Hartford, CT

Travel Guide

Hartford featuring heritage architecture, a city and an administrative buidling
Hartford which includes a city and cbd
Hartford featuring a garden and heritage elements
Hartford which includes a city
Hartford featuring a garden and outdoor art

Visit Mark Twain’s home city of Hartford, where restored Civil War-era mansions, museums and the country’s oldest park preserve the nation’s history.

Hartford is an almost 400-year-old city that has survived the ups and downs of America’s history. Explore the rich heritage of this destination that features some of the oldest institutions in the nation and the former residence of America’s beloved author, Mark Twain.

Start the day with a calming walk through America’s oldest public park, Bushnell Park. Located in the city center, this thoroughfare is decorated with graceful pathways, monuments to American soldiers and a huge archway crowned by two turrets. Relax under trees to escape typically hot and humid summers. In winter the park is often covered under a blanket of snow.

Walk to the nearby Wadsworth Atheneum to delight in more than 50,000 works of pilgrim-era and European art in one of the nation’s oldest art museum. Tour the exclusive rooms and stages of the Bushnell Center for Performing Arts or the award-winning Hartford Stage, then come back later to see a show. Both theaters host musicals, plays and orchestras several nights a week.

Many of the city’s restaurants and hotels can be found along the busy Asylum Street. Stop for lunch then walk to the nearby Mark Twain House and Museum. Here you’ll experience the living quarters of the famous author and see exhibits themed around his life. Take in more history at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and Library or the Butler McCook House and Garden. Both restored mansions, they feature civil war-era art and antiques and large manicured gardens perfect for a quiet stroll.

Hartford is the capital of Connecticut. At the Museum of Connecticut History see excellent exhibitions on the colonial formation of the state. Take children to the Connecticut Science Center, where there are hands-on displays and a 3-D digital theater showing educational movies.

In the evenings take the family to the XL Center, which has performances throughout the year. In winter you’ll find a public ice-skating rink and shows on ice.

Stay downtown next to the Connecticut River. Rent a bicycle and ride along the banks of the picturesque river and grab a drink at one of many bars, restaurants and clubs.

Where to stay in Hartford

Connecticut Science Center featuring a garden

Downtown Hartford

4/5(448 area reviews)

Downtown Hartford boasts a bustling business district, housing major corporations and Connecticut's state government. Explore historic sites like the Wadsworth Atheneum, Bushnell Park, and the Old State House, while enjoying convenient access to Connecticut Transit Hartford and Union Station.

Downtown Hartford
Riverside Park which includes a garden

North Meadows

2.5/5(76 area reviews)

Unique features of North Meadows include the live music and theaters. Make a stop by Xfinity Theatre or Connecticut River while you're exploring the area.

North Meadows
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Barry Square

If you're spending some time in Barry Square, Webster Theater and Assaiante Tennis Center are top sights worth seeing.

Barry Square
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Frog Hollow

While Frog Hollow might not have many sights to explore, venturing just a little farther will lead you to top things to see and do like Connecticut State Capital and Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.

Frog Hollow
Underneath that blue dome lies the east armory of a factory once owned by a man who changed American history, the innovator of the revolver, Samuel Colt. Sprawling around the crumbling red brickwork of the old Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, once the largest private armory in the world, are the remnants of Coltsville, the utopian village he built for his workers. 

A model of 19th century industrial paternalism, Coltsville included a church, a social hall for dances and lectures, workers’ housing, a giant landscaped park home to deer and peacocks, sculpted botanical gardens, and thousands of feet of greenhouses filled with tropical fruit and flowers. Samuel Colt felt such responsibility for the welfare of his workers outside the factory that he went so far as to build Potsdam Village, to replicate the feel of the German village from which he imported his skilled craftsmen to work in his willow ware factory.

The National Park Service began having on-site presence in 2015, with workshops and tours, including up into the Blue Onion Dome which affords magnificent views of downtown Hartford, the Connecticut River and Colt Park, formerly the back yard of Armsmear, Samuel & Elizabeth Colt’s mansion. By 2016, an NPS ranger had taken up residence in the South Armory and was giving walking tours of Coltsville.

The old South, East and North armories are under renovation and the two 1855 brownstone buildings, the oldest structures on site, will become the National Park Service Visitor Center. The armories themselves have been or are being renovated into apartments, offices and education facilities.

Sheldon-Charter Oak

While visiting Sheldon-Charter Oak, you might make a stop by sights like Connecticut River and Charter Oak Tree Memorial.

Sheldon-Charter Oak
Mark Twain House which includes signage

Asylum Hill

You'll enjoy the museums and churches in Asylum Hill. You might want to make time for a stop at Harriet Beecher Stowe Center or Mark Twain House & Museum.

Asylum Hill
The Capitol Hotel
The Capitol Hotel
3 out of 5
440 Asylum St, Hartford, CT
Fully refundableReserve now, pay when you stay
$103 nightly
The price is $118 total per night from Jul 13 to Jul 14
$118 total
Jul 13 - Jul 14
Total includes taxes and fees
Stay at this 3-star business-friendly hotel in Hartford. Enjoy free breakfast, free WiFi, and a 24-hour fitness center. Our guests praise the breakfast and the ...
7.4/10 Good! (1,001 reviews)
"For me the hotel was fine, the staff friendly, the room clean, the price reasonable but the big advantage was how close it was to the Mark Twain home and museum which I enjoy visiting."

Reviewed on Jul 3, 2025

The Capitol Hotel
The Goodwin Hotel
The Goodwin Hotel
3.5 out of 5
1 Haynes St, Hartford, CT
$188 nightly
The price is $216 total per night from Aug 3 to Aug 4
$216 total
Aug 3 - Aug 4
Total includes taxes and fees
Stay at this 3.5-star hotel in Hartford. Enjoy free WiFi, a 24-hour fitness center, and a 24-hour front desk. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean ...
9/10 Wonderful! (1,002 reviews)
"I booked a room weeks in advance for the Capitol Groove Music Festival that was conveniently held 2 blocks away from the hotel at Bushnell Park. I got to the Goodwin hotel at about 11am and I was surprised I was able to get valet parking and leave my bag at the front desk before the 3pm check-in ..."

Reviewed on Jun 30, 2025

The Goodwin Hotel
DoubleTree by Hilton Hartford Downtown
DoubleTree by Hilton Hartford Downtown
4 out of 5
315 Trumbull St, Hartford, CT
$169 nightly
The price is $195 total per night from Jul 24 to Jul 25
$195 total
Jul 24 - Jul 25
Total includes taxes and fees
Stay at this 4-star business-friendly hotel in Hartford. Enjoy free WiFi, breakfast (surcharge), and a 24-hour fitness center. Our guests praise the clean rooms ...
7.4/10 Good! (1,000 reviews)
"This area was a bit down trodden didn't feel safe at night."

Reviewed on Jun 9, 2025

DoubleTree by Hilton Hartford Downtown
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
Cozy apartment in charming Hartford with AC, WiFi
Cozy apartment in charming Hartford with AC, WiFi
Hartford
Stay at this apartment in Hartford. Enjoy laundry facilities and air conditioning. Popular attractions Xfinity Theatre and Hartford Stage are located ...
Cozy apartment in charming Hartford with AC, WiFi
Lux Boutique Large Private LOFT Pratt St Hartford
Lux Boutique Large Private LOFT Pratt St Hartford
Hartford
Stay at this apartment in Hartford. Enjoy laundry facilities, housekeeping, and air conditioning. Popular attractions Xfinity Theatre and Hartford Stage are ...
9.2/10 Wonderful! (16 reviews)
Great for One Night Last Minute Stay
"We needed a last minute place to stay for one night and this place fit the bill. The place was clean. The amenities were sparse but we didn’t need to do any cooking. The only issue was that the apartment is right above a large industrial electrical outdoor trash dumpster and workers were disposing ..."

Reviewed on Apr 12, 2025

Lux Boutique Large Private LOFT Pratt St Hartford
Cozy 1bedroom Apt Loft Style  in welcoming Hartford with WiFi, AC, Elevator
Cozy 1bedroom Apt Loft Style in welcoming Hartford with WiFi, AC, Elevator
Hartford
Stay at this vacation home in Hartford. Enjoy free WiFi, laundry facilities, and air conditioning. Popular attractions Xfinity Theatre and Hartford Stage are ...
10/10 Exceptional! (1 review)
"Great place in a very nice part of the city. Walkable and lots to do around, and a reasonable parking garage right across the street. Apartment was clean, comfy and easily accessible."

Reviewed on May 19, 2025

Cozy 1bedroom Apt Loft Style in welcoming Hartford with WiFi, AC, Elevator
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

Getting around Hartford

You can get a feel for Hartford’s atmosphere by renting a bike and cycling through the city center, which has a good system of paths and a public bike-share program. Otherwise, use the extensive network of bus routes covering the city; a free circulator bus runs around downtown. You can also walk around most of the center quite easily, taking in the historic architecture. Visit the Connecticut Department of TransportationOpens in a new window website.Browse Hartford rental cars.

Best time to visit

Visit Hartford during the peak season, in the summer months, and you’ll find hot weather which often reaches the low 90s F (low 30s C), with high humidity and the occasional thunderstorm. Spring can bring more manageable weather, lower prices and smaller crowds. The same is true of fall, which also brings the beautiful changing colors of foliage. Winter is cheaper and quieter still, but often bitterly cold.

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