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.
Visit the Butler-McCook House & Garden is 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.
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.
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.
Join us for our second annual Pipes & Cider event, where the rich traditions of Scotland come alive! Enjoy barrel-aged cider and whiskey tastings from Yankee Cider Co. Coreyanne Armstrong and the Portland & District Pipers will perform a lively set, accompanied by a short trail walk around the beautiful Palmer-Warner grounds (weather permitting). Bring your friends and test your knowledge with a round of pub trivia. One of the three trivia categories will feature questions based on the historical fantasy television series, Outlander, which takes place in Scotland. Attendees are encouraged to dress in Outlander attire. Prizes will be awarded to the top two teams. Raise a glass, embrace the music, and celebrate the magic of Scotland!
Step inside the museum to be transported to the 18th and 19th centuries and learn about the lives of those who built, lived in, and preserved the house. Understand the role of Connecticut in the American Revolution, examine colonial era trade and commercial exchange, consider land and real estate speculation and Indigenous people’s land rights, and observe the ways we display wealth and status in our homes. Stop into the visitor’s center for the Pastel Paintings exhibition by artist Gina Trusiewicz who will be on site from 1 pm-2 pm to demonstrate the art of pastel painting.
Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden's 2025 artist in residence Gina Trusiewicz will give a brief presentation of the materials and processes involved in creating pastel paintings. Samples of pastel papers and pastel sticks will be displayed, and the concept of underpainting will be discussed. The artist’s paintings will be featured in the Visitor Center Gallery through October and available for purchase. Come meet Gina and learn more about this centuries-old technique that is prized for its brilliant and saturated colors. Tours of the museum will be offered at 2 pm and 3 pm with regular admission. Purchase tour tickets here.
Join staff for a journey through colonial New London. Visit sites that our diarist frequented, including those of Joshua Hempsted’s relatives, and view the Stonington Farm property from across the river. As we stop at local destinations on our way back to the Hempsted Houses, you will hear about Adam Jackson, who Joshua Hempsted enslaved on the property. Visitors will also learn about Jackson’s family, including his parents, Joan and John Jackson, and their three decade long court case to free their nine children.
Join Litchfield Distillery for a fascinating look at the martini and American cocktail culture amid the backdrop of Caroline Ferriday’s beautiful summer home. Learn about Ferriday’s favorite cocktail and its many variations while enjoying a tasting.
From birth, to sickness, and now death, the final event of this series will feature practicing Connecticut and Rhode Island embalmer and funeral director Nicole Paquette, who will discuss death care practices and rituals through the centuries.
Join us to explore the architectural treasures of Coltsville and the Charter Oak neighborhoods. Discuss the impacts of industry and immigration on these neighborhoods in Hartford, including sites like the Colt Factory and its worker houses, the Church of the Good Shepherd and Parish House, the Capewell Nail Factory, and the Polish National Home.
Visit the Hale Homestead during the Coventry Farmers' Market to join stitchers from America’s Tapestry and local artists from Hartford Stitch for a morning of fun, creativity, and history. Join us to stitch history together - no experience required!
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.
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.
Join us on this new walk for 2025, as we cover what may seem like familiar geographic ground of Main Street, only with new stories to tell as we celebrate the lives of Hartford Women. Learn about Hannah Bunce Watson, Caroline Hewins, Elizabeth Colt, Beatrice Fox Auerbach, Ann Uccello & Carrie Saxon Perry, Ella Grasso, Katharine Houghton Hepburn, Mary Townsend Seymour and CT Suffragists, the Beecher sisters, and more.
The serene grounds of Winvian Farm in Morris will set the scene as best-selling author Martha Hall Kelly discusses her newest novel, The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club. Attendees to this intimate event will enjoy a talk and Q&A from the author herself over delicious light refreshments and tea service. Tour of the Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden available as add-on.
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.
Linda Murphy will guide you step-by-step as you create a unique work of art on textile using blooms (we favor dahlias, cosmos, pincushions, and greenery) grown by Suffield’s own Willow View Farm. This workshop is sure to bring a smile to your face as you work those muscles to make a masterpiece!