To select a museum, click “Details/Reserve”, then select which Pass to reserve.
Connecticut Historical Society
1 Elizabeth Street, Hartford, CT 06105
860-236-5621 https://www.chs.org/
[Details/Reserve]
The Connecticut Historical Society, established in 1825, is the state's official historical society and one of the oldest in the nation. It houses a museum, library, and the Edgar F. Waterman Research Center, an archive and education center. The museum's collection includes more than 4 million manuscripts, graphics, books, artifacts, and other historical materials, displayed in changing exhibitions organized by theme. (Their website includes some online exhibitions, as well.) A museum shop is on the premises.
Categories: Family, Governance, History
Pass Benefits
Free admission for 2 adults and 4 children.
Connecticut River Museum
67 Main Street, Essex, CT 06426
860-767-8269 https://www.ctrivermuseum.org/
[Details/Reserve]
The Connecticut River Museum, a National Historic Landmark, is focused on the sharing and preservation of local maritime history, collecting and protecting manuscripts, books, art and artifacts of regional significance. Located on Steamboat Dock in Essex, CT, its campus includes the historic Samuel Lay House, an 1878 steamboat warehouse, and a waterfront park. The three-story museum offers both changing and permanent exhibitions, the latter including a replica of the first American submarine, built in 1776 for use against the British. For an additional fee, visitors may take a ride on the “Onrust,” a replica of a 17th Century Dutch boat. A museum shop is on the premises.
Categories: Family, Governance, History, Ocean
Pass Benefits
Reduced admission for 2 adults and 2 children or grandchildren.
Connecticut’s Old State House
800 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103
860-522-6766 https://www.cga.ct.gov/osh/
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The Old State House at Hartford, a National Historic Landmark, was designed Charles Bullfinch and completed in 1796. Once the state capitol, then Hartford's city hall, the building now is host to numerous exhibits, programs, and a curiosity museum, providing hands-on activities for children and self-guided tours for visitors focused on democracy, citizenship, and history. Visitors have access to the courtroom where the famous Amistad trial took place, the Senate and House Chambers, and the “Curiosity Room,” which includes a two-headed calf. A museum shop is on the premises.
Categories: Architecture, Family, Governance, History
Pass Benefits
Free admission for up to 4 visitors
Custom House Maritime Museum
150 Bank Street, New London, CT 06320
860-447-2501 https://www.nlmaritimesociety.org/
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Located in the former whaling port of New London, the Custom House Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preserving and sharing of the area's maritime history. The museum, in the nation's oldest continuously operating U.S. Custom House, offers lighthouse tours; boat trips; and exhibitions containing artifacts and paintings related to local lighthouses, US Customs, and the Amistad slave ship. Among others, the institution is the steward of New London Harbor Light—established 257 years ago and still in use, it is the first and the tallest lighthouse built on Long Island Sound. A museum shop is on the premises.
Categories: Family, Governance, History, Ocean
Pass Benefits
Free admission for 2 adults and 2 children.
Florence Griswold Museum
96 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371
860-434-5542 https://www.florencegriswoldmuseum.org/
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The Florence Griswold Museum is an art museum with a focus on the Old Lyme Art Colony, a center of American Impression which was located on this site. The institution is comprised of the Florence Griswold house, a National Historic Landmark; the Krieble Gallery, a modern addition; and the grounds, which include sweeping views of the Lieutenant River. The first floor of the house has been restored to reflect how it appeared around 1910, including some doors and walls painted by artists boarding there at the time. Over the years, the museum's holdings have expanded to include works by artists who lived and worked in Connecticut from the late Colonial period to the early 20th century, such as paintings by Frederick Church, Thomas Cole, Childe Hassam, and Milton Avery. A museum shop and café are on the premises.
Categories: Art, Family, History
Pass Benefits
Free admission for 2 adults and 2 children.
Mystic Seaport
75 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic, CT 06355
860-572-0711 https://www.mysticseaport.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Founded in 1929, this maritime museum—“The Museum of America and the Sea”—occupies 9 acres on the Mystic River in Mystic, CT and includes a recreated New England coastal village, a working shipyard, formal exhibit halls, and state-of-the-art artifact storage facilities. The Museum is home to more than 500 historic watercraft, including four National Historic Landmark vessels, most notably the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, America's oldest commercial ship still in existence. Occasional demonstrations and performances—including costumed role payers strolling the grounds—bring to life different aspects of maritime life. A gallery and series of shops are on the premises.
Categories: Children, Crafts, Family, History, Ocean
Pass Benefits
Reduced admission for up to 2 adults and 3 of their children or grandchildren under 18.
New Britain Museum of American Art
56 Lexington Street, New Britain, CT 06052
860-229-0257 https://www.nbmaa.org/
[Details/Reserve]
True to its name, the museum is dedicated to American Art, which it delivers through a permanent collection and special exhibitions. Its holdings include works by John Singleton Copley, Thomas Cole, Gilbert Stuart, Frederick Church, Albert Bierstadt, Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, Thomas Eakins, and others. Somewhat more contemporary artists in the collection include N.C. and Andrew Wyeth, Rockwell Kent, Georgia O'Keefe, Sol LeWitt, Thomas Hart Benton, Chuck Closer, Eva Hesse, and Dan Flavin. The Museum is handicapped accessible. There is a gift shop and café (with limited hours) on the premises.
Categories: Art, Family, History
Pass Benefits
Free Admission for four people.