old state house

This is a boring building in the center of a small town with tall buildings that likes to call itself a city. There is no reasonable parking nearby and the restaurant choices are divided between donuts and business expense accounts. If you were in Hartford with spare time and absolutely nothing to do and it was raining please take in the Old State House.

How neat to see how Connecticut got it's political start. And the information on the Amistad trial was interesting. The items on display in the curiosity room were disturbing and interesting all at the same time!

I enjoyed the guided tour of the place and would certainly recommend it. This is a small building which has been used in a variety of ways. It manages to still feel atmospheric and do read the available materials to put everything into perspective. There is a short film to set the scene but you do need the guided tour by the excellent and friendly team to understand the importance of this building.

I had a personal tour -only because I went in the middle of the week and just happened to be no one else there but me touring. Nice touch of history. My ancestors were founders of Hartford so was quite interesting for me. Lovely and knowledgeable staff. Makes part of a nice day in Hartford. Easy walking distance for the art museum and the ancient cemetery.

At 4 pm the last ticket to the State House is sold. We arrived at 3:45pm to a very nice reception. Our entrance fee was so reasonable. Veterans/Actice Duty get in free! Check.....Seniors or AAA members $3.00 Check....All others $6.00....We saw a short video on the history of the State House and opted to take the guided tour. Well worth it....Great tour guide...lots of history all around and at the time we visited John Trumbull paintings were on loan from the Hartford Atheneum (just down the street) that were displayed in 2-3 rooms. Lots to see in the whole museum. Will have to return to see more of the collections...

We stopped here kind of spontaneously as we had just finished touring the nearby Wadsworth Atheneum and had just the right amount of time to cover this place. We got in for half price using our AAA discount on what was already a fairly inexpensive place to get into. The admission included a free optional tour which we take advantage of, finding ourselves on basically a private tour of the building led by a very knowledgeable intern who gave us an incredible amount of information about the building itself and Connecticut/Hartford history which went along with it.The curiosities museum on the upper level seemed a strange addition to the Old State House (I mean it's not the first place I'd think of going to see a taxidermied two headed cow...but what the heck...) it was fun!The education center on the lower level was top notch and had we brought out 5 year old with us we know he would have been amused for hours down there.This is a great place to go to learn about Connecticut History and is well suited to both kids and adults. So glad we stopped in!

This was the old capitol, there are the usual recreated rooms where lawmakers would meet but there is a little more. A fun thing is Phineas Taylor Barnum's seat-aka PT Barnum of circus fame who was a great antislavery advocate, you can put on his top hat, tails and hold his cane; small joy for a Barnum fan. The 1st of the Amistad trials were held here and there is a lot of information about this. While we were there, 1 replica of an artist drawing of several of the main men involved in the "mutiny" fell from the wall. The aide said that he was the last one to die and he keeps falling off the wall-maybe the place is haunted like some have claimed. The interesting part of this State house is the Joseph Stuart museum of curiosities which used to be on the 3rd floor until he outgrew the space. It is an interesting natural history collection, also with a few 2 headed animals. It is a recreation of what they knew for a fact was in the exhibit. They looked long and hard for a 2 headed calf but they eventually found 1. The lower level is a museum on all things Hartford, Mark Twain's bike is there among many other interesting facts and items. Interesting indeed.

We had Jennifer as our guide around the Old State House today. She was very informative and gave us a great tour of the building and its history. Well worth the time.

There was lots to see and learn in the Old State House. I liked the lego house a lot. There were many school children in there at the same time as us but the staff did a very good job of managing the children around other guests. An employee even let us in the baseball history room that was not yet complete! That was an added bonus since my spouse loves baseball.

Admission is gained through a ticket office on the lower level. Guided tours cost the same as unguided. We were glad that we chose the guided version and appreciated the insights that our guide, Ron, provided. The building itself has been through many changes over the years, but has been restored to its original state. Don't miss the great museum on the lowest level, "thirty feet under the bricks". Its great for all ages, but especially geared toward kids.

For years, we have driven along interstate 84 and have never stopped but have always noticed the beautiful gold domed old statehouse in view from the highway. Finally this last trip through Hartford, we stopped and took a self guided tour of this wonderful old building. Definitely worth the visit.

This Old State House has served a variety of functions in Connecticut, including being the location where parts of the famous Amistad case were heard. It was very well restored, although there was not a lot of information on signs about the different rooms and the history of each. I took the self guided tour and received a laminated visitor guide from the main desk, most of the information in this guide was the same as what showed up on the one sign in each room. There was a good little orientation film. There is also a small museum in the basement level, geared towards kids, about the importance of history and the history of the Hartford area. Being a state attraction, this is definitely geared towards Connecticut residents. If you are out of state, you might find it less interesting. I also thought the price of the self guided tour should have been less than the guided tour option.

We're so glad that you and your son enjoyed your visit! Thanks for spending your day with us!

This place was pretty neat-o. If you live in Connecticut, or want to know a little bit on Connecticut's history, then this is the place for you. This place has lots of history about both the state house and Connecticut. Come visit this place today! :D

great history, good experience, great location right in downtown Hartford, good to see if in this area. Building is kept in good condition, if you can go when tour are avaliable.