Hartford

Understand

Founded in 1635, Hartford is among the oldest cities in the United States. It is home to the country's oldest publicly funded park (Bushnell Park), the oldest continuously published newspaper (the Hartford Courant), and the second-oldest secondary school (Hartford Public High School). The Greater Hartford region is enmeshed with Springfield (Massachusetts), which lies only 24 miles to the north. Hartford and Springfield are the principal cities in the Knowledge Corridor, the second largest urban region in New England with 2.18 million people, 29 universities and colleges, and 120,000 university students.

Tourist information Hartford tourism website

Climate The climate of Hartford Connecticut is hot humid continental. Winters are moderately cold with some snow. Summers are hot and humid. Typical summer heat indices average around 86 °F (30 °C) during the day and 66 °F (19 °C) at night. It's not unheard of for heat indices to climb upwards to near 100 °F (38 °C) and not go below 75 °F (24 °C) on some exceptionally hot and sweltering summer days.

Getting there

A recommended route for getting to Hartford from a rather distant city is to fly into Boston Logan International Airport and then take one of the below-mentioned buses into the city. This also happens to be the cheap route.

By plane 1 Bradley International Airport (BDL IATA) is 15 mi (24 km) north of Hartford in nearby Windsor Locks. It can be reached by car along I-91. CT Transit's Bus 30 operates service between the airport and downtown.

By car Hartford is located in the junction of Interstates 91 and 84, as well as Connecticut Routes 2 and 6.

From Boston/Worcester, MA: I-90 West (tolled), then I-84 West From Springfield, MA: I-91 South From New Haven: I-91 North From New York City: I-95 North or Hutchinson River Parkway/Merritt Parkway (CT-15 North), then I-91 North From Danbury/Waterbury: I-84 East From Providence, RI: Route 6 West, then I-384 West

By train

2 Hartford Union Station, 1 Union Place (a few blocks east of downtown). (updated Oct 2023) Train operators: Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates trains throughout the United States of America. (updated Dec 2020) Routes stopping at Hartford: Amtrak Hartford Line operating 3-5 trips per direction daily between Springfield and New Haven with stops in Windsor Locks, Windsor, Hartford, Berlin, Meriden, and Wallingford. Northeast Regional operating twice daily between Springfield and Washington, D.C. with stops in Windsor Locks, Windsor, Hartford, Berlin, Meriden, Wallingford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, New Rochelle, New York City, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, and New Carrollton. Vermonter operates daily between St. Albans and Washington, D.C. including stops in Essex Junction, Waterbury, Montpelier, White River Junction, Claremont, Bellows Falls, Brattleboro, Greenfield, Northampton, Holyoke, Springfield, Windsor Locks, Hartford, Meriden, New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, New York City, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore,

Getting around

By car Hartford is easy to navigate. Street parking is free on the weekends. Downtown is the safest to drive and park.

By public transport CT Transit Hartford operates public bus service throughout the Greater Hartford Area. Most bus-stops receive service every 15-30 minutes. The regular fare is $1.75, with one free transfer. All day passes are also available for $3.50. Passes can be bought online or at the CT Transit Customer Service and Sales Outlet located at State and Market Streets next to the Old State House (M-F 7AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-3PM, CT Fastrak is Connecticut’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. It is a system of bus routes that utilize a bus-only roadway on dedicated lanes with offboard fare payment and level boarding, using a former rail corridor. The CTfastrak system provides direct service to and from Hartford to New Britain, Bristol, Waterbury, Cheshire, Southington, Bristol and more with routes that take advantage of the bus-only CTfastrak roadway. Dash Shuttle is a free circulator bus that operates in the downtown area every 15 minutes Monday-Friday 7AM to 7PM and weekends during major events. The route connects the CT Convention Center, the Riverfront, the Arts and Entertainment District, various restaurants, and downtown hotels.

See

1 Connecticut State Capitol, 210 Capitol Ave, ☏ +1 860-240-0222. M-F 8AM-5PM. Downtown atop Bushnell Park the capitol is a National Historic Landmark that opened back in 1878. This stunning building is made of marble and is topped off by a gold dome. Open for free on-hour tours year round. free. (updated Jun 2018) 2 Bushnell Park, Bounded by Jewell Street, Trinity Street, Elm Street and Capitol Avenue downtown. The first publicly funded park in America. Located in the center of the city and bordering the state capitol building. The park was designed by the architect of Central Park in New York City. (updated Sep 2015) 3 Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main Street, ☏ +1 860-278-2670, [email protected]. Th-Su noon - 5PM. America's first public art museum, founded in 1842. The Wadsworth has more than 45,000 works of art as part of its permanent collection. Free admission during final hour (4-5PM) $20/adult, $15/senior, $10/student, children free. (updated Jul 2024) 4 Connecticut Science Center, 250 Columbus Boulevard, ☏ +1 860-SCIENCE (7243623). With 150 hands-on exhibits, a state-of-the-art 3D digital theater, four educational labs, plus daily programs and events, the Connecticut Science Center offers endless exploration for children, teens and adults. (updated Sep 2019) 5 Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, Bushnell Park. The first permanent triumphal arch and the first permanent war memorial in America, it pays tribute to the Connecticut soldiers who lost their lives in the American Civil War. It also pays tribute to slaves and their struggle. The iconic arch was dedicated on September 17, 1886. (updated Jul 2017) 6 Old State House, 800 Main Street, ☏ +1 860-522-6766. M-F 10AM-5PM. Downtown. The original Connecticut Capitol building is a National Historic Landmark that dates back to 1796 making it one of the oldest state houses in the country. 7 Elizabeth Park, 1561 Asylum Avenue, ☏ +1 860-231-9443. Elizabeth Park is on the national register of historic places. El

Do

1 Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, 250 Columbus Boulevard, ☏ +1 860-713-3131 ext 323. (updated Sep 2019) 2 XL Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, ☏ +1 860-249-6333. The largest arena in Connecticut. This is the former home of the Hartford Whalers National Hockey League team and numerous other professional sports teams and the current home of American Hockey League Hartford Wolfpack, and one of two homes for the men's and women's basketball programs of the University of Connecticut Huskies, and for its men’s hockey program. Various bands and recording artists perform here, mostly popular and more established acts. (updated Sep 2019) 3 Bushnell Center for the Perfor