The Pump House was built in 1947 by the Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Connecticut River Flood Control Program, which began after the downtown area suffered catastrophic floods in 1936 and 1938. The foot bridges on the north side of the park were removed when the Park River was buried, and many of those stones were incorporated into the design of the building. The Pump House is located on the southeast side of the park and was designed by H. Hilliard Smith to resemble a Cotswold Cottage with Tudor influences. In the past, the south side of the Pump House was used as an art gallery

Welcome to Connecticut’s Old State House: the place where history and civics meet. Located in the heart of Hartford, this building served as a home to all three branches of state government from 1796 to 1878. Some of our state’s most important stories of freedom, democracy, and civic action, from the Amistad trial to Prudence Crandall, to the landmark Constitutional Convention of 1818, connect to this National Historic Landmark. Today, Connecticut’s Old State House serves as a history museum, gathering spot, and place of civic exploration for thousands of local, national, and international

The Stowe Center for Literary Activism encourages social justice and literary activism by exploring the life and legacy of Harriet Beecher Stowe and all who advocate for hope and freedom then and now. The Stowe Center is open year-round for tours and programs, please check our website for the most up-to-date hours and days. Our 2.5 acre, parklike campus includes three historic buildings, a museum shop, and a research library, available by appointment: email [email protected]. The Stowe Center’s gardens include historic gardens, native plantings, bird and bee habitats, and plentiful

First municipal rose garden in the country; greenhouses, nature walks, perennials and rock gardens. Pond House offers restaurant, lounge and auditorium. Tour time: 2 hour

The Hyland House is an historic house museum, named for George Hyland, the settler who purchased the land on which it stands in 1657. The two-story saltbox structure was built circa 1713 by Hyland’s son-in-law Isaac Parmelee. The National Registry of Historic Places describes it as a “landmark building in the history of domestic architecture.” The homestead inhabitants included Ebeneezer Parmelee, a master clockmaker, and Candace, an enslaved woman for whom Guilford’s first Witness Stone was placed in the museum’s front walkway. The house opened as a non-profit museum in 1918. For more than a

Guilford Art Center is a non-profit school, shop and gallery established to nurture and support excellence in the arts. Through classes for adults and children, gallery programs, a shop of contemporary crafts, and special events, the Center fulfills its mission to provide opportunities for the public to participate in the arts. Founded in 1967 (as the Guiford Handcraft Center), the Center evolved from the first Handcraft Expo, held on the Guilford Green in 1957, in which local artisans displayed and demonstrated their crafts. Ten years later, the Center was incorporated and, since that time

The Merwinsville Hotel is a living museum of one of the last-standing trackside station hotels east of the Mississippi. Built in 1843, it has been painstakingly restored and now serves as a cultural, social and educational center at its home along the Housatonic Railroad in Gaylordsville, Connecticut. The restoration began in 1971, after the building survived a fire and a group of people formed a non-profit organization to bring the dilapidated building back to its former glory. The Merwinsville Hotel opened for business as a meal stop for the Housatonic Railroad. Visitors will be able to step

Historic house built in sections throughout the 18th-century. Vernacular architecture with period furnishings, herb garden. Tour time: 45 minutes

Discover New England's great River at the Connecticut River Museum, located on the waterfront in historic Essex village. Take an "art walk" of the River's 410 mile course from northern New Hampshire to Long Island Sound in the Vertical Gallery with aerial photography and a whimsical mural. Climb aboard Turtle , the world's first submarine used during the American Revolution. Experience the 1814 British raid on Essex, journey through time to the age of steamboats and wooden ships. Explore the natural beauty and rich heritage of the Connecticut River on an afternoon or sunset cruise aboard the

Built in 1782, only house left in the nation with “George Washington Memorial” wallpaper. Displays a family’s lifestyle for over 180 years. Tour time: 30 minutes