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
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
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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
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South Meadows

3.5/5(87 area reviews)

Visitors to South Meadows like its coffeehouses and seafood restaurants, and Connecticut River is a sight worth a stop.

South 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
The Capitol Hotel

The Capitol Hotel

3 out of 5
440 Asylum St, Hartford, CT
$76 nightly
The price is $88 total per night from Aug 27 to Aug 28
$88 total
Aug 27 - Aug 28
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! (1,018 reviews)
"We lucked into finding this place with 4th of July Fireworks all around this was the perfect location."

Reviewed on Aug 12, 2025

The Capitol Hotel
Best Western Hartford Hotel & Suites

Best Western Hartford Hotel & Suites

2.5 out of 5
185 Brainard Rd, Hartford, CT
$97 nightly
The price is $111 total per night from Aug 24 to Aug 25
$111 total
Aug 24 - Aug 25
Total includes taxes and fees
Stay at this hotel in Hartford. Enjoy free breakfast, free WiFi, and free parking. Our guests praise the breakfast and the helpful staff in our reviews. Popular ...
7.6/10 Good! (1,000 reviews)
"Close to Xfinity Center. Room was clean and quiet. Great complimentary breakfast. Staff was very nice,"

Reviewed on Aug 10, 2025

Best Western Hartford Hotel & Suites
DoubleTree by Hilton Hartford Downtown

DoubleTree by Hilton Hartford Downtown

4 out of 5
315 Trumbull St, Hartford, CT
$161 nightly
The price is $185 total per night from Aug 24 to Aug 25
$185 total
Aug 24 - Aug 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! (1,001 reviews)
"Convenient location"

Reviewed on Aug 10, 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.
Totally Private Cozy studio in awesome Hartford with WiFi, AC

Totally Private Cozy studio in awesome Hartford with WiFi, AC

Hartford
Stay at this apartment in Hartford. Enjoy laundry facilities and air conditioning. Popular attractions Xfinity Theatre and Hartford Stage are located ...
9.2/10 Wonderful! (8 reviews)
"Your place was nice and fitting for the two of us. I would definitely rent again if I return to Hartford. Thanks for everything."

Reviewed on Jul 20, 2025

Totally Private Cozy studio in awesome Hartford with WiFi, AC
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 ...
10/10 Exceptional! (2 reviews)
"Owner didn’t respond to messages and there was issues with the virtual key QR code However after check in everything was wonderful and I had no issues"

Reviewed on Jul 20, 2025

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 ...
9/10 Wonderful! (17 reviews)
"We travel to this area a few times a year to visit family. Of the options, this has been one of our better finds. Great location, historic Pratt St. has really grown the past few years adding some great venues. Rest of Hartford has also seen growth. The place itself is new, clean, and each floor ..."

Reviewed on Jul 16, 2025

Lux Boutique Large Private LOFT Pratt St Hartford
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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