The Japan Society of Greater Hartford holds an annual Japan Summer Festival for its 11th year. The…read moresquare is filled with vendors highlighting the Japanese culture, goods, snacks and food. Event though it's on its 11th year, the festival itself is not very big. There is sure is enough activities to try for an afternoon though. The general info tent were selling shirts and another one next to them had a yukata experience where you can try one for free. Always feel free to buy if you like it. The was a book author in the library which was followed by an origami activity. That was a challenge and definitely required patience. As for food, one table sold sushi which were kept in coolers since it was a hot day. I didn't recall seeing it being prepared on sites and other tables sold snacks and things. Since the event was in Blue Back Square, there are a number of options to dine in. They had both Pikachu and Hello Kitty on-site for pictures!

The Japanese Festival is a free event that takes place in Blue Back Square; right near Noah Webster…read morelibrary. There is dancing, martial arts, drumming, good and vendors. I saw people dancing, there was a sushi vendor, and origami. The event was small but it was busy. It's nice to see these type of events, love the diversity.

Quite a unique hotel restoration that hosts community events. This former hotel was a rest and meal…read morestop aside the railroad tracks heading north to Massachusetts. It went out if business a century ago when dining cars came into fashion. I enjoyed the Christmas arts and crafts show, which included handmade jewelry, photography, paintings, wood works, knitted/crocheted items (and more). Free hot chocolate and kids story time. The center of the hotel had an old toy train with a large toy village. The 2nd floor is set up with historic artifacts including a cool ledger and receipts from an old country store. This was such a fun place to visit!

My family and some friends visited for the first time to watch the World Cup final game…read more We liked the place, everyone seemed friendly and also excited about the game. Free of charge They do all kind of activities in the arena . They have vendors and allowed food trucks to be nearby to feed spectators on the side of the bleachers. The only downside of this location is that there is no shade and during a hot day like this it was unbearable, because you are not allowed to bring anything in besides a chair/ blanket. Water is expensive but again nothing is allowed in.

Pratt Street has been transformed to host a Bridgerton Ball for the ton for Hartford!…read more Each business on the street has their own theme and catered for all Bridgerton loves. I loved that Hartfor Prints catered their book displays for the occasion and Hartford Flavor company had created a menu with fitting selections. A photographer was on site and there were multiple backdrops available. There was a dance instructor too! So fun! Hoping for they return next year!

Who knew that West Hartford has its own Symphony Orchestra? I love this town!…read more Anyway, I bought tickets to their October concert and took my family. When we arrived in the theater, it was open seating and we found decent seats (next time we'll get there a little earlier). I saw surprised to see that it was packed. The concert itself was amazing. I can't believe how good these musicians are. They even had a guest who is a prodigy on the piano. It was about 3 hours. During intermission, they have coffee, cookies, brownies and other goodies provided by Fleming's. Overall, I would highly recommend this for those interested in the symphony and those looking for a great family experience. Tickets aren't that expensive - $15 for adults and free for kids under 12. We can't wait to check out their holiday concert in December.

"So what you gonna do When you look up one day…read moreAnd see your playhouse tumbling down?" (Graham Parker and the Rumour) In 2021, I fell into a nice post-retirement gig as a published free-lance writer. One of my articles was a profile of an extraordinary gentleman by the name of Eddie Jaku. https://aish.com/the-happiest-man-on-earth-eddi-jakus-inspirational-story-of-survival-forgiveness-and-love/ When I saw that his life story was now the subject of a stage play - "The Happiest Man on Earth" - being performed at the Playhouse on Park, well, I knew I'd be in that audience someday. I was there at today's matinee, and it was my first visit to the Playhouse. The theater doesn't have a dedicated parking lot, but we easily found a spot on Park Road. One very helpful usher scanned our tickets and a second guided us to our rows and seats. The seat numbers are easily visible and it's a snap to find your way. The seats were large and very comfortable, in my opinion better than those at the Bushnell. The theater has four rows of seats along three sides of the stage and seats a total of 160 customers. Each of the three sections has only four rows. So, although we sat in the last row of the center stage area, we were in the fourth row. There isn't a bad seat in the house. The sight lines were excellent, and the rows of seats are elevated just enough so you aren't staring at the back of the head of the customer in front of you. The show was a one-man tour-de-force by Robert Resnikoff who brought Eddie Jaku to life in an 80-minute monologue. His performance was supplemented by audio and lighting effects to recreate things like broken glass, train engines, gunshots, etc. Everything was very well done. What a great theater experience.

Gutenberg ! the Musical The 2 actors- Jeremiah Michael Ginn…read moreand John Wascavage and the pianist/ musical director/"orchestra", Miles Messier are absolutely amazing! I do not know how they have managed to create this play. Their acting and character portrayals with their song and dance and their " hats" is hysterical , full of laughter and so much fun to watch and enjoy! Latanya Farrell was our guest Broadway producer !! There is not a bad seat in the house. All of the shows we have seen the actors all play to the audience and it is very true of this cast! It is a must see for everyone!!

Truly fabulous find!! We wanted to explore Yale University and ended up selecting the gardens as a…read moremap location. The gardens drew us in and we could not stop exploring!!! 6 greenhouses and each filled with fascinating varieties of plants and trees. We were enthusiastically welcomed by truly master gardeners/groundskeepers gifted with the greenest of thumbs (I was so envious). Absolutely loved their vast variety of plants, flowers, and trees. The grounds were so lush and colorful, vibrant with so many types of flowers/flowering plants, bushes and trees. We even saw student experiments which were fascinating as well. We both really loved this beautiful and magical place!! Looking forward to visiting here again.