Explore this beloved family home to learn about the booming industries and culture of Hartford in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, understand medical practice and public health at this time, and learn more about the Isham and Terry families through the items they owned.
Experience the holidays as the McCook family would have celebrated them and hear stories from their rich memories, along with a display of special items from the museum’s collection, as we close out our 2025 season. America's Tapestry will also be stitching at the Butler-McCook House & Garden during this open tour day!
Taking place during the Butler-McCook House & Garden's Open Tour Day, stitchers from America’s Tapestry will be joined by local artists from Hartford Stitch for an afternoon of fun, creativity, and history. Join us to stitch history together! America’s Tapestry is a nationwide community project featuring 13 hand-embroidered panels, one for each of the original colonies, depicting diverse stories from the American Revolution. Each panel is crafted by volunteers from New Hampshire to Georgia, and visitors are invited to contribute their own stitches to the Connecticut panel. All materials will be provided! While you're here, explore the museum’s holiday display and its permanent collection, which includes beautiful embroideries and period archives that bring the revolutionary era to life.
This holiday season, we will celebrate with Julia and Charlotte Isham in the 1950s and 60s as the Isham-Terry House is transformed into a mid-century delight! Enjoy colored trees, tons of tinsel, and starbursts galore during special tours of the house. Tours will be available on the hour, with the last tour at 3 pm.
May 4th marks the 200th birthday of Frederic Edwin Church. Not only was Hartford the birthplace of this renown Hudson River School painter, but the city was also integral to the birth of American art thanks to Daniel Wadsworth and his patronage. On this walk, we'll discuss Church and other Hartford-connected artists, such as Cole, Bierstadt, Wheeler, Tryon and more. Following the walk, the 2 pm tour of the Butler-McCook House will focus on the Butler and McCook families as art lovers.
Visit the Butler-McCook House & Garden, the only 18th-century home remaining on Hartford’s Main Street, for a guided tour to learn about the McCook family, who loved music, art, and travel through explorations of the museum’s collections which include paintings, Japanese samurai armor, furniture, and toys.
New for 2026! Explore Hartford's Revolutionary past in this walk and talk in the south end with Connecticut Landmarks' Jana Colacino and Ruth Shapleigh Brown of the Connecticut Gravestone Network.
Expand your knowledge of Hartford’s architectural treasures by venturing east and west of Main Street. Understand the historical and cultural significance of buildings along South Prospect Street, from the 1788 Amos Bull House to the BPO Elks Lodge, to the Hartford Times Building. To the west, explore more of the city’s South Downtown neighborhood on Elm and Gold Streets.
Updated for 2026! Join an easy 1.5-mile walking tour on the sidewalks of Hartford’s historic Main Street from the Butler-McCook House & Garden to the G. Fox Building exploring this city's colonial roots and more! This walk includes some of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route. This program is offered FREE as part of Connecticut Trails Day.
Bring a lawn chair and a picnic dinner as our historic garden comes alive with music! Round out your evening with free tours of the house museum’s first floor, an audio tour of the garden, and featured artist exhibitions. In case of inclement weather, the concert will move indoors to the Amos Bull Community Room.
Hartford joins cities worldwide on the longest day of the year to celebrate the annual Make Music Day Hartford. Bring a picnic and your dancing shoes to the garden of the Butler-McCook House and join the party in Hartford’s best kept secret—our historic garden oasis–with the String of Pearls Big Band.
On Historic Gardens Day, sixteen historic gardens around the state welcome you to explore a variety of beautiful garden styles from different periods. Enjoy free admission to visit the gardens of the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden (12-4), the Butler-McCook House & Garden (9-1), and the Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden (9-1)!
Bring a lawn chair and a picnic dinner as our historic garden comes alive with music! Round out your evening with free tours of the house museum’s first floor, an audio tour of the garden, and featured artist exhibitions. In case of inclement weather, the concert will move indoors to the Amos Bull Community Room.
On the second Thursday of each month, bring a lawn chair and a picnic dinner as our historic garden comes alive with music! Round out your evening with free tours of the house museum’s first floor, an audio tour of the garden, and featured artist exhibitions. In case of inclement weather, the concert will move indoors to the Amos Bull Community Room.
Bring a lawn chair and a picnic dinner while you enjoy music in the lovely setting of the Butler-McCook House & Garden. Plus, be sure to stay for a free tour of the house’s first floor! Audio tours are available via the IZI.Travel app for the historic garden. The Amos Bull and Butler-McCook Houses will also celebrate featured artist exhibitions. Concerts happen rain or shine. In case of inclement weather, the concert will move indoors to the Amos Bull Community Room.