Connecticut is a land of incredible diversity, with something to offer everyone who visits. There are many great places to visit in this city, but if you are looking for the ultimate Connecticut experience, then you need to head to one of the places below. Whichever part of Connecticut you choose to visit, you’re sure to have an amazing time.
The Best Place to Visit in Connecticut
Mystic Aquarium
- Address: 55 Coogan Blvd, Mystic, CT 06355, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (13243)
- Phone: +1 860-572-5955
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMTuesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMWednesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMThursday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMFriday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMSaturday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMSunday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
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Top 12 Tourist Attractions in Connecticut
Mystic Seaport Museum
- Address: 75 Greenmanville Ave, Mystic, CT 06355, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (3774)
- Phone: +1 860-572-0711
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMTuesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMWednesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMThursday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMFriday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMSaturday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMSunday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Reviews:
We had a wonderful experience at the museum! Quite a lot to see and do! We enjoyed the Charles W Morgan boat, the blacksmith shop (the gentleman in there was awesome. Very informative!), the cord building, and the boat tour. All the staff we interacted with was very friendly and knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend this for families. We saw people of all ages enjoying the exhibits.By Deb O (7 months ago)I recommend buying tickets online to avoid any waiting. Also, combining Mystic Aquarium with Mystic Seaport museum and village is cheaper than buying tickets separately.
It’s a very interesting place, where you could easily spend at least 3 hours. There is a LOT to see – you can visit any house in the village and see how they lived and worked, talk to the people who demonstrate different types of work that was done in the village (making huge ropes, boats, medicines, watches and clocks, etc). I liked the whaling museum! I loved how they told us about printing!
The lighthouse inside had a movie, telling a story of lighthouses in America.
And much much more…
Definitely recommend to visit! Great place for families with kids!By Yulia Berry (6 months ago)We absolutely loved everything about this wonderful museum within museum. So many fascinating little sea cottages, each telling their own story. A few little nosh places, opportunities for boat rides on the Bay, a make your own wooden boat bungalow, so much to learn and see! Make sure to give it all day! And you can come back within the next 7 days with your receipt!!!By Sanda Bailund-Vana Wolk (6 months ago)Mystic Seaport Museum is a very fascinating historical museum. Lots do do for kids and adults. There’s a seafaring village, a working shipyard, a planetarium, national historic landmark vessels, various educational exhibits, a kids activity zone where kids can design and build a toy boat and many more!! There’s also a ‘Liberty cruise’ boat which costs $5 per person which takes guests around the Seaport for about 20 minutes. There is boat rental and sailing lessons, please call in advance and enquire about this if interested. The whole family will enjoy visiting the Seaport.By Brenda C (6 months ago)Very informative self guided afternoon. Lots of plaques and signs with information so you don’t miss having a tour guide. Really fun to be able to walk onto different boats and see various artifacts from the whaling ship years! Discount admission if you have proof of being a student. $18 adult admit instead of $27! Free parking across the road which was a HUGE bonus 😂🤙🏻By Tayler T (4 months ago)
Elizabeth Park Conservancy
- Address: 1561 Asylum Ave, West Hartford, CT 06117, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (3694)
- Phone: +1 860-231-9443
- Website: Link
- Reviews:
Had a little time before flight out so wife & I went to Elisabeth Park as we heard it was nice. Late Oct & a lot if roses still blooming on top of all the beautiful Fall Foilage & decorations. We hope we can get back during full flower season if it looks this good now. The gardens, water features and open areas were exceptional. Highly recommended.By Milton Barr (3 months ago)The place is absolutely beautiful. You can go for a walk, run or just to sit and relax. Plenty of spots with a view and shade Or just go have a picnic with the family. If you love flowers and nature you need to go. The rose festival is a great time to visit.By Rafael Cordero (7 months ago)As always spectacular… we chose to go earlier in the morning before a lot of people and loved listening to all the birds, seeing the bees, and butterflies flying around. A fabulous area to walk, bring a picnic, read a book in the scent of roses, of pines… pick a fabulous place, and take a pause. You deserve it.By Kate Morrison (7 months ago)Beautiful scenery even on a brisk winter morning! I throughly enjoyed walking the paths, gazing in the greenhouses and taking in the fresh air. Very clean and well kempt.By Lady May (11 months ago)Gorgeous and well-maintained rose and wildflower gardens. A bit of walking in full sun so prepare for that in the summer. More than just roses too, Dalia garden, wildflowers, and butterfly plants!By James Raynor (5 months ago)
Gillette Castle State Park
- Address: 67 River Rd, East Haddam, CT 06423, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (3099)
- Phone: +1 860-526-2336
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PMTuesday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PMWednesday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PMThursday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PMFriday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PMSaturday: 9:00 AM – 6:30 PMSunday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
- Reviews:
A great state park you must visit, sitting high above the Connecticut River this truly amazing stone castle is beautiful. when we recently stopped in for the first time (lifelong CT. resident), I couldn’t believe what I missed all those years. great spot for pictures with the river and blue sky a background. on our visit characters were outside strolling on the porch engaging all those who came to visit their home. Very easy to walk around, some inclines but no too bad when you take it slow. Working restroom and food on site. just show up and enjoy some time walking around this beautiful CT park. *wear some comfortable shoes, makes the inclines a little less inclined………By James Fox (10 months ago)What a beautiful state park and castle. Tickets to enter the castle are super cheap, only $8 a person. You can’t go in without a tour guide but once you are inside you can do your own exploring. You can also take your time and they do not rush you. The grounds are absolutely stunning. It’s definitely definitely worth the 2 hour drive from NYC.By Veronica Lanni (6 months ago)Beautiful castle, amazing construction! Love the experience of walking back in time! Must take historic ferry to the castle… only $5 per car… a short 5 min hop over the river… no more tours until May 2023… but worth the walk through!By Peter Ying (4 months ago)The castle was a must see, very unique. The price was very fair at $6.00 per person. There was a very nice museum and little theater for viewing a mini bio movie on the owner. If you don’t want to see the castle the park is free and very beautiful. We ate our lunch on one of the many picnic tables.By Acct 4 Dedo (5 months ago)Was excited to go here and was pleased how amazing this place was. The trails were nice and the inside of the castle was just amazing! If you have a chance to do the tour, make sure that you do it. Gillette had amazing ideas for his time and you won’t be disappointed!By Susan McKay (7 months ago)
Connecticut Science Center
- Address: 250 Columbus Blvd, Hartford, CT 06103, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (2725)
- Phone: +1 860-724-3623
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: ClosedTuesday: ClosedWednesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMThursday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMFriday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMSaturday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMSunday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Reviews:
This museum is great for all ages. They have a ton of hands-on exhibits. My son especially loved the water play room. We stayed an hour their alone! We only went for a few hours, but easily could’ve spent 5 or 6 hours there trying to explore everything!By Amanda Rose (4 months ago)This is the premiere children’s museum in CT. There are hands on exhibits around every corner with more information and facts than one could imagine. Whether it’s Enviromental, STEM, Ecological or Basic Fundamentals and Understanding your children will be in awe. Parents… Photo opportunities that make for great family photo memories are endless. Take lots of pictures of those big natural smiles and expressions of joy. Walk around outside (fresh air break) for a while along the lower promenade as well. Hartford has so much to offer, take advantage when you are here. Everyone have fun…Enjoy😀By Richard “RQ” Q. (5 months ago)If you park in the garage underneath the science center, it’s very convenient. For members, it’s a flat rate of $5, for other visitors it’s scales by the hour up to $19. The museum has four exhibit floors; there’s three elevators or some impressively Iong staircases. The general admission cover everything but the butterfly garden which is an additional $5 per person. The garden is very pretty with lots of orchids and large butterflies and moths. Most of the exhibits are interactive play; to get the most out of them, a child needs to be literate, but it’s still massively fun for littler children too. On the bottom floor is a massive water play table exhibit intended for under 5; you might want to bring your child a spare shirt if they like getting wet. Each floor has one or two unisex handicap bathrooms tucked away in a corner. Overall very educational and very fun. I think she’s 4-12 are probably optimal museum goers.By Edith Pawlicki (a year ago)Wow what an experience! We have been to Franklin science center in Philly few days back. And I thought that one is the best and this science center might like that one as well. I was wrong ! (Both are worth visiting) every exhibit over here is interactive! 4,5 floors of science exhibits with beautiful views of Hartford from each floor windows 🙂 it takes some time to interact with each exhibit and see various things (we spend about 5 hours in total). So plan your day / time accordingly!By Johum Mirza (a month ago)The best science center we have been to. What an amazing set of experiences, museum and demonstrations, with water fun, space science, climate science, mummy museum, sound and wave, butterfly museums to mention a few. It’s incredible.By Durgesh Rai (5 months ago)
The Mark Twain House & Museum
- Address: 351 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT 06105, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (2525)
Silver Sands State Park
- Address: 1 Silver Sands Pkwy, Milford, CT 06460, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (2237)
Yale University Art Gallery
- Address: 1111 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06510, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (1861)
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
- Address: 600 Main St, Hartford, CT 06103, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (1561)
Hammonasset Beach State Park
- Address: 1288 Boston Post Rd, Madison, CT 06443, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (1547)
New England Air Museum
- Address: 36 Perimeter Rd, Windsor Locks, CT 06096, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (1520)
Devil’s Hopyard State Park
- Address: 366 Hopyard Rd, East Haddam, CT 06423, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (1423)
Castle Craig
- Address: Peak Dr, Meriden, CT 06451, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (1221)
Connecticut is a world-famous tourist destination, and it’s no wonder why. Here is our list of the top 12 best place to visit in Connecticut – based on expert opinions and customer reviews. Did your favorite spot make the cut? Let us know in the comments above!
It’s smaller than the aquariums I’m used to going to, but it’s amazing nonetheless. The beluga whales they have are absolutely adorable and I can look at them all day. Definitely recommend the sea lion show as well–educating and fun. Tons of interactive stuff, such as touching manta/sting rays and small sharks. There’s also virtual reality in which my family got to explore tiger sharks in with scuba divers. Would love to go again.
A smaller aquarium but fun for all ages. A normal visit will be about one to two hours depending on what you want to see. Everything is nicely organized and usually not over crowded. It’s a great time for the family if they have an interest in aquatic life, with plenty of exhibits and interactive ones.
Nice and fun aquarium! I loved the 4D experience about the Dinosaurs – 2 short movies, dinosaurs, frogs, lizards, a special spot for pictures with dinosaurs!
I LOVE the belugas! The sea lions are great! You can pet the stingrays. So much to see and to do! Highly recommend!
Get tickets online to avoid any wait. Also, if you get tickets togerher to Mystic Aquarium and Mystic Seaport Museum, you will significantly save!
Plenty of parking. Nice shopping and restaurant area in the town around the Aquarium.
Went to the Mystic Aquarium and had a wonderful visit. Very educational and many interesting sea creatures to view and learn about. Many exhibits one can touch the animals, the visiting children were all ecstatic while learning about ocean life and conservation. A big shout out to the food prep there, I had a BLT that was really amazing! I highly recommend a trip to the Aquarium, quite fun.
A very cute aquarium! The prices have gone up immensely but I know they are an intricate part to supporting and maintaining marine wildlife off our New England coasts.
I wish the signage to the marine life had said where they were from. We love learning about where each animal comes from and there are not enough verbiage to educate.
The staff needs to have a stronger voice to the ignorant and blatantly irresponsible patronage who do not follow the rules. Washing your hands, using the two finger pet rule and avoiding certain areas of the petting pools is so dang important. Repeating the rules in a passive aggressive manner does not make people listen. Back bones and strong representation to the aquarium recommended.
Otherwise, a beautiful clean aquarium for the public to be enjoy. Kid friendly. Handicapable friendly. Educational to a point thanks to the staff.