Hartford has a number of free things to do. Here’s a few places to check out.
With inflation high and budgets stretched, it’s hard to find places to go with your family to have a bit of budget-friendly fun.
Throughout Hartford, there are a number of free places to go - everything from enjoying acres of parks and open space to learning about state history at the Capitol and Connecticut Public Library. We have put together an easy guide to just a slice of offerings of free places to go in the city.
Have a picnic with your family at Riverside Park, take your golf clubs to Keney Park, listen to some jazz at Bushnell Park and pick up a good book at the Hartford Public Library.
Museums and history
Touring the State Capitol
Explore the state’s history during a tour of the Connecticut State Capitol at 210 Capitol Ave., Hartford. Self guided tours are available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and guided tours are available weekdays from 9:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Call 860-240-0222 or email Capitol.tours@cga.ct.gov for more information. The buildings are closed on weekends and all state and federal holidays. Public access is currently limited to the first floor of the legislative office building and the first and second floors of the Capitol building. Public entrances are located on the west side at 300 Capitol Ave.
Hartford Public Library
If you would rather spend a day inside, the Hartford Public Library at 500 Main St. has many things to do for free. One of the current exhibits is Gateway to Places We’re Told We Cannot Go by Christa Whitten. The exhibit runs until Aug. 27 in the ArtWalk Gallery on the third floor. It focuses on restricted access to “powerful, spiritually-charged locations around the globe.” The exhibit features sites that ban women, or less frequently, men.
The library is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 860-695-6300 for more information.
Connecticut State Library
If you would like to learn more about the state’s history and do some research into the history of government, the Connecticut State Library is open to the public. Head in for some research and reading Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 231 Capitol Ave.
Museum of Connecticut History
Learn about the state and the development of the nation at the Museum of Connecticut History at 231 Capitol Ave. The museum is always free and open to visitors Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Masks are encouraged.
The museum has exhibits that trace the growth of the state. It focuses on government, industrial and military history. On the museum’s website, you can check out the newest exhibits. Call 860-757-6535 for more information.
Connecticut Governor’s Residence Tours
Appreciate state history with a tour of the Governor’s Residence at 990 Prospect Ave. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is currently used for many official functions of the governor and is available to nonprofit organizations for charitable events.
The house has free scheduled public tours, which are held particularly around the holiday season.
Parks
Bushnell Park
Take a stroll over to Bushnell Park and enjoy free tours of the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch, walk the Tree Walk and listen to some jazz on Monday nights. The memorial arch has free tours May through October, weather permitting. The Tree Walk will bring you through over 150 varieties of trees, displaying the park’s arboretum of rare and native trees. Tree Walk tours run May to October from noon to 1:30 p.m. when the Arch is open for tours.
If a tour isn’t your thing, bring a chair and a picnic blanket to the Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz Series running from now until Aug. 15 at 6 p.m. The series is the longest running free jazz concert series in America.
Riverside Park
On a summer day, it’s a perfect time to visit Riverside Park at 20 Leibert Road. Just north of downtown, the park has Riverfront Rowing, a community rowing program, and miles of trails. The park is open from sunrise to sunset.
The park also includes a boat launch, picnic tables, charcoal grills, a sand volleyball court, cricket and football fields, a playground, fishing access, art installations and bike racks.
Colt Park
Colt Park at 130 Wethersfield Ave. is over 100 years old. Enjoy playscapes, a swimming pool, splash pads for the kids, sports fields Dillon Stadium and historic buildings.
The park also features large reflecting pools, rustic furnishings, fountains, urns, statuary, artificial ponds for fish and foul, a deer park, orchards, fields and more.
Goodwin Park
Goodwin Park makes up 237 acres in the south end and extends into Wethersfield at 1192 Maple Ave. Sit and read a book or play on the tennis courts, basketball courts and a softball diamond. The park also includes the Pond House, a playscape and spray pad for kids, a fitness circuit, trails, an Olympic size pool and picnic areas.
Bring your fishing rods as fishing is permitted in the three ponds on the areas not adjacent to the golf course. Swing your clubs on the 27-hole golf course on the border of Hartford and Wethersfield.
Hyland and Rocky Ridge Park
Hyland and Rocky Ridge Park at 391 New Britain Ave. is perfect for sports fans. The park has two baseball fields, a basketball court, a tee-ball field and an artificial turf for baseball and soccer. The kids will also love the playscape and splash pad.
Elizabeth Park
Take a stroll through the roses at Elizabeth Park. The park at 1561 Asylum Ave. just celebrated its 125th anniversary. Along with the perfectly manicured rose gardens and greenhouses, the park has nine tennis courts, a Little League field, two softball fields, two basketball courts, two playgrounds, tracks and trails.
Watch the park’s website for up to date information on events and other things hosted by the conservancy.
Keney Park
Keney Park is one of the largest public parks in New England with 693 acres. Located at 337 Vine St. the park has the 18-hole Keney Park Golf Course that dates back to 1927. The course and clubhouse have been rated by Golfweek Magazine as the second best public golf course in Connecticut.
If gold isn’t your thing, fishing is permitted at Waltermere Park during the fishing season.
