Have you heard? Saturday, June 8th is Connecticut Open House Day! Now in its 15th year, this event invites residents and visitors to explore Connecticut’s many attractions with free or reduced admission at dozens of venues across the state. Some venues also offer special events and activities.
You can find the complete list of venues and what they have planned for Connecticut Open House Day HERE. The list is organized alphabetically by town.
In honor of this celebration of so many of the places that make Connecticut great, we thought it would be fun to share our posts about some of the destinations on the list to help with your planning.
Below we’ve listed each of the venues that we have personally been to and blogged about, plus the Open House Day details. As always, we’ve included links to our Out and About Mom posts so that you can get all those first-hand details you’ve come to know and love.
So check out our list of family-friendly Connecticut Open House Day activities. We hope it helps you discover more reasons to love our wonderful state!
This list is organized in alphabetical order by the town of each venue. This list is accurate as of the posting date. Please be sure to check ctvisit.com or individual venue websites for the most up-to-date information
Imagine Nation: A Museum Early Learning Center in Bristol will offer free admission for the first 200 visitors from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., sponsored by the Thomaston Savings Band Foundation and the Barnes Foundation.
The New England Carousel Museum in Bristol will offer free admission from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The Shoreline Trolley Museum in East Haven will offer half off trolley ride admissions and also museum store items from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. (Please note that our OAAM post for this venue is specifically about their holiday event, but it should still give you some good details about the venue itself.)
The Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor–From 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., purchase one admission and receive the second admission free (higher price prevails) and one free admission per party for Connecticut residents only.
Everyone is a “kid” at The Connecticut River Museum in Essex. Open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., offering morning programs, tours, crafts and stories in the museum and aboard the ship “Onrust.” Programs are free with admission.
The Essex Steam Train & Riverboat will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tickets for both adults and children at 20% off regular price. (Please note that our OAAM post for this venue is specifically about the Day Out With Thomas event, but it should still give you some good details about the venue itself.)
Connecticut River Expeditions in Haddam will offer a special 45-minute cruise for a special price of $5, for all ages. Begins at 9 a.m., when RiverQuest meets capacity, will leave the dock. Return and reload with last boat departing at 12:15 p.m. First come, first serve, no reservations. No credit cards, cash only.
The Bushnell Park Carousel in Hartford will be open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., and offering free rides for children all day. (And don’t forget to check out the brand new playground right next door!)
The Connecticut Historial Society in Hartford will offer free admission to the galleries from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford will offer free admission from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., offering 20% off general admission.
Mystic Aquarium will be open from 9 a.m. until 5:50 p.m. Offering $4 off general admission, good up to four guests when you mention “Connecticut Open House Day” at the admission gate. Discount available at the time of purchase; cannot be combined with any other offers. Good for general admission only.
The New Britain Museum of American Art will offer free admission from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. A special Community Day, visitors are invited to explore the collections, discover the Art Carts to enjoy hands-on art activities in the galleries, docent-led tours for an American Masterpieces Tour at 1 p.m. At 2 p.m., guest can step out on the terrace to participate in a drop-in en plein air drawing experience and enjoy the museum’s grounds.
The Children’s Museum of Southeastern Connecticut in Niantic will be open from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., offering buy one admission, get one free.
The Pez Visitor Center in Orange will offer admission from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. PEZ girl and PEZ candy tablet mascot will greet guests throughout the day with additional surprise.
The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry in Storrs will be open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m., with free guided tours at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. of the current exhibitions.
At the Railroad Museum of New England in Thomaston, excursion trains will leave the Thomaston Station at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. for a scenic ride along the Naugatuck river to Fascia’s Chocolates in Waterbury and return at a reduced fare of $10 per person. Free tours of the Thomaston Train Station, built in 1881.
KidsPlay Museum in Torrington will offer half price admission from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., offering 50% off regular price.
This list is accurate as of the posting date. Please be sure to check ctvisit.com or individual venue websites for the most up-to-date information
Please note: This post may contain information about venues that are current or former Out and About Mom sponsors. No additional compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% the blogger’s own.
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