Free for Our Military Families: Connecticut’s Blue Star Museums

Connecticut is proud to support Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and museums across America. Each summer since 2010, Blue Star Museums have offered free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

See below for a list of Connecticut museums participating this summer.

Featuring: American Museum of Tort Law | Avery-Copp House | Barker Character, Comic & Cartoon Museum | Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden | Bruce Museum | Butler-McCook House & Garden | Canton Historical Museum | Connecticut Historical Society Museum and Library | Danbury Museum | Ebenezer Avery House | Eric Sloane Museum and Kent Furnace | EverWonder Children's Museum | Fairfield Museum & History Center | Harriet Beecher Stowe Center | Hempsted Houses | Henry Whitfield State Museum | Hill-Stead Museum | Hyland House Museum (1713) | Imagine Nation, A Museum Early Learning Center | Institute for American Indian Studies | Kidcity Children's Museum | KidsPlay Children's Museum | Leffingwell House Museum | Lyman Allyn Art Museum | Mattatuck Museum | Museum of Connecticut History | Nathan Hale Homestead | New Britain Museum of American Art | New Britain Youth Museum | New England Carousel Museum | New England Civil War Museum | Phelps-Hatheway House | Prudence Crandall Museum | Roseland Cottage Museum | Slater Memorial Museum | Stamford Museum & Nature Center | Stanley-Whitman House | Stepping Stones Museum for Children | The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum | The Mark Twain House & Museum | Tolland Historical Society | Town of East Granby | Town of Scotland | Town of Simsbury | Town of Southington | Vintage Hi Fi Museum | Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art | William Benton Museum of Art | Wilton Historical Society | Yale University Art Gallery

34 Things to Do in Connecticut This January

Looking for something to do in Connecticut in January? Whether you want something active, relaxing, cultural or nature-oriented, we have you covered. Learn more!

Featuring: Adventure Rooms | Blue Ox Axe Throwing - Bridgeport | Bridgeport Islanders | Bushnell Park | City of Norwalk | Connecticut Chocolate Trail | Connecticut River Museum | Guided Flyfishing Trips-Housatonic River Outfitters | Hartford Stage | Hartford Wolfpack | James L. Goodwin State Forest | Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts | Meadowbrook Estate and Mansion | Mohawk Mountain Ski Area | Mohawk State Forest | Mohegan Sun | Mount Southington Ski Area | Mystic Aquarium | New Canaan Museum & Historical Society | Pine & Iron Axe Throwing - Hartford | Playhouse on Park | Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort | Saybrook Point Resort & Marina | Ski Sundown | Spark VR | The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk | The Storyteller's Cottage | Thrillz High Flying Adventure Park | Town of Litchfield | Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art | White Memorial Conservation Center Museum | Wilton Historical Society | Winding Trails Cross Country Ski Center | Xperiment Virtual Reality

39 Things to Do in Connecticut This December

Looking for something to do in Connecticut in December? Whether you want something active, relaxing, cultural, or nature-oriented, we have you covered. Learn more!

For even more ideas, check out CTvisit.com, where you can search by type of activity under the DO navigation tab, or browse articles full of ideas under the IDEAS tab.

Featuring: Adventure Rooms | Alice in the Village | Ansonia Nature & Recreation Center | Bantam Lake | Blue Ox Axe Throwing - Bridgeport | Bridgeport Islanders | Bruce Museum | Bushnell Park | Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree Farm | Connecticut Science Center | Connecticut Trolley Museum | Eleanor Buck Wolf Nature Center | Essex Steam Train & Riverboat | Florence Griswold Museum | Goodwin Park | Guilford Art Center | Hartford Stage | Hartford Wolfpack | Hot Rod Cafe | International Skating Center of Connecticut | Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts | Lake Waramaug State Park | Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum (c.1864) | Long Wharf Theatre | Lou's Christmas Tree Farm | Mohawk Mountain Ski Area | Mohegan Sun | Montana Nights Axe Throwing | Mount Southington Ski Area | Mystic Aquarium | Mystic Seaport Museum | New Britain Museum of American Art | Osborne Homestead Museum | Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort | Railroad Museum of New England/Naugatuck Railroad Company | Ridgefield Playhouse | Salt Cave of Darien | Shore Line Trolley Museum | Ski Sundown | Spa at Saybrook Point Resort & Marina | Sundial Gardens & Tea Shop | Tea Roses Tea Room | The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts | Thrillz High Flying Adventure Park | Town of Bethlehem | Town of Essex | Town of Greenwich | Town of Litchfield | Town of Madison | Town of Middlebury | Town of New Milford | Town of South Windsor | Warner Theatre | White Memorial Conservation Center Museum | Wilton Historical Society | Winding Trails Cross Country Ski Center | Wood Memorial Library & Museum | Yale Center for British Art

Spooky & Safe: Halloween in 2020

When October rolls around, Connecticut’s your go-to place for all things fun and frightful. While Halloween may look different this year, we can still enjoy the tricks and treats we love, safely! All month long, Connecticut towns are offering safety-friendly experiences for the bravest souls, the little ones, and everyone in between. And in a year unlike any other, you’ll find attractions have gone the extra mile to not only follow safety guidelines, but create entirely new and creative experiences. From drive-through events to spooky outdoor thrills, we’ve gathered a list of ways to celebrate Halloween in 2020.

Featuring: Beardsley's Cider Mill & Orchard | City of New Haven | Eisenhower Park | Ellsworth Hill Orchard & Berry Farm | Fairview Tree Farm | Flamig Farm | Lyman Orchards | Mattatuck Museum | Mystic Seaport Museum | Nathan Hale Homestead | Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society | Norwalk Historical Society | Ray of Light Farm | Rogers Orchards Sunnymount Farm | Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours | Shore Line Trolley Museum | Sonny's Place | Town of East Hampton | Town of Essex | Town of New Milford | Town of Putnam | Town of Seymour | Town of Wallingford | Town of Wethersfield | Wilton Historical Society

Virtual Activities for At-Home Experiences

Connecticut attractions, museums and entertainment venues have temporarily closed in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. But that doesn’t mean you can’t visit—virtually.

Here are a few popular attractions across Connecticut that have created special online experiences or projects to entertain, teach and engage you while you stay safe at home.

Due to the rapidly evolving situation, we encourage you to check back frequently for updates and to verify offering details with individual properties.

Featuring: Artspace | Avon Theatre Film Center | Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry | Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens | Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library | Bradley Playhouse | Bruce Museum | Cafe Aura | City of Bristol | City of Danbury | City of Hartford | City of New Haven | Connecticut Art Trail | Connecticut Historical Society Museum and Library | Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo | Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center | Eli Whitney Museum | Fairfield Museum & History Center | Fairfield Theatre Company | Fairfield University Art Museum | Fitstyle Walking Tours | Florence Griswold Museum | Glastonbury Planetarium | Goodspeed Musicals - The Goodspeed | Harriet Beecher Stowe Center | Hartford Public Library | Hartford Stage | Henry Whitfield State Museum | Imagine Nation, A Museum Early Learning Center | Kehler Liddell Gallery | KidsPlay Children's Museum | Lake Compounce Theme Park | Lyman Allyn Art Museum | Lyme Art Association | Maritime Grille | Mattatuck Museum | Meigs Point Nature Center | Mohegan Sun | Mystic Aquarium | Mystic Seaport Museum | Mystified Escape Rooms | New England Air Museum | New England Carousel Museum | Niantic Children's Museum | Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society | Norfolk Chamber Music Festival | Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine | PEZ Visitor Center | Palace Theater | Pequot Library | Playhouse on Park | Quassy Amusement & Waterpark | Roseland Cottage Museum | Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours | Slater Memorial Museum | Stafford Motor Speedway | Stamford Museum & Nature Center | The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum | The Children's Museum | The Glass House | The Mark Twain House & Museum | TheaterWorks | Town of Ashford | Town of Guilford | Town of Hamden | Town of Orange | Town of Salisbury | Town of Stonington | Town of West Hartford | Town of Westport | Town of Wethersfield | Town of Woodbridge | United States Coast Guard Academy | Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art | Wadsworth Mansion | Westport Country Playhouse | Westport Museum for History & Culture | White Memorial Conservation Center Museum | William Benton Museum of Art | Wilton Historical Society | Windham Textile and History Museum | Woodcock Nature Center | Yale Center for British Art | Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History | Yale University Art Gallery | Yale University Visitor Center

Halloween Fun for 2021

Halloween is around the corner and this year, Connecticut is filled with tricks, treats, and spooky celebrations. From zombie fashion shows, pumpkin festivals and scarecrow contests to ghost tours, haunted hayrides and beyond, there are plenty of fantastic frights to go around. To make sure you make the most of the season, we’ve broken down all the happenings – from kid-friendly events to truly scary experiences. Happy hauntings!

Featuring: Beardsley's Cider Mill & Orchard | Cedar Hill Cemetery | City of Milford | City of New Haven | City of Norwich | Connecticut River Museum | Connecticut Trolley Museum | Ellsworth Hill Orchard & Berry Farm | Fairview Tree Farm | Hempsted Houses | Lake Compounce Theme Park | Lyman Orchards | Mystic Seaport Museum | Nathan Hale Homestead | Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society | Quassy Amusement & Waterpark | Rogers Orchards Shuttle Meadow Farm | Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours | Shore Line Trolley Museum | Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center | SoNo Collection | The Dinosaur Place at Nature's Art Village | Town of Essex | Town of Glastonbury | Town of Lebanon | Town of Plymouth | Town of Putnam | Town of Wallingford | Town of Wethersfield | Wilton Historical Society | Windham Textile and History Museum | Yankee Cider Barn at Staehly Farms