This museum is adorable! I came because of a Groupon, and parking may be an issue for events. It…read morewas very limited on the property itself, although there is handicapped parking right next to the main house. Outside there is a barn and old outhouse, and a beautiful garden display. it's very well maintained. The entrance is off the front porch, where you're greeted by a docent or intern. Tours of the house are 20-30 minutes, and it contains so many original items from the original family who owned it (it went right from the last surviving to a museum), and the last generation was into collecting. There's a lot of local history, many dog decorations, and GOBLETS. There's over 1,000 goblets, and most seem to be single styles. They are working on cataloging them. The house is beautiful, and the history is fascinating. If you live in the area, you'll pick up pieces of Southington back in the day. Children would even enjoy seeing the cases of old products and what names they may recognize. And the goblets are breathtaking. This is a great value museum! (They also sell postcards for a great price)

This guy never…read more threw out anything The Barnes Museum, formerly known as the Bradley Homestead, is a cool old house that serves as a historical library and is open to the public. It was built in 1836 and for five bucks you get to see and hear about another time and way of life. The first thing you notice once you are inside the house is that there is a lot of stuff. Lots of lots of stuff. All kinds of stuff. Stuff everywhere. It turns out Bradley Barnes, a son of the original builder of the house never threw out anything. He collected and kept all kinds of stuff. Some very cool stuff but also a lot of crap. It seems every single receipt, letter, photo, magazine, toy, knick knack and doo dad he every owned he kept. Perhaps some serious OCD going on there. It almost seemed like he knew the house was going to be a museum and wanted it well stocked with stuff. Of course all this stuff makes the house interesting to tour. The lady bringing us around seemed to know exactly what every single piece in the house was and where it came from. Pretty cool and amazing. All the stuff isn't from Bradley or from one temporal moment. Leela Barnes, Bradley's wife was a prolific painter and many of her paintings are scattered throughout the domicile. She also had many collections and also seem to keep just about everything she ever owned. You can definitely see what the attraction between these two was The house was being lived in until the 1970's when it was donated to the town so there were modifications and changes to the original structure and items from different decades. Going through the place is almost like a walk through time. Shifting back and forth through different years ands individuals. Of course you inevitable go back to Bradley's stuff. A great old house that is in absolutely pristine condition. It's filled with lots of very cool and some not so cool stuff. So much stuff that you have to thread carefully in places so that you don't end up breaking some of the stuff. I have a feeling that Leela and Bradley were a couple of crazy sob's but because of them we have a great old historic house filled with lots of very interesting stuff.

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.

Fun little spot for a quick stop if you're already in the area. It's a FREE museum of sorts that…read moretouches on Wethersfield history, and had two main exhibits when we were there. First one delves into the broad history of the area, second is a related to the Connecticut State Prison that used to be on the Wethersfield Cove (and is now a park, though most of the buildings are gone). If you're in downtown Wethersfield for a visit or happen to live there and want a brief history lesson, it's worth a stop. Then you can go to one of the great local businesses afterwards! Good quick "Day Activity" bundle deal...? Combo this with a trip to the Cove/CT River so you can see the real thing and compare to the photos here!

My wife and I wanted a simple but historic place to have our wedding and reception....we got both…read moreat the Keeney Center...Jill Fletcher was outstanding in her role as manager of the centers ballroom area. She was very flexible in allowing us access to the hall to get everything set up for the big day. Everyone at our wedding marveled at how beautiful and historic the center was. There was plenty of parking behind the center and its location in Old Wethersfield provided the perfect backdrop. The sound system was excellent and allow us to plug right in and play music. There's a small area to set up a bar and plenty of rooms to get ready in. Jill and her team were outstanding hosts and I highly recommend renting from them for any event you have planned.

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.

One of the best places to go in the Hartford area. It has an amazing collection of classic artwork…read moreand rotating collections of modern art. I've been many times and somehow I'm still surprised by some of the pieces on display (Van Gogh, Monet, Dali, etc.). They run various events and community days, and membership costs are very reasonable. Support the Arts!

I was miserable most of my time there. BUT. This was a great museum. I was miserable because the…read moreonly time I could go was on a Saturday, a free Saturday no less, on a day they had a festival, arts and crafts, and a Christmas tree event. So the crowds were INSANE. Like NYC level insane. That being said, I have lots of great things to say about this place, which underwent a huge renovation and modernization several years ago that was so good that the New York Times wrote an article saying it was "a masterpiece of renovation." The great hall is beautiful and though I don't care much for old school colonizer art, I was bummed it was teeming with Christmas trees and families, hindering my ability to take an artful photo to capture that masterpiece. The museum does a great job of mixing colors, styles, appreciating the classical, while also mixing in fun and modern elements. They have European art. Impressionist art. All that gold religious stuff. Modern art that's just some blocks and colors and makes you wonder, "is this really art?" They have a great surrealist section and a huge Dali painting, which is actually the marketing they used to get me here. They have some sculpture, some Greek sculpture and some contemporary art. I enjoyed the art by Black artists and art focusing on Black struggles in the Amistad Center, located on the third floor, though I wish this section was bigger. They had an Islamic art section, Chinese art, American art (most of what I saw was from the 20s through the 90s). I loved how each space was painted a rich, moody color. And the common spaces were full of patterns, stained glass, and multi-colored walls winding up the staircase. The staff were nice and helpful. I paid 20-something bucks for admission, but since I bought a ticket for a free Saturday, the staff was cool enough to contact me and ask me if I wanted a full refund. I told them to take the fee as a donation. I've seen almost all the museums in New York City, which is my favorite place in the world. But this one can hold its own. But if I ever visit again (which I doubt, cus who needs to see Hartford twice?)--I will avoid weekends and free days and definitely the Christmas tree festival!

Best children's museum we've ever been to, hands down! They have wonderful interactive exhibits…read morethat have kept my kid engaged on each of our visits. They also go above and beyond--kiddo had an accident and I realized that we didn't have a change on hand, but there was a stash of supplies in the bathroom that included extra pants! What a lifesaver. Excellent and friendly staff as well.

Kidcity Children's Museum is a children's museum that opened in Middletown, Connecticut in…read moreSeptember 1998. It was founded by Jennifer Alexander. She originally founded Kidcity as a homegrown non-profit organization in 1994 in attempt to make Middletown a more desirable place for families with young children. The circa 1835 historic Camp-Sterns House was donated by St. Sebastian's Church after the building retired from a 70-year career as their convent. The City of Middletown donated a portion of a public parking lot as a new site for the house. In March 1997, the old house moved 400 feet down Washington Street. Extensive renovations were done to the house and permanent hands-on exhibits were created by local artist Ted Esselstyn. The museum opened to the public the following year. The museum doubled in size in 2003 when a new addition was put on. My family and I have visited Kidcity a number of times since my wife and I began having children. We've been to a lot of children's museums over the years, but we think that Kidcity is easily the best one in Connecticut. Not only do our two sons have a lot of fun, but also my wife and me! Our most recent visit was this past August. There are so many different rooms and exhibits for children to engage in pretend play. Some of the rooms include The Ship, The Farm, Main Street, Video Theater, Space Age Roadtrip, and The Cornfield. There's even the Toddler Sea Caves on the basement level that our younger son enjoyed exploring. We usually end up staying for at least two hours, but I'm sure that our two boys could be engaged there for much longer. If you're looking for a fun indoor activity for families with young children, then head to Kidcity!

The Pinshack was a classic amusement arcade that opened in East Hampton, Connecticut in October…read more2022. It was founded by Bryan Joy. A mechanical engineer by trade, Joy worked for an electronics repair business serving Wall Street clients for a number of years. Eventually he began to repair arcade games on the side, as well as buying used arcade games on eBay to repair and then re-sell. When the pandemic hit, Joy decided to quit his full-time job and open his own business which he named "JD Pinball". He completely refurbished about 10 machines per year, repaired another 50 machines annually, and also rented out machines for private parties and corporate events. When Joy saw that people were looking for more activities to do during the pandemic, he decided to open his own arcade which featured about 40 games that he had fixed up. Located in an old industrial building, the Pinshack featured classic arcade cabinets, pinball machines, racing games, rail shooter games, skee-ball, shuffle alley bowling, and even Guitar Hero Arcade. Customers were charged $15 each for unlimited free play. Following a serious heart attack and other associated health issues, Joy made the decision to close down the Pinshack. The arcade's last day in business was February 21, 2026. My older son and I stopped at the Pinshack on their final day in business. It's unfortunate because I only just heard about this arcade's existence maybe a month or so earlier, and then not long after I heard that it was closing. My son and I wanted to get one visit in before they closed their doors for good. Owner Bryan Joy greeted us as we entered; he seemed very friendly. There was a decent sized crowd there for one last day of arcade fun. I really liked that there was a nice balance of different game types: classic arcade cabinets, pinball machines, racing games, etc. My son loves racing games and he spent most of our visit enjoying a "Road Burners" motorcycle racing game. It was pure bliss for him. I don't usually stay at a single game for too long, so I was sampling a little bit of everything. I did spend a good deal of time playing "Tic Tac Strike" shuffle alley bowling, as I had never seen it before and it was a lot of fun. My son and I ended up staying for close to 3 hours. It's too bad that the Pinshack closed right after our visit, as I would have definitely come back here again and again. The question on my mind is: what's going to happen to all of those machines? Will a new owner step in to continue running the Pinshack? Only time will tell.

What a great addition to East Hampton's Village Center. This little arcade, tucked into the…read moreindustrial buildings, offers a retro, underground clubhouse feel and a rotation of classic and newer video games and pinball machines. The entry fee is $15 per person and all games are on free play, including the claw machine! It seems like every time I visit there's at least one new machine in there. I love the free play concept as it allows me to complete classic games that I never finished. Also, while I was always a pinball fan, I never played it much, saving my quarters for my favorite video games. Now I can practice and really enjoy some great machines from years past. The owner is a really cool guy and is super knowledgeable about games. It's really great that he extends his hours during school breaks and days off to give the kids of East Hampton something fun to do. There is a selection of chips and drinks if you need a snack, and if you get really hungry there is quality pizza, tacos, Asian and coffee just around the corner on Main Street. Definitely stop in and check this place out. Next thing you know it will be two hours later and you'll have beaten your high score at Ms. Pac Man.

So I mucked up. I bought tix online for Monday night, but…read moresomewhere I made a mistake and they were actually for Tuesday the next day. So my wife & I turn all ready for a movie night and the mistake is apparent. But instead of turning us away, (and our movie night would have been ruined) the staff was SUPREMELY HELPFUL and adjusted the dates for us. It helped that seats were available, but they could have been sticklers for the dates but weren't. So shout out to the team there.

Do many types of theaters to choose from. The fancy movie…read moretheaters do NOT recline!! lol wish we knew that!! Not a complaint it's just good to know!!