Get into the “spirit” of the season! Our special, candlelit tours will take you around the property and into the house, all the way up to the dark, shadowy attic. Hear long-standing and new Homestead ghost stories from staff members and spooky encounters reported by guests, as featured on the Syfy channel’s Ghost Hunters.
This slow-paced walk will explore an 18th-century kitchen garden to show how plants that are considered invasive in a modern garden, and can usually be found growing as wildflowers, were once grown with care for their useful properties. Continue down the Old Road to Norwich into the Nathan Hale State Forest to comb the landscape for edible plant life.
The Coventry Farmers’ Market on the grounds of the Nathan Hale Homestead is an experience not to be missed. This market carries the tradition of being the largest farmers’ market in the state, featuring some of the best of Connecticut-grown, Connecticut-made products in one of the most unspoiled countryside settings in the state. Each week, the staff of the Homestead will lead a family-friendly activity to connect the history of the site with the theme of the market.
Admission to the Nathan Hale Homestead is by regular admission and is not included in the Farmers’ Market program.
The Coventry Farmers’ Market on the grounds of the Nathan Hale Homestead is an experience not to be missed. This market carries the tradition of being the largest farmers’ market in the state, featuring some of the best of Connecticut-grown, Connecticut-made products in one of the most unspoiled countryside settings in the state. Each week, the staff of the Homestead will lead a family-friendly activity to connect the history of the site with the theme of the market.
Admission to the Nathan Hale Homestead is by regular admission and is not included in the Farmers’ Market program.
Immerse yourself in 18th century chocolate making during this lecture. Guests will be invited to enjoy samples of chocolate and hot cocoa. Like what you sampled? Chocolate bars will be available for sale in the Nathan Hale Homestead Gift Shop.
Turn off your cell phones, breathe deeply, and observe nature using all your senses through the practice of shinrin yoku, also known as forest bathing. Guests will learn the art of forest bathing with Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Professor Suzanne Hudd.
Step back in time to learn a craft from the 18th century, with some modern tools to make the process a bit easier! Learn to make your own kitchen cleaning set including a whisk broom and your choice of one to two other kitchen tools, including a cake tester, pot scrubber, or mushroom brush. All materials included.
So, you think you know trivia? Now you can prove it! Don your thinking caps and dress as your favorite decade for tavern-style trivia in the Nathan Hale Homestead barn.
Connecticut Landmarks honors heroes this July with the 9th annual Flag Field for Heroes, presented in partnership with the Coventry Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Coventry American Legion. The Opening Ceremony will include patriotic poem readings, fife and drum music, and brief words from some of our veterans.
The 9th annual Flag Field for Heroes will be on display at the Nathan Hale Homestead July 6-26, 2025. Presented in partnership with the Coventry Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Coventry American Legion.
Experience the work of artist and art instructor Scott Rhoades. Raised in Coventry, Rhoades’ work has been published in several magazines and his school mural program was nationally recognized. He will receive a first-place prize from Marlborough Arts Center for the painting pictured above, which also won the 2024 Painting Award at the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts. Stop by on Sundays in August to visit Rhoades, who will be onsite working on his latest artwork and answering questions.
Experience the work of artist and art instructor Scott Rhoades. Raised in Coventry, Rhoades’ work has been published in several magazines and his school mural program was nationally recognized. He will receive a first-place prize from Marlborough Arts Center for the painting pictured above, which also won the 2024 Painting Award at the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts. Stop by on Sundays in August to visit Rhoades, who will be onsite working on his latest artwork and answering questions.
Step away from the chaos of daily life and clear your mind at a drum circle facilitated by Kenny “Doc” Frazier. A drum circle encourages empowerment and success while inspiring creativity through rhythmic drum play. Participants are encouraged to bring their own drums. A limited number of drum pads will be available to borrow.
Join Daniel Newman, historical researcher and reenactor spanning 40 years, to experience the surgery of an 18th-century physician and learn about the latest medical techniques from England while discussing remedies and cures that would have been available during that time.
Join Beverly Willnauer, a forty-plus year veteran in the reenactment community and member of the Nathan Hale Homestead, as she discusses and demonstrates a day in the life of an 18th-century midwife.