Browse Museums

American Clock and Watch Museum
Bristol, Connecticut

General, History, Library, Specialized

Step back in time with a visit to the American Clock & Watch Museum in America's great clockmaking town, Bristol, Conn. Hundreds of interesting and beautiful timekeepers will remind you of times past. Discover the finest collection of American manufactured clocks and watches on public display.

Antiquarian & Landmarks Society
Hartford, Connecticut

Art, General, History, Historic House, Military

Founded in 1936, the Antiquarian & Landmarks Society (A & L), Connecticut's statewide heritage organization, promotes interest in historic properties by preserving and interpreting significant personal stories and collections. The Antiquarian & Landmarks Society owns nine historic houses opened to public. All are on their original sites and most have intact original collections.

Connecticut Ancestry Society, Inc.
Stamford, Connecticut

General, History, Historical Society, Library, Specialized

Connecticut Ancestry Society members are responsible, ethical genealogists and family historians who share a special interest in southwestern Connecticut and its neighborhood, either by living there, or by having ancestry there, or both; who pursue genealogical scholarship through networking, educational programs, and publication of reference materials and research results; and who extend full cooperation to other genealogical organizations, record repositories, and public record custodians.

Connecticut's Old State House
Hartford, Connecticut

Culture, General, History, Historic House

Begin your visit to Hartford with a guided or self-guided tour of this 1796 National Historic Landmark, one of the nation's oldest state houses.

Discovery Museum and Planetarium
Bridgeport, Connecticut

Archaeology, Children's, General, History, Library, Natural History, Planetarium, Science

The Discovery Museum and Planetarium is a hands-on interactive museum for all ages with over sixty-five exhibit areas featuring "see, hear and touch" explorations of science, technology and ideas. Join us at Connecticut's premiere science museum and planetarium and rediscover the world around you!

Eli Whitney Museum
Hamden, Connecticut

Art, General, History, Science

The Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop is an experimental learning workshop for students, teachers, and families. We collect, interpret, and teach experiments that are the roots of design and invention.

Hebron Historical Society
Hebron, Connecticut

Culture, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society

Hicks-Stearns Museum
Tolland, Connecticut

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

Begun in the 1700s as a colonial inn, this house was enlarged and embellished in the 1880s in the Victorian style. The carriage house, three-story tower, and gingerbread trim were added, and the simple colonial exterior took on the ornate three-color dress seen today. Feeling more like a home than a museum, it is filled with family heirlooms and simple treasures because three generations of the Hicks family lived here, starting in 1845.

Milford Historical Society
Milford, Connecticut

Archaeology, Culture, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society

The Milford Historical Society is open to all people interested in the unique history of Milford.

Nathan Hale Schoolhouse
East Haddam, Connecticut

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society

Hale complained in a letter to a former college classmate of the "remote life in the wilderness called Moodus", and he left East Haddam just before spring to take over the Union Grammar School in the "big city" of New London. Had it not been for the growing war clouds and eventual struggle the schoolhouse on the green at Chapman's Ferry would have been forgotten, as Hale departed with little or no fanfare that winter of 1773. However, the five-month stay and Hale's eventual martyrdom have reserved the building, the story of his unique life, and the inspiration, which he passed on to the people of this nation. "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." Nathan Hale's immortal last words on being hanged as a spy by the British in New York on September 22, 1776.

Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society
Woodbridge, Connecticut

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society

When Thomas Darling decided to leave New Haven to pursue a country squire's life, he hired Abiel Gray of West Hartford, CT to build his new home. It took Gray two years (1772-1774) to complete the project. The Gambrel roof structure is built on a central hall plan and incorporates several unusual features. The paneling and woodwork in the hallway and front rooms are rich in detail and accentuated by the nine foot three inch ceilings. Imported tiles of Biblical scenes over one fireplace suggest a New York influence.

Bruce Museum of Arts and Science
Greenwich, Connecticut

Aquarium, Archaeology, Art, Botanical Garden, Children's, General, Natural History, Nature Centers, Science

Consistently voted the "Best Museum" by area media, the Bruce Museum is a regionally based, world-class institution highlighting art, science and natural history in more than a dozen changing exhibitions annually. The permanent galleries feature the natural sciences encompassing regional to global perspectives.

Connecticut River Museum
Essex, Connecticut

General

Daniel Benton Homestead
Tolland, Connecticut

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

The first Daniel Benton built this house in 1720; The oldest house remaining in Tolland, it was occupied by members of his family until 1932. It is the oldest house museum open to the public in Tolland County.

East Granby Historical Society
East Granby, Connecticut

General, History, Historical Society

The East Granby Historical Society announces that its new book, The Barns of East Granby: Our Agricultural Heritage, is now available for sale at the East Granby town clerk's office. It can also be purchased by using the on-line order form. Authored by two longtime East Granby residents, Betty Guinan and Ted Holly, the book features 269 photos over 130 pages. The text includes brief histories of local farms with descriptions of their barns and other outbuildings.

Farmington Historical Society
Farmington, Connecticut

Cemetery, Culture, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

If you would like to learn more about the society, become a member or volunteer, please contact us. Volunteers are needed to help with hospitality, lead walking tours of the Freedom Trail, work as docents at the Old Stone Schoolhouse, plan events and programs, research and write articles for our newsletter, raise funds, write grants, and tend the cottage garden at the society's headquarters.

Henry Whitfield State Museum
Guilford, Connecticut

Culture, General, History, Historic House, Library, Military

Museum is oldest house in Connecticut & oldest stone house in New England. In addition to showcasing colonial life, an introductory exhibit interprets the early historic preservation movement.

Ledyard Water-Powered Sawmill
Ledyard, Connecticut

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Natural History, Park, Science, Specialized

The currently operating sash-type sawmill (up and down or reciprocating motion versus a spinning circular blade) with its horizontal iron water turbine and gears dates from about 1870, but there were sawmills on the site at Lee's Brook Pond in Ledyard, CT long before then. There were references to a mill pond here from as early as the 1740s. A sawmill belonging to Nathaniel Brown II and Increase B. Stoddard stood on this site in the late 1790s. The mill was never a large commercial venture supplying lumber to distant cities as found in the mill towns of northern New England. Rather it was a country mill, serving the farms and settlements within a convenient hauling distance by horse and wagon.

Nathan Hale Homestead
Coventry, Connecticut

General, History, Historic House

The Nathan Hale Homestead was the home of the family of State Hero, Nathan Hale. Constructed in 1776, the current house is the second dwelling built on the property. Nathan’s father, Richard Hale, was a prosperous livestock farmer and built the house for his large family. Ardent patriots, six of Richard’s eight sons served in the patriot army. One son, Capt. Nathan Hale was caught and hanged as a spy at age 21 by the British in September of 1776. He is famous for his alleged last words, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Following the American Revolution, three Hale sons died from wounds received in the war. Their widows and children moved to the family homestead, so that an average of 12-20 people lived in the house at any one time.

Naugatuck Historical Society & Museum
Naugatuck, Connecticut

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society

The Naugatuck Historical Society is located in the historic Railroad Station. Parking is free and plentiful and we are located right on the Metro North Line.

MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

February 5 - 7, 2025

Milledgeville, Georgia

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

February 17 - 19, 2025

Gaithersburg, Maryland

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

Blacksburg, Virginia

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

September 10 - 13, 2025

Cincinnati, Ohio

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