Hartford, CT in the spring
 

Husband will be attending a 4 day event at the Connecticut Convention Center, staying at the Marriott.

I have never been to CT so I was thinking of tagging along. (We will be coming from Los Angeles.) He will have a rental car I can use. What is within striking distance? Would the Hudson River Valley be a reasonable day trip? (NYC and Boston look too far away.) I like museums, big cities, cute towns, colleges, scenery. I am not a shopper or a gourmet! Do you think four days in the HArtford area would be vacation-like or would it be tortuous, LOL.

THANKS for any advice.

Lucky you - the Wadsworth Atheneum is a small museum, but a jewel, and opening February 9th is the Impressionists by the Sea exhibition. It's within walking distance of the Marriott Downtown.

There's plenty to see and do in/near Hartford.

Highly recommend "Connecticut, An Explorer's Guide".

The Hudson River Valley is about as far away as Boston from Hartford. I would definitely do Boston for a day trip, especially if you have not been before. From Hartford, boston will take you an hour and a half. the tricky thing is that Boston is not the easiest place to drive around in-- alot of one way streets. If you go, get directions to someplace like the Boston Common garage and go straight there and park there for the day. It's not an "easy" day trip but it's do-able.

A drive to New Haven (45 minutes) will bring you to Yale, which is gorgeous and a real college city.Even if you are not a gourmand, you could tour Yale and have an easy lunch somewhere. If you like burgers, new haven is the birthplace for burgers at Louis' Lunch. A very easy day trip.

There are lots of things to see in CT, and the explorer's guide is a great place to see what appeals to you. BTW- The Marriott has a small spa if you want some R&R.

You don't say what time of year, but in late spring and all of the summer you have a choice between driving up through Litchfield County or to the Berkshires in Western Mass for hilly, wooded New England or going to the Connecticut coast (Essex, East Lyme, Mystic) where there are museums and other kinds of scenery.

The advice on the Wadsworth Atheneum is well worth taking. It is a fantastic museum for its size. The art collections at Yale are also excellent if you are a museum fan. I think Woodbury, CT, west of Waterbury, is known for antique shops.

There's also the wonderful Mark Twain house in Hartford. Nearby Farmington is a a "cute town" where you can see the Hillstead, another small gem of a museum, stroll through the campus of Miss Porters School - Jackie Kennedy's alma mater, and have lunch by the scenic Farmington River at the Grist Mill.

http://www.marktwainhouse.org/
http://www.hillstead.org/

After a morning at the Hill-Stead in Farmington, you could check out the Museum of American Art in New Britain, which I highly recommend.

Head north from Hartford on I-91 to Springfield, MA. (approximately 25 miles) to the Basketball Hall of Fame: http://www.hoophall.com

or maybe

Continue north on I-91 from Springfield, MA (15 minutes) to Northampton, MA for good eats and cute shops in a great little college town

or

Take Rts 5/10 from Northampton to Yankee Candle's original flagship store in South Deerfield. http://www.yankeecandle.com

You are also close to Old Sturbridge Village - a living museum of 18th century village life. Mystic is not far either.

If you like casinos, there are two - Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. Both are big and glitzy.

You've gotten great suggestions - I lived there over 10 years, and you're going during a good time of year. One other quick trip from Hartford is Essex (right down Rt 91/9) which is fairly charming or you could go to Mystic... I wouldn't do Hudson Valley - too many interesting things closer to Hartford... The other thing I used to do all the time was a day trip to NYC. Drive straight down 91South to New Haven, catch the train to NYC - and catch an afternoon Broadway show. There are even companies that will take you from Hartford by bus - DEFINITELY a good way to spend a day, especially if you haven't been to NYC and seen a show there.... Also, plan on eating some really good italian food.... I miss that.... :(

You can get to NYC easily from New Haven on the commuter rail (Metro North). Also in New Haven in Pepe's, among the most famous pizza places in the US. Louis Lunch is also a good rec for a hole in the wall locals joint, just don't ask for ketchup.

WOW, thanks for all the advice! I will definitely visit the Wadsworth Atheneum and Mark Twain's house in Hartford. I hope to go to Essex, Mystic, New Haven,Farmington, Litchfield Hills, and maybe get over to Providence or Newport.

I shall try not to be tempted by NYC (my favorite all-time vacation spot)on this trip asI already go there twice a year to visit friends and feast on as many Broadway shows as possible.

I lived in the Hartford area for about 12 years and there are plenty of day trips. I like The Berkshires in Western Mass. See Stockbridge and Lenox.

Mark Twain House - Harriet Beacher Stowe House - I don't remember which one I toured but by the end of the tour I realized what I was looking at was completely not reall and what I mean by that is the house had been, an apartment building, used for storage by a school, walls removed and put back, among many, many other things before they decided to restore it. So what you see is not really original.

If you like Broadway/theater you can check out The Bushnell's event calendar at www.bushnell.org.

It might make for a nice evening out together with a dinner at Max, TK, Dish, Vito's, or the place in the hotel is supposed to be pretty good also.

Speaking of restaurants, my absolute favorite, hands down, is Peppercorn's Grill in Downtown hartford. Food to rival any top place in NYC.

Here's another recommendation for the mansions in Newport. Each is a "museum" on its own - spectacular architecture, art, furnishings.

There are lots of beautiful seaside towns along the way, along with terrific waterside dining.

The drive from Hartford to Newport is about two hours. Best to plan on no more than two mansions in one day (each is huge).

I hate to say this but I think that 4 days in Hartford would be tortuous, not to mention a huge waste of time and money...UNLESS you do some driving and go to either:

1) Newport
2) Litchfield County
3) Boston, yes they are all worth the drive!

Honestly, I grew up there and there's nothing there, it's a small city with zero "street life", no interesting architecture, restaurants, neighborhoods nada.

And forget about going to the Baskekball Hall of Fame in Springfield, unless you're a huge basketball fanatic. Springfield is worst than Hartford, it's kind of a dead city.

Okay, I'm now ducking for cover, buh-bye!

wow, that was a little harsh on hartford! Look, would i choose hartford as a vacation destination? no. But if my Dh was coming here on business and I had an opportunity to come here with him, I would. And, the OP suggested day trips, which makes the trip perfect. She didn't ask about coming to hartford and spending 4 straight days and nights in the city.

For someone who likes college towns, yale is a stone's throw away. she's willing to do day trips which will break things up. Yes, agreed, hartford itself doesn't have much to offer tourism wise, but it is a gateway to many places. and the suburbs like west hartford and farmington are very charming. BTW vivi, if you get a chance, go to Old Wethersfield, 10 minutes from hartford, for a very quaint town-- some the houses are very old and very beautiful. It's a nice place to grab a great ice cream and walk around.

The XL center has things going on that might interest you depending on when you are coming out and the Bushnell is a great venue for a show. All in the heart of Hartford.

Finally, there are restaurants in Hartford that are GREAT- that offer food as good as you will find in any major city-- Peppercorn's, Max Downtown,Dish, Feng, Agave just to name a few. West hartford center, just 10/15 minutes away offers a variety of others (grant's, max oyster, bricco...). To say there are "No restaurants" is simply untrue and unfair. I've had some of my best meals in Hartford and believe me, I've eaten some great meals all around the world.

So if you come with reasonable expectations, you might really enjoy a trip to Hartford.

Sorry em, but even a free trip isn't free, it's still 4 days and 2 very long plane rides, heck, my husband goes to San Francisco 2 or 3 times a year and even though it's my favorite city, I have to think long and hard about whether I want to join him..is it worth leaving the kids, the house, the business, playing catch-up, etc.?

But if vivi doesn't have children or a job, then maybe she's got all the time in the world and should go and check it out!

I just don't want her to set her sights too high.

Nina IS right about four days in Hartford being overkill. I love Newport (totally different/better category than Hartford) and four days there would be too much.

However, the one thing that Hartford does have going for it right now is a pretty good restaurant and theater scene.

Whenever I've had friends from California come to visit me in Connecticut they are always fascinated by the Colonial-era homes.
http://www.ctlandmarks.org/
go to that website and check out the Butler-McCook Homestead (it is only a few blocks down the street from the Wadsworth Museum) and the Buttolph-Williams house (it's in Wethersfield--a 5 minute drive from downtown). In fact Old Wethersfield is famous for its Colonial-era houses. Park the car and walk around; there are a couple of small cafes in town, too.

The Connecticut Historical Society has some interesting displays (they had one on the Colt Firearms Factory and what it meant to the development of the city and the country but I think that ended a while ago).

I second the restaurants listed by other posters. We have some great chefs here.

Miss Porter's School in Farmington (mentioned above) is on a street that is jam-packed with beautiful old homes--a couple of them are 1600's I think.

New Haven is a great place, too--the Yale Center for British Art is a lovely little gem, free admission to some fabulous art, and it is on a street with many cafes (the famous Atticus Books for instance) and great restaurants. And all those Yalies! An easy drive from Hartford.

If you go to the Hudson River Valley, I would direct you to either Hyde Park (Roosevelt's two homes are there--it's glorious, an easy 2 hrs drive from here) OR to the Storm King Art Center in Cornwall New York. An easy one hour drive through some unbelieveably beautiful scenery, to a spectacular outdoor sculpture museum/park. You'll see Andy Goldsworthy's work and the works of other important sculpturists. It's beyond amazing. Stop in Cornwall Village and gather up some picnic food--the Art Center has gorgeous picnic areas but no food is sold there (there are vending machines with water and soda).

Nina- i don't disagree with you on your basic premise that 4 whole days in hartford as a tourist wouldn't be ideal, but I simply take issue with some comments, like there are no restaurants. And, as said, if Vivi is planning on doing some fun side trips, it has the potential of being a great time.

oh, and i forgot Theatreworks and the Hartford Stage for culture.

Oh yes, TheaterWorks, Hartford Stage! The director of Hartford Stage is Michael Wilson, an absolute STAR who was lured away from a terrific theater in Houston. Go ahead and google him--you'll see what I mean.If you're into way-out-there art, go to RAW (Real Art Ways) and check out the avant-garde art, or see an art-house indie movie. They have great happy-hour events there, too. And one more thing, if you're here in the Spring, you MUST take a walk through Elizabeth Park--it'll knock your socks off. There's a fabulous restaurant there, too, so after you've taken in the millions of daffodils and tulips and seen the rose gardens beginning to bloom you can have a casual bite to eat in The Pond House, overlooking the water.

http://www.elizabethpark.org/

Staying at the Convention Center, you can walk just 3 or 4 blocks to the Wadsworth Atheneum museum (they have a cafe, but it's kind of stuffy and over-priced--there are better places nearby), and you are just 5 mins walk from one of the great bars in Hartford: The Arch St. Tavern. At Happy hour it's packed with locals- as are all the places downtown, but Arch St has been there forever and it's well-loved. Another favorite is City Steam -a restaurant in a former department store. Food is OK, but the big draw is that they brew their own beer right there. Packed for Happy Hours and their Comedy Night.

I have friends who live in the UK who think I'm NUTS to be so crazy about London. They don't see anything attractive about the place.
But I go in as a tourist, with different eyes. We should keep that in mind for the OP.If she's posting here she must be an intelligent, open-minded person :-)

What I would like her to know is that she can come here and see places that were hugely important to the start of this country, and to its growth. Hartford hit its peak socially, culturally and economically somewhere around the 1840's to the 1920's --that's true-- but a tourist will come here and see where Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe created a literary enclave that was critical to the support of abolition during a ghastly war; see the wonderful surviving evidence of the Victorian influence in the US and of the factories and insurance industries that were the foundation for a solid blue-collar base. And see the efforts being made to restore the riverfront and go forward with revitalization. And a curious, intelligent tourist can always find the lovely bits among the warts.

HOw do you get this thread into the Connecticut forum?

There is no Connecticut forum, just a search function that might make you think there is a Connecticut forum.

Appreciate all the comments, I am going to print this whole discussion. No, I would not pick Hartford as a vacation destination. But my husband will be working and I plan to commandeer the rental car every day for side trips; I have done this many times all over the US while he is conventioneering. We fly free on a Delta pass, the hotel room is paid for, the kids are grown so it's easy for me to be gone. I have never been to CT or RI, so I think it will be fun. I get such a kick out of seeing new places...

(Malquist- yes, we have been to Hyde Park and Storm King. Fabulous.)

Oops, I got my trips mixed up and my dates wrong. Hartford will be in mid-August not spring.

Spring trip is to Boston (first time) and NYC (umpteenth time.)

Vivi- glad you're planning on going to Hartford. It will be hot and humid here, but great excuses to check out newport, essex, mystic etc. You've gotten some great suggestions for your trip. Post again if any other questions come to mind. have a great trip!

Not sure why the expectation that it will be hot and humid has been set. I read that your trip will be in the Spring. Hartford is in New England - it could be anywhere from 40 degrees to 80 degrees. I live in downtown Hartford. By Choice! It's a very manageable small "big city" I'm pretty sure that if you had to stay in the confines of downtown you may be bored after a few days, but as many have suggested in the immediate neighborhoods there is a lot to do and see. So, be sure to wander the city (take the free Star Express bus). There is an organization called Hartford Guides. You may wan to google them as well. Be sure to walk to Bushnell Park - it's a small version of NYC's central Park - just look around, you can see the StaTe capital with it's large gold dome, The Soldiers Memorial Arch, Bushnell Tower designed by IM Pei, some really bad post modern architecture, Fabulous Insurance buildings that have been taken over by the State. Connecticut General's (CIGNA) building at the corner of Elm Street is of interest. the Goodwin Hotel a veritable bastion of fine living is a grand brownstone structure.

As for dining out, as mentioned peppercorn's is an institution. Also consider:

Max Downtown - classic fine dining
Trumbull Kitchen - the Max version of lighter younger dining
Masala - great indian food - have the cauliflower
Dish - Just opened - rave reviews - I hear the mashed potato sampler is not to be missed
Feng - very upscale chinese
Bin 228 - light fare - with a greta wine list
Hot Tomatoes - by the train station - open many years for good reason - the best garlic bread in New England
Vito's - on the park with a few outdoor tables - excellent Italian food!

Now, that I have said all that, I grew up in the Hudson valley and would certainly suggest a day there. for something different, consider going to West Point and just walking the grounds, absorbing the history. Newburgh also has Washington's Headquarters!!

seafox, in a later thread the OP posted that she made a mistake and wasn't coming in the spring, but in August. August in hartford is hot and humid, but not worse than other city in the northeast.

oops - I missed that - yes of course it may be hot and humid!!

someone else may have mentioned this but I didn't see it when I scrolled through quickly: Historic Deerfield village in the Pioneer Valley is an easy trip from Hartford up I-91:
http://www.historic-deerfield.org/. Beautiful houses, interesting history. This is the same general area as Northampton/Amherst mentioned by others.
Sugarloaf reservation in South Deerfield has great views of the valley
The Mohawk Trail (Rte 2 west) is only a little farther north
If you want to see some pretty New England hill towns you can head up Rte 116 from I-91 to Conway and Ashfield

This area would be easier to visit from Hartford than the western Berkshires and has plenty to see.

Definitely somewhat tortuorous. However Foxwoods casino and mohegan sun casino half hour, sturbridge village in ma 20 min, mark twain house, harriet beecherstowe museum. Some good rest. and jazz clubs. Do u have time for newport RI 90min drive thats definitely worth while.

flep you must drive pretty fast! I'd say Mohegan and Sturbridge are more like 40 minutes each. But both definitely do-able!

Next time try the back roads, much faster. Plus im always in a rush to have fun!

We always go back roads and know all the short cuts, but even with my DH behind the wheel, he couldn;t beat your time! ;-)