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! ;-)