10 Best Sights in Hartford, Hartford and the Connecticut River Valley

This strikingly modern building, designed by world-renowned architect César Pelli, houses 40,000 square feet of exhibit space under a wavelike roof that appears to float over the structure. Among the more than 165 hands-on exhibits, youngsters, teens, and adults alike can dive into a black hole and examine the moon's craters in the Exploring Space exhibit, race mini-sailboats and magnetic trains at Forces in Motion, and discover hidden athletic talents in the Sports Lab. Kid Space is perfect for ages three to six, and everyone enjoys mingling with free-flying butterflies in the Butterfly Encounter. Complete your visit by taking in a movie in the 3-D digital theater.

Built in 1874, this was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (better known as Mark Twain) until 1891. In the time he and his family lived in this 25-room Victorian "Stick Style" mansion, Twain published seven major novels, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Prince and the Pauper. The home has one of only two Louis Comfort Tiffany–designed domestic interiors open to the public. A contemporary museum on the grounds presents an up-close look at the author and screens an outstanding documentary on his life introduced by Ken Burns. Tour size is limited; book online before your visit.

The gold-domed State Capitol building, built in 1878 overlooking Bushnell Park, houses the state's executive offices and legislative chamber, as well as historical memorabilia. Walk past the statue Nathan Hale, the official state hero, to the Hall of Flags to see historic battle flags carried by Connecticut troops in wars from the Civil War through the Korean Conflict—along with a camp bed used by Marquis de Lafayette when he came to Hartford to meet with George Washington during the Revolutionary War. When the General Assembly is in session (January–early June in odd-numbered years; February–early May in even-numbered years), visitors can observe the proceedings from the public galleries. The League of Women Voters provides free guided tours each morning by reservation.

The nation's oldest public art museum—and the first American museum to acquire works by Salvador Dalí and Italian Renaissance artist Caravaggio—houses more than 50,000 artworks and artifacts spanning 5,000 years, along with 7,000 items documenting African American history and culture in partnership with the Amistad Foundation. Particularly impressive are the museum's Baroque, Impressionist, and Hudson River School collections.

Fanning out from the State Capitol building, this city park is the oldest publicly funded park in the United States. Conceived by Rev. Horace Bushnell in the early 1850s, the park was designed by Swiss-born landscape architect and botanist Jacob Weidenmann. Some 1,100 trees and shrubs (157 different varieties) were planted, creating an urban arboretum. Kids love the Bushnell Park Carousel (open weekends, June–August), with its 48 intricately hand-carved horses and booming Wurlitzer band organ, built in 1914 by the Artistic Carousel Company of Brooklyn, New York, and installed in the park in 1974. A welcome oasis of green in a busy city, the park has a pond and about 750 trees, including a first-generation offspring of the state's historic Charter Oak (the state tree) and four enormous state champion trees.

Built in 1782, this was home to four generations of Butlers and McCooks until it became a museum in 1971. Today, it houses Hartford's oldest intact collection of art and antiques, including Connecticut-crafted furnishings, family possessions, and Victorian-era toys that show the evolution of American tastes over nearly 200 years. The beautifully restored Victorian garden was originally designed by Jacob Weidenmann.   Open for guided tours by reservation at least 7 days in advance.

Abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–96) spent her final years at this 1871 Victorian Gothic cottage, now a popular stop on the Connecticut Freedom Trail. The center was built around the cottage in tribute to the author of the antislavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Stowe's personal writing table and effects are housed inside.

This 18th-century farmhouse is the birthplace and childhood home of Noah Webster (1758–1843), the famed teacher, lawyer, early abolitionist, and author of the first American dictionary. Inside you'll find Webster memorabilia, period furnishings, and a one-room schoolhouse theater.

This Federal-style building with an elaborate cupola and roof balustrade was designed in the early 1700s by Charles Bulfinch, architect of the U.S. Capitol. It served as Connecticut's state capitol until a new building opened in 1879, when it became Hartford's city hall until 1915. In the 1820 Senate Chamber, where everyone from John Adams and Abraham Lincoln to Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush has spoken, you can view a portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart; and in the Courtroom, you can find out about the trial of the Amistad Africans in the very place it began. In summer, enjoy concerts and a farmers' market (which dates back to the 1600s).

A life-size walk-through replica of a 60-foot sperm whale greets patrons at this museum. Located in West Hartford, the museum also has a wildlife sanctuary and a planetarium with real-life images of outer space beamed in from NASA, as well as a hands-on puzzle exhibit that introduces kids to various scientific and mathematical concepts and optical illusions.