Celebrate Connecticut Open House Day in New London County 2026

Make Colchester your history destination!  Not only will the Colchester History Museum be open, but you can also visit the Colchester's historic School for Colored Children, the Colchester Burying Ground, the Colchester Hayward Fire Museum and historic Bacon Academy all in one day.

Located in the village of Niantic, the circa 1660 Thomas Lee House and the 1803 Little Boston School will be open for free tours.  In the barn are displays of early East Lyme including one on the Nehantic Indians. Also, you can see an early mail wagon and the town's first fire wagon.

Banana Leaf Crafts Studio is a vibrant, colorful creative experience in Connecticut where art, music, laughter, and community come together.

This locally owned studio offers hands-on artistic experiences for all ages, including glass work, mosaics, macram, decoupage, and specialty crafts. From Girls Night Out and corporate team-building sessions to youth art camps and inclusive programming like the monthly Being Me art experience for children with autism, Banana Leaf Crafts Studio reflects the creativity and heart of Connecticut's small business arts community.

We also host a monthly Craft & Poetry Night, where adults gather to create, write, and share in a warm, inspiring environment — highlighting the connection between visual art and storytelling.

Recently expanded to accommodate up to 50 guests, our studio continues to grow as a destination where residents and visitors can gather, create, and connect.

For Connecticut Open House Day, guests can:

Enjoy free Mini Mosaic Coasters or Connecticut-themed Bottle Cap Magnets

Take part in eco-friendly, fun recycling art projects

Explore full $30 project displays with exclusive event discounts

Visitors will leave with a handmade piece, inspiration to explore creativity at home, and a firsthand experience of Connecticut's vibrant arts scene.

Free tours and demonstrations inside our historic house museum.

Visit with a Revolutionary War soldier; see his tent and equipment while learning about a soldier's life in 1776.

Fun and games for children, including a scavenger hunt in the museum.

Dogs welcome in outdoor areas.  
 

Free publications and wildlife stickers will be given out, including Long Island Sound wildlife booklets, Wrack Lines magazines, bookmarks and post cards. Salt marsh plant guide and Connecticut's Sandy Shores beach and dune guidebook offered for sale.

Walk in the Footsteps of our ancestors! Join us for a lively walk around the Battlefield, and climb the Monument, too. This is an informative walk about the lead up to the Battle, the massacre itself, and the aftermath.

Groton Congregational Church was built in 1902, designed by local architects Donnelly & Hazeltine. Over half its interior is made of hand-rubbed and polished oak, with original chandeliers. The church contains a Tiffany  window, "The Good Shepherd," a four-panelled, stained glass window, "Parable of the Talents," by Edward Peck Sperry, and a Möller organ with 1,381 pipes. An 18 page illustrated history of the church is provided to visitors, and small American flags.

Step back in time with the Groton Public Library for CT Open House Day on Saturday, June 13, from 11 AM to 4 PM. This year’s festivities are held in special honor of the America 250 celebration, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States. Hosted at the historic Jabez Smith House (259 North Rd), this rain-or-shine event offers a full day of history and family fun. Enjoy a tour of the historic House, property of the Town of Groton. Explore an authentic encampment with the Sons of the American Revolution, meet Daughters of the American Revolution and local authors, enjoy 18th-century games, crafts, and live farm animals. A Liberty Tree dedication ceremony to Jabez Smith Jr., Lieutenant of the Marines in the American Revolution, will be held at 1 p.m. by the Sons of the American Revolution.

Parking is conveniently located across the street at Grace Baptist Church. For even more excitement, you can take the event shuttle to Thrive 55+ to check out their Classic Car Show. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or looking for unique local activities, join us for a wonderful afternoon celebrating our national heritage and Groton’s local roots.

Meet the Animals: Meet all the animals who call the Nature Center home! Free for all to attend.

We will be offering free admission for the first 25 admissions of the day.

Portersville Academy was the first schoolhouse in Mystic and later served as a courthouse and District Hall for the Town of Groton. Visitor's enjoy exhibits on the first floor and experience a 19th century classroom on the second floor.

Portersville Academy will be open 1-4 with free admission.  We have a 19th century schoolhouse exhibit on the second floor and a photograph gallery on the first floor.

"Tall Tales" has crossed oceans. She will be the private yacht of your group of from two to six on two hour sails of the Thames River and Fishers Island Sound. Reasonably priced, no hassle sailing. We are proud fair-weather sailors. If it ain't fun, we don't do it. Reservation, no deposit, payment after sail; $60/person for a couple; $50 3 to 6. 917/405-5044 for info and reservations.

On CT Open House Day the Custom House Maritime Museum offers visitors half-price admission, and also a 20% discount in the SHOP.

The Lyman Allyn is pleased to offer FREE ADMISSION to all on Connecticut Open House Day. Family-centric exploration guides are free to pick up to help young learners enjoy the Museum.

The Garde Arts Center, the longtime cultural heartbeat of New London, will open its doors with several community partners including the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and ArtReach, to show "On Exhibit at the Garde" - a celebration of New London's rich cultural heritage!

On Open House Day:

FREE - On Exhibit at the Garde - "Unseen Stories" photography exhibit 1:00 - 4:00 pm

FREE - Tours (2 - 45 minutes options) 12:00 Noon  &  1:00 p.m. 

FREE - ESPN Documentary “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN” - on our giant screen of the historic Garde Movie Palace, presented with 4K digital projection, 8-channel surround sound. 2 p.m.

Uncovering New London - One Story at a Time offers guided tours that bring the city's rich and diverse history to life. Chose for a Revolutionary-era tour in celebration of America's 250th, or a  Black history.  Each experience is led by knowledgeable local docents who have lived here and know the stories. As you explore, you'll walk the very same streets as the people whose stories shaped New London.

Come have some learning fun and play by the bay! Enjoy $2 off per person (adults and children 12 months and up) with proof of Connecticut residency. Last admission at 4pm. No registration necessary.

Artreach, Inc.'s gallery will have an opening reception for our all new exhibit featuring hand-painted buoys and other craft to create an immersive nautical installment.

Work on display features Artreach program members, adults living with mental illnesses. Our visual arts, music, and theater programs help sustain recovery; while our art exhibits and public performances raise awareness and bust stigma in the community.

Open from 1:00 - 4:00 pm on Open House Day.

There will be our opening reception, there will be refreshments, as well as live jazz from our house band Baggage Claim.

Experience a FREE tour of the Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop, one of the last remaining tradesmen shops left in New England. Built in 1772 by silversmith and clockmaker Joseph Carpenter you will see the original walls, his clocks and the forge he used. Joseph Carpenter himself will be there to talk about his clocks and silver.

Tours from 11-2:30.
 

Engage in a FREE tour of the main floor of the 350 year old Leffingwell House Museum. Stand in a pre-Revolutionary Tavern Room. Meet Mary Leffingwell, nurse for the town in the 1700's and learn about the herbs she grew and used for healing remedies. Tours available 11-2:30. Whole house tour available for $8. 

Immerse yourself in History!
 

Slater Memorial Museum is happy to participate in the CT Open House Day. The Museum will offer FREE admission and on-site activities.

Slater Memorial Museum is on the campus of Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, CT.  NFA Head of School Dr. Robert Porter Keep collaborated on the concept of installing a body of artwork that became the museum's plaster cast collection. The collection was unveiled in November of 1888 along with the auditorium on the first level.

Since its founding, Slater Museum has grown to include a collection of over 10,000 pieces of art and objects from all over the globe.
 

The Center holds a robust collection of books, transcriptions, photographs, and original manuscripts on historical New London County people, places, and events, with a special emphasis on Southern New England Indigenous peoples.

For more than fifty years, these materials have assisted researchers in finding accurate and interesting historical information for classroom instruction, family genealogies, museum exhibits, and academic scholarship.

Open 11:00-3:00. The Board of Directors and volunteers will be on hand to give visitors a tour of the Center.

James Ingram Merrill (1926-1995) stands among the leading literary figures of his generation, winner of a Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award (twice), and widely admired for lyrical, beautifully crafted poems that explore such universal themes as love, memory, and the inevitable passing of time. From the mid-1950s until his death in 1995, Merrill made his home in Stonington, Connecticut, where he shared his quirky, color-drenched apartment with his partner David Jackson (1922–2001). Come tour the apartment where James Merrill lived and worked on Water Street in the heart of Stonington Borough.

We also invite you to see our current exhibit, James Merrill's World: The Stonington Circle which gives insight into the vibrant creative community that surrounded poet James Merrill during his years in Stonington and explores the friendships and collaborations among Merrill, his lifelong partner David Jackson, their friends in Stonington, and the artistic bond that shaped Merrill's life and work.
 

See what life was like "way back when" Waterford, once part of New London and founded in 1801,  was known for agricultural, marine life and shipbuilding, and granite quarrying. Tours of the Waterford Historical Society's properties:  the 1840s Beebe-Phillips House, the 1740s Jordan District Schoolhouse, Stacy Barn/Miner Education Center full of antique farming equipment, and the fully operational Ralph Madara Blacksmith Shop, all located on Jordan Park Green. Also, see the inside of the100-year old Jordan Park House, the original Waterford Public Library.