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Hartford, the capital of Connecticut and one of the oldest cities in New England, was settled in 1623 as a Dutch trading post called House of Hope. Hartford is a destination that has seamlessly woven a rich historical past into a vibrant modern city. It is home to the nation’s oldest public art museum, the Wadsworth Athenaeum, the oldest public park, Bushnell Park, and the oldest continually published newspaper, The Hartford Courant.
It was here Mark Twain lived when he wrote his most important works including The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Hartford was also home to Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Hartford is a thriving arts and entertainment center with a revitalized riverfront and beautiful parks and public gardens.
The estimated population of Hartford is 123,243, making it Connecticut’s third-largest city after the coastal cities of Bridgeport and New Haven.
Mark Twain said about Hartford…
“Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see, this is the chief. You do not know what beauty is if you have not been here.”
– Mark Twain
Some of the Hartford restaurants and attractions offer discounts to conference attendees if they show their conference badge. For more information and to see a list of discounts, click here.
THINGS TO DO
Mark Twain is one of our nation’s defining cultural figures. The Mark Twain House & Museum has restored the author’s Hartford, Connecticut, home, where the author and his family lived from 1874 to 1891. In addition to providing tours of Twain’s restored home, a National Historic Landmark, the institution offers activities and educational programs that illuminate Twain’s literary legacy and provide information about his life and times.
The Center uses the life and impact of 19th century author Harriet Beecher Stowe to inspire you to change your world, offering tours and programs with vibrant discussion and provocative conversation.It was her best-selling anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin that made her an international celebrity and secured her place in history.
Located directly across from the Connecticut Convention Center and accessible via a pedestrian bridge, the Connecticut Science Center is the place for endless exploration. With an attraction of this magnitude, exhibits rivaling the most unique in the world, programs with the potential to become national models, partnerships with a range of educational organizations, and involvement from global business leaders and benefactors, the Science Center is Connecticut’s premier destination for informal science learning, and is well on its way to becoming the state’s foremost Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) resource.
Bushnell Park is the oldest publicly funded park in the U.S. The 50-acre park offers views of the Connecticut Capitol’s gold-leaf dome, rides on a vintage 1914 carousel, and tree-lined walking paths.
For more ideas on Things To Do and Places To Go in Hartford visit www.Hardford.com.
Want to learn some Fun Facts about Hartford? Visit www.hartford.gov/explore/fun-facts.