Founded in 1825, the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History has interactive, educational exhibits, family and youth programs, special events and a significant library and research center to foster and explore a passion for history. We strive to inspire a life-long interest in history through research assistance, exhibitions, tours, and programs for all ages.
The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History is the go-to-destination for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of Connecticut’s culture and history. Here you will learn more about the critical role Connecticut continues to play in American history — and about the many cultures living in the state today. Through collaborative interactive exhibitions and programs, rooted in our world-class collections, you will explore the resiliency of its diverse communities, the creativity of its cultures, and the impact of its innovations.
Permanent exhibits include:
Making Connecticut: Colorful, interactive, and filled with more than 500 historic objects, images, and documents, Making Connecticut is the story of all the people of Connecticut, from the 1500s through today. Themes of daily life, clothing, transportation, sports and leisure, work and social change run throughout the exhibit. Hands-on activities for kids (and adults) include working a World War II assembly line, hand stenciling designs for a 19th-century chair, sewing a Native American moccasin, replacing bobbins in a textile mill and cooking a meal and setting the table in both a colonial and a 1980s kitchen.
Inn and Tavern Signs: Between 1750 and 1850, there were more than 50,000 inn and tavern signs produced by American painters, creating a distinct visual language and offering a glimpse into tavern life, travel and patriotic ideals in early America. Only a fraction of these signs survive. The Connecticut Historical Society's collection numbering more than 60 signs is by far the largest and most spectacular in the country.
Tour time: 1-2 hours
Other amenities: Dining Nearby, Gift Shop, Parking, Printed Guides, Self-guided tours
