The American Clock & Watch Museum is a very cool, unique museum located in Bristol. Before visiting…read morethis museum, I thought to myself, "How much is there to really know about clocks and watches?" But boy was a I wrong! This museum opened back in 1954 and at that time was called the "Bristol Clock Museum." It was actually the first museum in America to be totally devoted to horology, or the study of time and timekeeping. At that time there were about 300 clocks on display. A few years later, the museum grew and its was changed to the American Clock & Watch Museum, and there are now over 1,500 clocks and watches on display including advertising clocks, punch clocks, grandfather clocks, blinking-eye clocks, railroad watches, and even Hickory Dickory Dock clocks! The museum was so much bigger than I expected it to be, with multiple rooms all filled with clocks and watches from various periods in history. One of the rooms was actually a recreation of a historical clock and watch store, which was really cool. They also have another room filled with dozens of grandfather clocks, which was so peaceful to just sit down and listen to the ticking of all the clocks. The museum is open Wed-Sun, 10AM-5PM and adult admission is only $12. The tours are self-guided, but staff members are available to answer any questions you may have. Make sure to check out this cool museum!

A great place to visit and learn the history of clocks and clock history! A bonus was we met Bruce…read morewho was there to wind some of the clocks, and he gave our group an impromptu history lesson on clock making. Go visit and support!!!

Surprisingly great little art museum / historical home. It's on the more expensive end of tours at…read more$18, but the previous owners were big art collectors: so you'll see Monet, Manet, Degas, Chippendale, and more. There's a great art range, and the tour guide was very informative to the Pope family and the daughter Theodate who did a lot of the architectural designing. The house has a lot of great things to look at (between the art and furniture in all the rooms) and at the visitor's center there is a small art exhibit. No photos in the house allowed though. There are trails on the property and a sunken garden. On a nice weather day, it's great for walking around the property. It was crowded when I went on a Saturday, and tours are on the hour, so don't show up at the last minute. Overall, a great site to visit!

Came here for a work catered event so cannot speak to the actual museum. Had no idea that this…read morehidden gem was nearby to where I work. The grounds are beautifully kept and well maintained. Great photo ops for all occasions. Plenty of parking available. The event inside space can easily be opened up to the outside to make the venue space bigger for larger groups. Great event space with plenty of privacy for intimate gatherings and parties.

Excellent museum, worth your time. There are many carousel horses and figures. Arranged by…read moreproduction region some quite old and some fairly new. There is also a restoration area on view. There is a small section that is a Greek history museum. Additionally a firefighting museum with an impressive collection of equipment, many from local fire stations. All of the staff greeted us. They have a banquet room where they host parties and weddings. Lots for children to do. Also, there is a small gift shop. Across the street is an impressive mural featuring Martin Luther King.

So we are having our wedding here, the process was the most amazing process ever. Samantha is…read moreamazing. I asked for info via email, the next day she reached out and we set up a tour. My partner and I are looking forward to the actual event. The museum is also gorgeous and happy to see all of this history being looked after

Great collection. Totally worth the trip to New Britain. A little known gem in Connecticutread more

Great curation. However, I worked here as part of and installation/performance, and was treated…read moreless than(called out for having a bottle of water by security staff, while patrons were walking around looking at art in all the areas with bottles of water). When I confronted certain security staff in question-- after continuing to perform my duties as defined by my contract with the museum,he continued to double down and single me out while appearing to not address or correct other patrons who were making the same "mistakes" I did. The staff's behavior is especially a shame, as otherwise the our reception and performance her was the one of the best our band has ever had-- we've been around doing this type thing for over 10 years now. Curation staff seems to need a restraining of policy and diversity (me: 39F and obviously queer, undercut, masculine clothing, etc). Everyone else -cafe, front desk and other staff were very accommodating and friendly. Our band even had extra support from other willing staff with sourcing special items like music stands, tape, and ironically bottles of water.

Wallace Barnes Nature Trail is a 1.1 mile, fully accessible trail behind the Barnes Nature Center…read more There were plenty of parking spots when I went. It is a level boardwalk with some crushed stones throughout; people can use wheelchairs, strollers, walkers, etc. It goes through the woods so there were plenty of shade. I love that it has benches and shelters, for a quick rest. Those shelters overlooked a stream and field. There are informational signs throughout giving facts about the area. This trail also connects to 5 other trails; those trails are: Elmer's Way 0.5 mile Blue Trail 0.7 mile Yellow Trail 0.2 mile White Trail 0.3 mile Purple Trail 1.2 mile My children and I thoroughly enjoyed this very easy walking trail. We are a fan of boardwalks so it was enjoyable and pleasant. There were a few others out enjoying the trail also. I look forward to going back and checking out the other trails as well as the nature center. The nature center was closed when I went (Tuesday) but opens Thursday through Saturday 10-4 and Sunday 12-4. I highly recommend it!

Winding elevated walkway through the natural wetland & wooded reserve. Set aside for young, old,…read morein-between, able, and even for those less able. Informational stops and ample spots to pull aside to rest, relax, and take-in the natural surroundings and hopefully observe some wildlife and the seasonal changes within woodland. This is all very recently constructed through thoughtful donations and hard working hands. Please respect the surroundings, leashed pups were welcome when I last visited, and all visitors (fury or not) are requested to stay on the elevated boardwalk.

The museum for New Britain's industrial history in basically one large room on the second floor of…read moreCentral Connecticut State University's Institute of Technology and Business Development Training Center. (That building's name is way too long.) And there were a few elderly volunteers who gave us about an hour long talk on the history of industry in New Britain. I learned that more hardware has been produced and distributed from New Britain than any other city in the United States. So it's interesting that all the other places (e.g., Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis, Philadelphia) are more well-known that New Britain.

We had some time before we needed to catch a flight out of Hartford. My husband found this place…read moreand it happened to be open on Saturdays. It is on the first floor of a building that houses a college. You have to ring the bell on the outer door to be let in. Then it is down the first hall on the right. We walked in the room and it is filled all sort of displays. After a few minutes Karen came out of her office and asked if we wanted a tour. She gave us about a 45 minute tour of all the displays. She has so much information. She also answered all of our questions. The experience wouldn't have been the same without her tour. I am glad we got her time. There is no fee but a place to give a donation. Karen gave us her card to send her an email and pictures of things we may own that has been made in New Britain. If in the area, I would stop buy and learn how much New Britain has done for America. An enjoyable place to visit.

Great place to bring the kids and family! Love the special events and how it evolved over the…read moreyears!!

Animals all looks sad ,old place had cobwebs in corners and very small museum area with no A/c vary…read morestuffy and musty inside :( there are far better places with animals to take kids :(

"You Hit the Wrong Note Billy Goat" (Bill Haley and the…read moreComets) Bradley Mountain Farm was more fun than a Barrel full of ............Goats! We signed up for a 1:00 "Barnard Buddies" session. For ten bucks, we reserved our own bench at the fence that pens in their goats, were given a bag of goat food (compressed hay pellets), and enjoyed a half hour of Goat Wackiness. The fun began when the other 1:00 groups were escorted to our benches by our Guide. We immediately saw the goat herd march to the fence and follow us as to our benches. Obviously, they been through this a zillion times and knew there was chow on the way. I asked out guide if the goats can eat all day and was told yes--of course because goats have 4 stomachs. Another odd feature of the goat's anatomy is their eyes -they have bizarrely rectangular pupils. Apparently, their vulnerability to predators caused their eyes to evolve. They have a broad line of sight, and those rectangular-shaped pupils lets them better see danger approaching. We were instructed to hold the food pellets in our outstretched hand and let the goats "kiss" it out of our hands. It was so interesting to see hoe different goats had personalities -some were super mellow, while others were super aggressive and literally shoved their goat brothers and sisters out of the way to be fed. We did see a few males really go at each other with violent head butts, but our guide said that was normal. Go and take your kiddies and maybe you can take the goats for a walk on a leash or buy some "cuddle time" or Goat Yoga or Dress the Baby Goats in pajamas. I kid you not. They have a lot of activity options.

This was ridiculously pricey. It cost so much just to make soap when we actually went to the pen to…read morelook at the goats. They there was no goats out there. I was so disappointed, and when I went to the back to see the goats there was literally no goats there at all so we finally went to the side that had goats, and then a dog randomly started barking at us. The lady walked out of the door and told us to leave this was an extremely disappointing experience. The supervisor was really rude. and overall it was way too pricey and just a waste of time I would not recommend.1star

I did not come to tour the museum, but did get to see part of it as part of a hearth cooking class…read more The Stanley-Whitman is part original house arranged how it may have been with the original owners, and part new structure with a gift shop and modern restrooms. There is also an herb garden outside, and an apple tree grown based on the teachings of Benjamin Franklin. Apparently having fruit took more than a grocery store way back when. The house is very interesting to experience. Everything was smaller back then, and cooking was a task and a half. The employees/docents are obviously learned about their subjects, and you'll learn a lot. Definitely check out their special programs - parking may be a challenge (so carpool!) but if they're food related they'll be delicious.

Stopped in for a short tour during the day. The docent was very knowledgeable. It's a small place…read morebut tons of information. Great way to spend an hour.

Bristol Bazaar is an overstimulation for all of your senses. There are sparkling lights to see,…read morethey have plush things to touch, they have handmade soaps to smell, they have tasty samples to taste, and of course all of the excitement to hear. Bristol Bazaar is a collection of vendors selling their handmade merchandise at the same place. They are open all year, six days a week. With the holiday season in full force, you will find ornaments and tree toppers galore. They have screen printed and embroidered t-shirts and hoodies. There are toys, keychains, jewelry, plants and more. The best part about shopping or browsing at Bristol Bazaar is the checkout process. There's no need to make an individual purchase at each vendor, instead you can collect all of the goodies in your shopping basket, then cash out at the register. This helps keep things moving, and less people standing around. The items are marked with barcodes, so the makers receive their portion of the sale. If you're looking for a unique handmade gift, Bristol Bazaar is the place to go!

"What of the neighbours and the prophets in bars? What are…read morethey saying in our public bazaars?" (The Clash) The Bristol Bazaar is one of the most colorful and visually appealing marketplaces I've ever seen. It was a kaleidoscope of colors, shapes, and patterns. What a cool concept - a rotating ever-changing roster of over 65 local makers and artisans in a beautiful space with a built-in coffee bar and cocktail lounge (Yellow King Bristol). And if that isn't enough, they also offer crafting workshops, special events, and a classroom. Their website summarizes their mission - "We are looking for entrepreneurs who make their products by hand and are looking to make their side hustle, a full-time gig". Well said! We had a blast strolling through the Bazaar and marveling at the creativity and talent of the local makers. Everything here is made by hand by the sellers- no reselling is allowed. We walked out with a jar of caramel sauce from La Famiglia Tedesco for a certain caramel loving grand-daughter and a jar of Bloody Mary mix from Bloody Good Mud for a certain Bloody Mary loving Yelper. Because the roster of makers can change every month, you'll never really run out of new stuff to look at.