But Hartford has a varied history and a wide range of other contributions. It boasts the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the oldest public art museum in the United States. Founded in 1842, the Wadsworth Atheneum has a permanent collection of more than 45,000 works and it continues to grow, with plans under way for office relocation that will free up additional gallery space.
Courtesy of Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford, CT
In the Nook Farm community of Hartford, Samuel Clemens wrote of adventures on the Mississippi River, and Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were born. Harriet Beecher Stowe lived across the lawn from Clemens, and both of their homes—hers gray and unadorned, his whimsically decorative—now house exhibits and are open to the public.
Not far away in West Hartford, Elizabeth Park Rose Garden is the country’s first municipally owned rose garden. Each year a weekend festival in June marks the blooming of its 15,000 rosebushes in hundreds of varieties. And for faster-paced outdoor entertainment, Lake Compounce Theme Park, the nation’s oldest continuously operating amusement park, offers heart-stopping thrills and family attractions in nearby Bristol.
Getting There
By Car
Looking at a map, it almost seems as if all roads lead to Hartford. The major north-south highway into the city is I-91, while I-84 runs northeast-southwest. Signage is good with generally adequate warning for exit ramps. Avoid the 7-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. rush hours.
Getting Around
Street System
A good map is an absolute necessity for negotiating the Hartford vicinity. At some major intersections downtown traffic is stopped in all four directions and pedestrians may cross on the diagonal. Colorful directional street signage to area attractions help visitors explore downtown.