State Capitol, Hartford

It is a compact State covering only 4,872 square miles and divided in half by the Connecticut River. It has an abundance of idyllic small towns and villages, many of them with picturesque greens around which snuggle a church and houses. It is also noted for its wooded, undulating hills, elegant architecture and 100-mile coastline of incomparable beaches, coves, marinas and resorts.

Hartford, the State capital city on the banks of Connecticut River, just 95 miles north east of New York City, was historically an important insurance and manufacturing centre and had the reputation of being the ‘insurance capital of the United States’. The city is also one of America’s oldest dating back almost 400 years. Its handsome Victorian State Capitol overlooks Bushnell Park also home to a 100-year-old carousel complete with two dozen handmade wooden horses.


Mark Twain House

The Mark Twain House and Museum on Farmington St is dedicated to the famous author who was born in 1835 and who designed his home to reflect his love of the old Mississippi paddle steamers. Mark Twain wrote “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” in the Billiard Room of this fascinating house that became a museum following his death in 1910. Next-door is the house where Harriet Beecher Stowe lived when in 1852 she wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Her former home has also been adapted as a museum.


Yale University 1911

Yale University is based at New Haven. The city lies where three rivers flow out into Long Island Sound. A visit to the university and all its centres, libraries, art galleries and museums, is a must, but be prepared to devote a considerable amount of time to there. For a change of scene explore the 16-acre New Haven Green with its three churches and gardens of colourful flowers.

Lighthouse Point Park on Long Island Sound is another destination not to be missed. In addition to its lighthouse dating back to 1840 the 80-acre park has a bird sanctuary and various nature trails.

A couple of miles from Old Mystic is Mystic Seaport a fascinating living history museum reflecting life in a 19th century waterfront settlement complete with several fully-rigged sailing ships, a ship’s chandlery, tavern, printers’ shop and whaling ship. There is also an Aquarium - home to a wide variety of marine life including seals and sea lions, penguins, sharks, and stingrays.

Litchfield, in the northwest hills of Connecticut, dates back to 1721 and grew to great prosperity between 1784 and 1834. It contains many fine historic buildings -one of them the Tapping Reeve House. Tapping Reeve was one of the town’s most illustrious inhabitants and created the country’s first law school. Surrounding Litchfield are parks and lakes offering perfect venues for all outdoor activities, with the river Housatonic providing excellent opportunities for fishing, whitewater rafting and canoeing.

Guildford, on Long Island Sound, was one of the New World’s earliest settlements and dates back to 1639. The Henry Whitfield House offers a glimpse of the hardship of pioneer life as endured by the Puritan settlers; the three- storey granite house doubling as a fort in times of attacks from the Native Americans. Guildford also boasts the most beautiful town green in New England. It is from Guildford that you take excursion boats to the Thimble Islands from where you can watch seals.

Old Lyme is a popular summer resort noted for its artists’ colony and the imposing homes built for sea captains of a bygone time. Its reputation for art was thanks to Florence Griswold, a sea captain’s daughter who had a passion for art. Many artists stayed there and examples of their works, along with others, can be seen in the museum that bears her name.


Barnham Museum

Bridgeport developed on the banks of a deep water harbour and was once a centre for shipbuilding and whaling. One of its most important museums is that dedicated to the life of circus impresario P T Barnum who was also one of Bridgeport’s mayors. Apart from circus memorabilia there are artefacts from around the world plus galleries relating to the industrial history of the town. It is said that Barnum used to exercise his circus animals in Beardsley Park and that some of the retired animals, along with other animals given by local residents, formed the basis of the Beardsley Zoo. The zoo is the only one in Connecticut.

Convenient international airports for Connecticut are: Bradley International, New York JF Kennedy and New York La Guardia.

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