A beautiful park! It was the perfect place for the Head of the Riverfront Regatta wasn't pleased…read morewith the parking situation but that had nothing to do with the park. When the crew races are there it is extremely packed so it's not really a good time to take a leisurely stroll as there are literally thousands of people there. Beautiful place to take pictures by the water or the boathouse especially at this time of the year with the leaves.

What a hidden gem within Hartford! I was here for a low-key corporate picnic. The Boathouse sits…read moreright on the Connecticut River and functions as both practical boathouse (lower level) and event space (upper level). The parking was incredibly convenient and directions to the Boathouse itself were very clear. We did have a small spot of difficulty finding the door to go to the upper level however. Once upstairs, the view of the CT River, East Hartford, and Hartford was spectacular. The late summer afternoon sun plus faint breeze made for a perfectly comfortable time. People mingled at standing tables and around the benches on the upper deck (and there were a respectable number of benches, which isn't often the case). Inside the event space were polished wooden floors and high ceilings. A coworker noted the restrooms were somewhat oddly placed behind a long hallway closed off by a door and there were some cobwebs in the window frames, but otherwise the space was quite nice. The staff at the bar on the deck poured wine just shy of the adjective "liberal" which was great. However, some other coworkers had to request adjustments of the food arrangement to prevent cross-contamination for those with allergies (adjustments were made promptly). The food - seasonal tapenade for appetizers and build-your-own pasta bar for the main - were well done otherwise with a good array of options. On the whole, a respectable event space on a scenic river. There were other groups actively using the rowing space/lower level, but you could barely tell because the upper level was high enough away.

Attended family baby jack and Jill here. Very nice place with excellent staff and food.read more

"Back in the banquet line Some get the gravy"…read more( Joni Mitchell) We attended a "Year In Review" celebratory dinner for a charitable organization we've supported for years, and the good folks at Farminton Gardens served well over 100 guests flawlessly in their banquet room. We started off in their gorgeous atrium bar for a glass of wine and chit chat before we were seated in their main banquet room. The room was quite large and easily accomodated our group. There was a podium up front and two video screens to display slide shows and the like. The sound and video systems were excellent. The dinner buffet line was set up in the rear of the room and we were called up table by table. We were very impressed by the variety and quality- rolls, salad, asparagus spears, mushroom polenta, salmon, short ribs, and cipollini onions. Dessert was individual trays of pastries and a single creme brulee for each table. This was my first visit to Farmington Gardens and I walked away very impressed with the way they handled our event.

I was recently here for a Birthday party. I love the fact we were able to park in the underground…read moregarage. It was a bit of a walk to the front door of the club, but I knew my car was safe. You can tell from the moment you walk in, the building has been here for a long time. It's in good condition considering the age. Once the nostalgia wore off, it was disappointing. Some of the employees were amazing. A few were ill prepared and had bad attitudes. The food was adequate at best. There were roasted potatoes which had no flavor, roast beef which also had no flavor, and Chicken Francese which was OK.

So I attended an event at the Hartford Club recently in the large room on the second floor. I…read morehave to say, this place is a dump in my opinion and the food is even worse. First, the place clearly has not been updated since what seems like the 80s if not earlier. It clearly has the same motif as back in the early 2000s and same basic setup. Not good for a place that tries to market itself to business people in the area who are decision makers at companies. The event was a seminar style setup but they used round tables. Clearly no idea on how discussions work as a good amount of people had to either sit with their back to the speakers or strain to see what was going on. The power situation in the room is bad. A few plugs scattered around the periphery of the room but no consideration for people who may need power during the length of the event. I thankfully packed my own power strip and got there early so I was able to snag a table with power relatively close by, but that was me taking the step knowing the deficiencies of this location. The coffee service was ok. Breakfast was ok. This is not really on the facility but on what the host for the event ordered. Basic fruit, yogurt and some sweet breakfast breads were the continental breakfast that was advertised. No toast, rolls or anything that was not sweet, which was slightly odd to me in a setting full of older professionals. The real failure here is the lunch service. I've heard of rubber chicken conferences. This took the cake. They served "airline chicken" or an option with a pesto cream. Disgusting! I would not pay $1 for the main course of lunch. The chicken was a rubber ball like consistency, severely overcooked, and had no flavor. The pesto cream version was no better. Frankly, they needed at least a salt and pepper shaker on every table for the missing seasoning, but of course they only had that on the buffet line when you wouldn't know of the need for seasoning. In 20+ years of going to seminars, this was the worst chicken I've ever had. The salad was ok and some veggies were ok but the potato's had no seasoning either. All in all, if this is the food the place puts out for a group of local professionals, then the place is in trouble. My recommendation if you are at a seminar here is to not pay for lunch and encourage your attendees to hit the food carts down the street or the food court 2 blocks down the road. The cost savings on no lunch can much better be spent by your attendees getting their own lunch elsewhere.

4.5 stars Overall I had a great experience working with the…read moreowners of this place and booking a bridal shower for my friend being out of town. I called, they gave me a quote and several days to decide. Once I decided, they send me a contract through email and I mailed back the contract with the check. The place is amazingly beautiful. The room was decorated very nicely. The staff were all very young, probably high school students and greeted us outside in the cold. Once everyone was inside, they service our food. The scones were delicious, tasted home made and the jams and creams were equally tasty. The sandwiches were okay, a little dry but the deserts were just as good as the scones. My only beef about the whole experience was that they used Stash tea bags for the afternoon tea. I mean anyone could buy those tea from the supermarkets. If you go to a place designated for afternoon tea, you would expect at least some loose leaf teas allowing the customers to smell, appreciate, and enjoy all the different tea flavors. If they had loose leaf tea, it would elevate the whole experience ten fold. Also, they had some sort of punch on the side, with no explanation and the punch pitcher did not work so guests couldn't really enjoy it until the very end. The house can host two parties, one on the second floor and the other one on the main floor. The owners live in the same building. There are plenty of parking at the house and also across the street because the owners own that too.

Was looking for a venue for my bridal shower that would have a "tea party" theme. With all my…read moresearching, this was one of the first places to come up! I had no idea this place existed and I am so glad I found it. We ended up having a Bridal Brunch on a Sunday and it was perfect. Mimosa table right as guests walked in, omelet station, etc. My bridesmaids were able to do all the decorating themselves, but you don't need much with the character in this historic home. Everyone was impressed when they walked in. Great venue for a bridal shower, baby shower, etc. Parking is a bit of a mess but staff is very helpful when guests arrive.

I haven't thought about this in a long time but just came across the old review. I've been…read moredeleting old reviews. Thinking back... We were never offered our deposit back (thousands of dollars), despite the date getting booked by another party shortly after our decision to postpone the wedding. We cancelled with several months notice. We didn't receive any follow up communications. I suppose I am still really disappointed by the lack of compassion and the poor business practices. Aside from the money, which I made my peace with soon after, the gossiping about us was just plain hurtful. Despite the beautiful ambiance, I would never ever recommend this place.

Came for the Haunted Tavern with a group of friends. Spooky stories surrounding the Durham area…read moretold by some pretty quirky individuals. We were greeted with the poison Apple martini and enjoyed the show while sipping on the bloodsucker. The killer coconut was my favorite! The haunted Taverntini was thankfully last, but the creamy peanut buttery and chocolate mix was the perfect dessert drink. The drinks were by far the best thing. I'm not sure if the crowd found the stories amusing because of the alcohol, but this was not the paranormal mostly stories I had in mind. This was more of a series of unfortunate events that were told throughout the show.

"Oh, I want to sit on my porch and pick on my old guitar And…read morejust hope you're hangin' loose where ever you are" (Johnny Cash) Our group of 40 had a blast at the Tine Dale Party Porch tonight. It's a group venue at Dunkin Park. Our group deal got us a two and a half hour buffet chock full of these goodies - 1/3lb Grilled Burgers, Grilled Hot Dogs, Pulled Pork, Mac N' Cheese, Pasta Salad, lettuce/tomato/cheese, Potato Chips, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Non-Alcoholic Beverages. The Party Porch is in the upper deck rightfield corner, just by the foul pole. There were at least a dozen tables and chairs for us to hang out, chit chat with our friends, eat and drink and occasionally watch the ball game. The game ticket and food ran us about $45 per person, so it was a pretty good value considering what we received. Tickets were e-mailed to us and we had the choice to paper print them or download them on our phone to be scanned at the gate. I want to give a big shout out to the two staff members we interacted with. Cassandra was our bartender and buffet stocker. Anthony was our greeter, wrist band provider and a very genial host. Both were outstanding.

Great bowling alley for family fun for all ages. Servers serving the lanes are great. Food comes…read morefrom the sports grille that's attached to the bowling alley. The lanes are clean, up to date, modern and has a great atmosphere. Arcade section is plentiful with a variety of games. Laser tag is also available.

"Mom! This was the best birthday ever!" - child, age 8…read more We couldn't agree with our daughter more! We booked a "birthday blast" and were so pleased with how much fun was packed in to 2 hours without feeling rushed! Aaron and Kiara were exceptional hosts and this was by far the easiest kids party we have ever hosted! Even the adults had so much fun hanging out with the kids and other adults at bowling, in laser tag, and in the arcade. I'm sure we will be back and I would absolutely book another party here!

Great part of the community. The hall is great for parties and has everything needed for your…read moreevents. They host summer events such as car shows that everyone can enjoy!