the tour, we wandered around the museum. The museum has a wide variety of old and modern paintings and sculptures. The Wadsworth has a wonderful gift shop upon entry. The museum does have a small café with indoor and outdoor dining. Street and mostly garage parking is within walking distance of the museum. Thanks for the read and viewing my photos.

This museum is stunning and a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. The collection is beautifully…read morecurated and there's something for every type of art lover. The pieces are also rotated so everytime I visit I feel like I'm seeing something new! Right now, there's a gallery of local artists show casing some wonderful talent. Plus, the museum is free to Hartford residents and UConn Students. Staff is friendly and passionate. Visit if you haven't!

The house is beautiful and full of original furniture. Our guide Elizabeth was very professional,…read moreknowledgeable and friendly. She loves history and answered all our questions. Enjoyed the tour immensely! I would recommend this tour as a DONT MISS!

Last Friday, we had the pleasure of touring the historic Lippitt House in Providence--and it was…read moreabsolutely amazing! What made the experience truly unforgettable was our guide, Elizabeth Gilbert (not the author of Eat, Pray, Love, but THE Elizabeth Gilbert who brings history to life). Her tour was informative, engaging, and full of fascinating details that transported us straight into the elegance of Victorian times. If you're visiting magical Providence, don't miss this gem. It's a beautiful step back in time, guided by someone who clearly loves what she does.

Have to drop them to 3. Had been on a few trips with them that went well, but after this past…read moreFriday they lost me. The 'Friday Funday' Mystic trip was cancelled. Ok. I get it trips get cancelled when there aren't enough people signed up for it. But in this case, they didn't even bother to tell me/us. Even got the confirmation/reminder email the day before. So being at the pickup point and its 5 minutes after we're supposed to leave, I call them to see what's going on and then they tell me it got cancelled and I should've been told Tuesday, but obviously wasn't and again, even got the confirmation/reminder email the day before. As someone that doesn't get a lot of time out work to burn a day off with nothing to show for it is extremely frustrating, and honestly, I just can't risk getting burned again. The owner Ted called later that day offering to make it right and I was refunded the money for the trip and the other trip I cancelled but I can't risk burning another day off with nothing to show for it. The people have always been nice, so I won't completely knock them, but beware even getting a confirmation email the day doesn't mean the trip is happening.

I joined Experience Rhode Island Tours on their A Day on Martha's Vineyard tour. There were three…read moredeparture locations: Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, RI, Visitor information Center at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI, and the main entrance of Hampton Inn New Bedford in Fairhaven, MA. Ted picked us up from the Visitor information Center two minutes prior to 7:00am. The mini coach bus was pretty full from the first pickup location. We then went on our way to the third pickup location. After our mini coach bus was full, we crossed Bourne Bridge to Woods Hole Terminal in Cape Cod to take a 45 minute Steamship Authority's ferry ride to Oak Bluffs. The ferry ride was smooth. When we got to Oak Bluffs, Ted told us about the history of Martha's Vineyard and gave us a map. First, we went to the fishing village of Menemsha for lunch and I walked to Menemsha Public Beach. Stanley Larsen, owner of Menemsha Fish Market, came on board the bus and showed us the jaws of a great white shark he caught in 1983 while swordfishing. Next, we went to the Aquinnah Cliffs Overlook to admire the beautiful cliffs of Aquinnah and Gay Head Light. This was my favorite part of the whole trip. Then, we explored the lovely harbor of shops and homes in Edgartown. I walked to the Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse, which is very close to Harbor View Hotel. Ted talked to us about the Chappaquiddick incident that occurred sometime around midnight, between July 18 and 19, 1969, while standing in front of the Harbor View Hotel looking out at the Poucha Pond. On the way to Oak Bluffs, we stopped at the "Jaws Bridge," a popular spot for jumping into the water despite signs prohibiting it. Lastly, we saw the gingerbread cottages and the tabernacle of Oak Bluffs. We then took the Steamship Authority's ferry ride from Vineyard Haven back to Woods Hole Terminal. We returned to Visitor information Center at the Rhode Island Convention Center about 7:30pm. Everyone on the trip were very respectful of the time Ted told us to return to the bus and were very friendly. This was a wonderful, fun, informational day trip to New England's most popular island and I am so glad I got to explore Martha's Vineyard for the first time with Experience Rhode Island Tours. Ted took us on a tour of the entire island, exploring its six towns. The tour included admission to Martha's Vineyard ferry, narrated tour, and round-trip transportation to and from the ferry, and transportation throughout the day on the Vineyard. Experience Rhode Island Tours always does a great job with their tours and I am looking forward to what other tours they plan in the future!

This was the first time we traveled with Collette. The 7 day/6 night tour, "Spotlight on South…read moreDakota," featured Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower (in Wyoming), Badlands National Park, and much more. The itinerary was appealing because, in contrast to tours with multiple destinations linked by long, tedious motor coach rides between 1- or 2-night hotel stays, we would be headquartered in one centrally located spot with no more than a 2-hour drive to the various sites. The poor communication from Collette's main office prior to the tour was unsettling. An invoice stating, "Please remit full payment no later than 17 Feb, 2025" was not received until March 7. An accompanying document included an alert that the names we had scribbled on our registration forms during a travel talk 5 months earlier had to exactly match the names on our Real ID cards. Unfortunately, Collette sent out this "reminder" AFTER they had purchased our airline tickets. I promptly submitted a minor correction. Well, imagine my outrage when they passed along an airline "name change fee" of $100.00. I disputed this ridiculous charge (and won). Many of our fellow tour participants were not experienced fliers. But beyond making our airline reservations, Collette offered not one iota of guidance - not even a useful web link - towards navigating online check-in, baggage, self-service kiosks, TSA, etc. Granted, every airport and airline has its own arcane modus operandi, but still ... Nor was the Collette Compass app I installed on my smartphone useful. The itinerary was a mere copy of the printed documents previously mailed to tour participants. An accompanying list of restaurants and retail stores was woefully outdated; several had closed and others were inaccessible except by rideshare. Search engines (e.g. Google) provided far more concise and up-to-date info. Apart from the above 'plaints, we truly enjoyed the tour. Our hotel, Hyatt Place, was centrally located in downtown Rapid City. Brand new and luxurious, it was within easy walking distance of multiple stores, restaurants, and other attractions. The activities and attractions included in the tour itinerary were generally well curated. At times, though, we felt rushed, especially at lunch stops. We surely could have stayed longer at Wall Drugs, Hill City and Custer ... I'm certain most of our traveling companions would have been OK with returning to the hotel at 5:00 instead of 4:00. Also, after 3 days, multiple museums, displays and talks featuring the history and lore of South Dakota were becoming repetitive. Our tour included three dinners. A "welcome" dinner in a banquet room at a Best Western motel was catered by the adjoining Minervas Restaurant. A presentation by a native Lakota family was delightful but less so our meals, which arrived tepid and daintily portioned. In contrast, the food portions at the "farewell" dinner at Sabatino's were hearty (but their kitchen was not so accommodating in meeting dietary restrictions). The chuckwagon supper and show at Ft. Hays - not included in the tour price - was better overall than the included chuckwagon supper and show at the High Plains Heritage Center located in Spearfish. Collette really ought to consider switching to Ft. Hays for future SD tours. We traveled between sites in a brand new motor coach, enjoying a wonderful driver who was not only punctual and friendly but also knew Rapid City backwards & forwards and shared some great suggestions (including the enjoyable evening at Ft. Hays). But I've saved the best for last, namely our tour manager Barry. He is the reason I gave Collette 4 stars instead of 3. Never appearing stressed or impatient, Barry was unswervingly cheerful, polite, helpful, and an inspiring fountain of knowledge about the various sites we visited. When the weather turned sour, he got us to smile and laugh. In short, he was a great traveling companion and friend to every tour participant. We hope to travel with Barry again (and we hope Collette's HQ office gets their act together on communication and documents).

Booked a trip to the UK with an extension to Paris in spring of 2022. We traveled from Scotland to…read moreLondon and then took the train to Paris. This was our first international trip since the beginning of the pandemic. As we neared the end of our journey, my husband and I tested positive for Covid and had to quarantine in Paris (we needed a negative Covid test to re-enter the U.S.) Collette was wonderful. They extended our stay in our hotel, assigned a lovely woman who spoke French and English, to call us every day and make sure we didn't need medical attention. After 5 days, we received a negative test and Collette got us home the next day. Fortunately, I had purchased trip insurance through Tripmate and, once home, Collette help me fill out the paperwork to submit to the insurance company. I was reimbursed for my hotel, food, Covid test, flight adjustment, and one day of our stay in Paris. I can't say enough good things about Collette. They were so nice and extremely helpful. We will be going back to Europe this upcoming autumn with Collette. AND I want to give a shout-out to our UK guide, Gail. Best tour guide ever!