Free admission We parked on street close bye…read moreI enjoyed my visit here, many famous paintings Free audio tour as well Many shops and restaurants near bye

This is a nice mid size museum at the edge of the Yale campus. We spent about two hours here. It…read morehas everything from sculptures to modern art pieces. The current exhibit on Indonesian textiles was very interesting. I also enjoyed the many pieces from Picasso and Kandinsky. They even have a Calder mobile. We also enjoyed the William Blake exhibit with his poems and prints. The staff was nice and friendly. The museum was clean and their map flyer really helped us navigate through the many rooms. Free admittance and free lockers are provided in the basement for our big purses, coats, and water bottles.

On a bit of a roadtrip down the Connecticut coast, we arrived in New Haven a little after 3pm, and…read moreI knew I had only had a little time before things/attractions closed at 5pm. So after hitting the Yale Center for British Art, we speed walked (sped walked?) over to the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Why? Google it and you'll understand when you see the pictures. Beinicke is Yale's rare book and manuscript library - not their main university library or their law library. The reading room is open to registered researchers only, but the public are welcome to visit the library's exhibition hall. And everyone visiting New Haven should! The library was built in 1963, and the the architecture is incredible. The building is a granite veneer shell, fastened to a structural steel frame. Inside that structure is a glass-enclosed tower of book cases. The granite was milled to 1.25 inches thick to allow filtered daylight in - in the afternoon/early evening, the marble turned an amber color. We walked back past it at night for a different view of the building. It is really incredible architecture, and the library hosts exhibits you can see in the exhibition hall when you visit to enjoy the building (when we visited, the exhibit was "Taught By the Pen: The World of Islamic Manuscripts"). The building is incredible and definitely worth a visit if you're exploring the Yale campus!

there is NO PUBLIC BATHROOM in here, but the staff directed me to the closest bathroom in the…read morebuilding across the courtyard.

One tradition that I look forward to every Christmas season is the A.C. Gilbert Holiday Train…read moreDisplay at the Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop. The New Haven-based A.C. Gilbert Company (known for originating the Erector Set) introduced their 'American Flyer' line of model trains just after World War II. The trains were very popular throughout the 1950s, but the rise of popularity with television sets and the death of company founder A.C. Gilbert created a decline in sales. The company was defunct by 1967. The Eli Whitney Museum has a large collection of old A.C. Gilbert products, including several American Flyer trains. Each year, the museum sets up a model railroad display from Thanksgiving to mid-January. Walter Zawalich is the museum's American Flyer Curator and he meticulously restores and maintains the trains and the display each year. I've been going to see the Holiday Train Display at the Museum since I was a young boy. My father used to collect American Flyer trains and we went to see the display often. I later introduced my wife to the tradition and now our two sons. In addition to the trains themselves, we love the attention to detail of the layout which resembles a miniature landscape of New Haven. You can continue to see the Holiday Train display on Saturdays and Sundays until January 14th and admission is FREE!

We had our son's birthday party here. We couldn't be happier with their service. It's a great place…read morefor kids and they all had fun.

I spent most of my childhood in Connecticut and somehow I don't ever remember visiting the Peabody…read moreMuseum of Natural History. I was visiting the nutmeg for a wedding a few weeks back when I found myself in New Haven with some friends and some time to kill. We were going to get some food, but figured it was a good time to go and check out the museum before hand. From the second I walked inside this place, I did not expect it to be as big as it was. This place is absolutely massive and stretches across multiple floors and a bunch of different exhibits on each floor. You have large exhibits dedicated to dinosaurs, sea creatures, butterflies, and a ton of extremely old things on display. I definitely spent the most time in the dinosaur room as well as a room full of taxidermy. The taxidermy room had raccoons, bears, large cats, and most importantly, some of the cutest red pandas I've ever seen in my life. I ended up running out of time sadly, but the time I spent here was an absolute blast. Overall, the Peabody Museum of Natural History is such a cool place to spend a few hours. I had a blast checking out all the different exhibits and of course, I had to hit up the gift shop for a magnet and a Yale Peabody shirt. I can't wait to check back in again on my next visit to Connecticut.

Lots of Dino's which made the person I was with happy. Very little on Egypt for me but I'm…read moresurprised they had anything. Gorgeous gem collection. It's a free museum so you can't complain. It will keep you entertained for at least an hour or two. The AC was on blast for the number. They blocked the parking lot which was annoying.

LOVED spyscape! Amazing for family or group event. Clean facility and well coordinated from staff…read more It was a nice break from the hustle! The staff was beyond helpful finding a lost piece of jewelry! Forever grateful for their professionalism and diligence with recovery!!

This was such a fun and unique experience! I surprised my boyfriend with this for his birthday, and…read morehe absolutely loved it. The challenges, puzzles, and games really make you think--you definitely have to process the clues carefully! There are multiple levels to complete, and throughout the experience you're asked questions that determine what type of agent you are, which was a really cool touch. It was challenging, but in the best way. Now that I understand how everything works, I definitely want to go back and do it again to see if I can do even better! If you're looking for something interactive, different, and a lot of fun, I highly recommend checking this place out. We'll definitely be back!

It's good for kids of all ages from toddlers to 10 year olds lots to do nothing to sophisticated.read more

Good thing kids get entertained with very little. I guess it beats staying home on a rainy day…read more Several themed room with items (music instruments, plastics insects, tons of books and gadgets) where kids can play. It really is a glorified playroom. NOT a museum. And cash only.

I've been here many times and each time I'm fascinated. Absolutely loved the Pezidential search!!!…read moreGreat way to get us to Look at everything and truly see things!! Love the history, variety of Pez and dispensers available. The sour Pez intrigued me and I had to try them, YUM!!

After seeing the Pez visitor center featured on CBS Sunday morning, I knew I had to visit the next…read moretime I was in Connecticut. The visitor center/museum/store is quite small. The first floor has a lot of older has dispensers, character, dispensers, sports and animal dispensers as well as international dispensers. On the lobby wall you will see a display of 792 Pez dispensers. The gift shop is also on the first floor along with the world's largest Pez dispenser. There is a cute photo where you put your head on top of a pest dispenser. A Pez themed chopper built by Orange County choppers is on the second floor. We were given a Pezz bingo card when we entered, we needed to locate specific pest dispensers. With a completed bingo card you could spin the wheel and get a dispenser. Admission for kids 3-12 & seniors is $4 while adults are $5. You get two dollars back to spend in the store. There is plenty of parking in their lot.

We had a little trouble finding this museum since signage was lacking on the front of the building…read more We went on a weekday and this museum was pretty empty. Free admittance and free lockers are provided in the basement for our big purses, coats, and water bottles. We took their recommendation and started at the top on the 4th floor and made our way down. There are a lot of paintings so it took us awhile and we ran out of time. The museum closes at 5pm and we were only there for 90 mins.

WOW. As a bit of an architecture nerd, I made a point to visit the Yale Center for British Art when…read moreI was in New Haven a week or so ago, and I'm so glad I did. The museum was designed by Louis Kahn, and the building is incredible. It's built around two interior courtyards and has a spiral staircase hidden inside a concrete cylinder. Its design includes travertine, white oak, and concrete. As with his other museum that I love (the Kimbell in Fort Worth), the lighting is incredible (the skylights are designed in such a way as to allow in the most possible light, but diffused to protect the art). I knew when we walked in that we didn't have long in the museum, so I asked a docent for the architectural highlights, and he was kind enough to steer us to the most special aspects and rooms of the building's design. But so you don't think the museum is just an empty building, I should mention the art!! Their permanent collection is interesting - the largest and most comprehensive collection of British art outside the UK. When we visited, the museum also had some interesting temporary exhibits: "Tracey Emin: I Loved You Until the Morning" and "J. M. W. Turner: Romance and Reality." It's a really beautiful museum - both the architecture and the art. I'd love to return when I have more time - to really enjoy the collection and not just the architecture next time! What a museum!

I went because of a Groupon. It had expired, but the docents kindly honored it anyway, and I shall…read morestill argue with Groupon about it. The museum itself isn't that big physically, and is in a bunker attached to a working airport. Small plans, and you can see them land and take-off at the end of the museum. Do not go outside without a docent. The museum may be small, but is FULL of artifacts about WWII, Connecticut airplane production, and other wars as well. Items are well marked with explanations, and there are several full sized plans and helicopters. You can't go into them, but you can see inside. There is a restroom for patrons. There's no AC, but several powerful fans.

I'm not really into aviation history, but I saw this place online and thought I'd check it out!…read moreWhat a cool spot! Here's the scoop on this hidden gem: The CT Air & Space Center is located right next to the Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford (if you go out the back door of the museum building, you'll actually be on the airport property). Free parking is available in the lot in front of the building. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for veterans, and $5 for children 6-12. The museum is currently only open Saturdays and Sundays 10AM-4PM. The museum itself is fairly small, but there's a lot to see! Inside you'll find vintage aircraft and airplane memorabilia and artifacts related to CT's aviation history. The main display piece is a restored Corsair fighter plane, and they also have a few military helicopters. There are additional planes and a larger helicopter outside, you just need to ask a staff member to accompany you, as it is a working airport. You're even allowed to sit in the cockpit of one of the planes, the 1973 Cessna 150 that says "Conn Motor Club" on the side. The museum is staffed entirely by volunteers who are all very friendly and knowledgeable. I'd recommend asking one of the staff members to show you around, so they can tell you the history behind the different aircrafts. One of the most interesting things I learned was about Gustave Whitehead of Bridgeport, CT, who, according to some evidence, flew an aircraft in 1901 and 1902, which would have predated the Wright Brothers first flight in 1903. While small, the museum is currently working to restore the 1929 Curtiss Flying School Hangar (located right next to the current building), and this would allow for the museum to expand and have more room to display their aircrafts. Overall a very cool and interesting place, stop by and help support them in preserving CT's aviation history!