Connecticut trivia for $100, please…read more Q: What is CT's state animal? A: The Sperm Whale. For bonus points--where can you find a 60-foot long replica of such a creature? The answer is on the grounds of the CT Children's Museum. This iron and cement whale model even has a name - "Conny". It was built between 1975 and 1976 -the result of thousands of hours of volunteer labor. Conny is hollow, so you can enter and exit Conny's innards via two doors carved into its blubber. Be sure to check out Conny's impressive fluke and lower jaw. All in all, quite a bizarre but wondrous site..

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!

Went back here after a decade, the employees were incredibly friendly and helpful during the…read moreticketing/admission process and were more than happy to answer questions about where certain pieces were (even if they weren't currently residing within the Wadsworth).

I have come here twice to see this documentary "No Other Land" because it isn't streaming or…read moreplaying anywhere else. I'm grateful that we have a theater like this in Hartford! I am not a member yet but I intend to become one. There is also an art gallery which I have not explored yet. I took a star off because the popcorn was not great. I only got it once. Maybe it wasn't fresh. I'm going back tomorrow to see the movie one last time before it's gone and will check out the art gallery and try the popcorn again!

We had the pleasure of attending the opening of " MIDAS."…read moreThe theatre was perfect in size and the chair not tight fitting! The staff were great in directing us to the evening's event and activities. We will return!!

This place was nice! We went for a group outing of seven people. When I called earlier in the week,…read morethe guy said we didn't need a reservation and could just walk in for Saturday. We all planned to meet there at 5 PM, but when we arrived, they told us we actually needed a reservation and had to come back at 6:45. Thankfully, West Hartford has plenty to do, so we walked around, grabbed some food, and returned for our reservation. One thing to know is that you pick the pottery you want to paint it's not a place where you make the pottery yourself. That has pros and cons, depending on your preferences. I'm honestly not that artistic when it comes to freehand painting, so I picked a simple snowflake design (probably the cheapest option at around $14). My friends picked reindeer, cookie trays, and other fun items. Painting was fun, but you have to leave your piece for 2-3 weeks to be glazed, so don't expect to take it home the same day. The space is small, but I liked the intimate setting. The staff was also very nice, and overall, I had a good experience. I would definitely go back.

I have not had a hand in pottery since high school so this was a nice activity to do and spend…read morequality time with friends and family. Claypen is located on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford Center between Walden and Dale streets. Lookout for the sessions posted outside if looking for something specific. I was attracted to the Studio Ghibli theme they were having and immediately made a reservation. I honestly didn't know what to expect until I arrived there. Upon check in, we were shown where we'd be seated and were told that we select any ceramic on the shelf and will be provided the paints and can even replenish it ourselves from the shelf. As well as take as much time as we needed to complete our design. My daughter did her own thing and drew Sanrio on different sides while I wanted to paint Haku and my friend, Totoro. I think it all came out really well!! I looked up an image tried to copy it onto the jar. Originally using a pencil and lightly tracing it onto the surface to not affect the image, although I was told that the pencil burns off during the baking process. We were also instructed to paint more than 1 coat so that the paint will show. The whole process was easy enough. When finished, everything can be brought to the counter for payment. Essentially the painting is free, it's the ceramic that needs to be paid for. I would think that the piece is averagely priced. If wanting to be sure, definitely ask before picking a piece. I'd certainly do this again.

Love this clean, bright, welcoming public library where locals are getting tutored, using the…read morecomputers, reading, generally taking advantage of a valuable community space together. Always glad to see public libraries doing well.

I've frequented this library quite often since moving to CT. Mainly because they have a children's…read moresection at the lower level. We took the elevator to this level; there is a tween/teen, toddler, and baby section. The baby room is locked from the outside but you can reach over to unlock the door; this is for babies and crawlers. They had some baby toys and books in there. The toddler section has a mini kitchen, fake groceries, baby dolls, doll house, Legos, and toy cars which kept my toddler busy. We put away the toys we played with before we left just to be courteous. We had to print out some paper and it's 10 cents a page. Keep in mind when putting the quantity in the computer, it doesn't specify dollars or pages; it's actually quantity of dollars not pages. This location is nice because it's walking distance to all the stores and restaurants. Overall, a clean and organized library!

I attended the YOM HASHOAH COMMEMORATION with my choir Praises of Zion of The First Cathedral…read moreChurch of Bloomfield CT. Pastor Michael Bailey and Arch Bishop Leroy Bailey were attendees. It was beautiful and very moving ceremony remembering all the survivors of the holocaust and all the families who lost their lives to the holocaust. It was an honor to be a part of the ceremony and look forward to singing next year.

West Hartford Town Hall used to be a high school called William H. Hall; it was built in 1924 and…read moreit was converted into a Town Hall in 1971. The parking lot is big and they have two parking garages onsite; those spots are metered so check their app for rates. There are some electric charging spots as well. When I walked into this building, it really looks like a high school. It's a large building with many municipal departments such as Human Resources, Building, and Engineering to name a few. Upon entering, there is a front desk that will answer any questions. The location is great, right at the center of West Hartford. It's walking distance to Blue Back Square, shops, restaurants, and a library. Overall, a decent but old building that serves its purpose for the townspeople.

Like so many libraries, I want to know more about the history. What was this building originally?…read moreWas it a library? A library with beautiful half circle windows all around the wall letting in beautiful natural light? Could such softness exist in a government design? There is a smallish parking lot in the back of the building, and a free little library stocked by a non-profit. Do not donate books to said LFL, seek additional information on the non-profit and see how they accept donations. The interior (in addition to the natural light) has high ceilings that make it feel open, with places to sit and peruse books at your leisure. The children's section has an adorable train themed mural. The librarians are, as most indeed are, friendly and welcoming!

A cozy little library, without question the smallest I have visited. Small music CD section (I did…read morepick up some Dylan, Cranberries, Kings of Leon and R.E.M. Of the half a dozen libraries I have visited, this is the only one where the actual CDs aren't kept in the CD cases. The cases in the racks are empties. So when you want to check out your music, the librarian has to go into her office, match up the actual CDs (which must be hidden away somewhere safe), place them in their respective cases, bring the cases to the scanner, open up the cases, take out the CDs (because the bar codes are hidden behind the CDs), scan the bar-codes, put the CD back in the case, and move on to the next one. Needless to say, check-out time takes a bit longer here than it does in some of the other local libraries..

I work from this library branch often, I'm happy to have it open again. I do wish they opened at…read more8am at least I'm typically an early morning work kinda gal. There's a healthy amount of noise for a library but I do appreciate that the staff doesn't have an issue telling people to quiet down. I also have attended for the yoga classes and loved every minute. The location is super accessible to the cafes and restaurants downtown.

It's a nice downtown library in the city which has improved compared to pre-pandemic times and…read morebefore the pipe burst from the day before Christmas Eve 2022 destroyed it. It's a very cool place to explore, read, relax and And study. The children's room looks nice and the main floor looks cool which makes the library an inviting and welcome place to spend time at. They have some cool books and many other resources. There's also a lot of seating and they even have unique things such as Library of Things collection, a DVD checkout slot machine and many more. The staff are caring, courteous and helpful. The customer service is great and the people served are good people. It's a wonderful place to spend time when you're in Hartford and need some down time. This library serves patrons from any neighborhood in Hartford.

Spacious lovely open green space in the heart of downtown Hartford with the Capital building as the…read moreback drop. Very clean and simple park and a variety of events are held here throughout the year. We enjoyed the festivities and fireworks (2 shows) to ring in 2025. We much enjoyed walking the park on the paved walkways during the day, and it is great to read the information posted throughout about the history of the park. Take a ride on the old fashioned caraseul. Parking located around the park.

This park is a cool little oasis in the middle of the city. It's giving "mini Central Park" vibes…read morewith the massive gold domed Capitol building as a backdrop, so bring your camera because the views and the stone Memorial Arch are stunning. I recommend checking out the vintage carousel; it's a total nostalgia trip and can easily be the best part of the visit. Overall, it's a solid spot to touch some grass, ground yourself, and soak in some history if you're in the area.

Like much "contemporary" art, I generally don't understand it. And this piece is another that is…read morebeyond my understanding. They're nice rocks, A 7 foot tall one leaning on a 5 foot tall cubic one. But why that's art and especially why it's "Perseverance" that has anything to do with Abraham Lincoln, I do not know. The caption is as follows... Perseverance Darrell Petit, 2005 "... you can not fail if you resolutely determine that you will not." Lincoln is often regarded as a model for overcoming life's little adversities. He experienced many setbacks in life including: * Defeated in his first run for the Illinois state legislature * His first business, a store, failed * His sweetheart died * Defeated to be Speaker of the Illinois state house * Defeated for nomination to Congress * Defeated for U.S. Senate * Defeated again for U.S. Senate * Lost two sons - one at nearly four years of age, one at age 11 * Publicly maligned for his political positions Despite these stumbling blocks, and perhaps because of them, Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as one of the most revered presidents and possibly the most admired American in U. S. history. [Review 15165 overall, 667 of 2021, number 21 in Connecticut.]