06/03/2008 Contact:
Dana Guyer
Also available in pdf format
Things to See and Do in Connecticut
During APS StampShow 2008
 Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, is
located on the Connecticut River north of the center of the state.
Hartford is the state’s
third-largest city, after New Haven and Bridgeport, but Greater
Hartford is the largest metro area in Connecticut, with a total
population of 1,188,841. Hartford’s three-year-old, 540,000-square-foot
Connecticut Convention Center — where StampShow 2008 will
be held — is the largest meeting space of its kind between
New York City and Boston.
Putting its best foot forward as “New
England’s Rising
Star,” Hartford has generated renewed interest with both
local and national developers who are investing more than $1 billion
in the city through a variety of projects. These include commercial
and residential projects such as Hartford 21 and the Connecticut
Science Center currently under construction, an extensive system
of riverfront trails and parks, neighborhood improvements, the
renovation of the historic Colt building to National Park standards,
and significant development in the central business district. The
twenty-one towns that comprise the Greater Hartford Tourism District
offer something for everyone — whether it’s history,
art, or culture. The lively downtown district gives visitors plenty
of entertainment, dining, and shopping options.
 As the capital of
Connecticut, Hartford has plenty of history to explore, and the
state capitol grounds are a great place to begin! Frederick Law
Olmstead, the father of American landscape architecture, was born
in Hartford and designed the state capitol grounds. Olmstead also
played a large part in designing New York City’s Central
Park!
Don’t know your way around? Just ask the “Hartford
Guides” — men and women in distinctive red, khaki,
and white uniforms offering downtown visitors free information,
directions, and tours.
Getting around is a snap as well with the
free Hartford Star Shuttle, a free shuttle bus service connecting
the Connecticut Convention Center and the riverfront with downtown
hotels, restaurants, shops, and attractions. Its 30-foot shuttle
buses are easy to spot, painted blue and gold and emblazoned with
stars, which pick you up at stops designated with star signs. The
complete, fifteen-stop circuit around downtown takes about 20 minutes.
The  Hartford Star Shuttle operates Monday through Friday from 7
a.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday from 3 to 11 p.m. To verify hours
of operation, call 860-522-8101. A map of the shuttle route is
available at www.stamps.org/Stampshow/Travel.htm. Also for your
convenience is a listing of the restaurants and corresponding shuttle
stops.
You’ll have plenty of philatelic fun at StampShow August
14-17, building your collection, taking in exhibits, and making
new friends. But before and after the show, here are other terrific
things for you and your family to see and do in Connecticut, which
has something for everyone — museums, gardens, educational
and historic sites, sports, spas, and so much more.
Bushnell Park
Between Elm and Jewel Streets lies the nation’s oldest public
park. Forty acres in the heart of Downtown features more than 125
tree species, the Civil War Arch, the Spanish American War Memorial,
the Israel Putnam Statue, a children’s play area, and more.
For just $1 you can take a 3½-minute ride on an antique
wooden carousel. Learn more at www.bushnellpark.org
The Children’s Museum
Educational and entertaining exhibits are the hallmark of this
Hartford center, located at 950 Trout Brook Drive. Included are
a planetarium and a wildlife sanctuary of 30 animals, including
a mountain lion, a chinchilla, and a bobcat. For out-of-this-world
adventure, visit Star Station One, charting the development of
the International Space Station. A replica of the International
Space Station is also being built in the Science Center. Open
Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from Noon to
5 p.m., call 860-231-2824 for details and admission prices or
visit www.thechildrensmuseumct.org
 Nathan Hale Homestead
Tours of the house at 2299 South Street, in Coventry, Connecticut,
20 miles east of Hartford, offer fascinating glimpses into Revolutionary
War-era life. Artifacts on display include the famous Connecticut
patriot’s Bible and his fowling gun. The house hosts a
series of Colonial Lifeways programs including Colonial camp,
historical character dramas, and colonial-themed birthday parties.
Open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Admission is
$4 for adults, $2 for ages 6 to 18, and free for children under
6. Call 860-247-8996 to learn more, or visit www.ctlandmarks.org/hale.php
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
 One of the greatest art museums in the United States, the Wadsworth
at 600 Main Street in Hartford features a quality collection
of fine and decorative arts. Most noteworthy are landscapes of
the Hudson River School (which included Albert Bierstadt, whose
Valley of the Yosemite is being released as a 42-cent stamp during
StampShow 2008), Old Master paintings, and the French and American
Impressionist collection. Not to be missed is the impressive
collection of decorative art objects, textiles, and furniture.
View the Amistad Foundation’s African-American Collection
that documents African American history from slavery to present
times. Open Wednesday to Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and
Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., admission is $10 for adults, $8 for
senior ages 62 and up, $5 for students and children 13-17, free
for children ages 12 and under. For details, call 860-278-2670,
or visit www.wadsworthatheneum.org
Museum of Connecticut History
 The museum, housed in Hartford with the Connecticut State Library
and the State Supreme Court at 231 Capitol Avenue., is a monumental
example of Beaux-Arts architecture, presenting many important
artifacts of Connecticut’s political, military, and industrial
history. This museum houses the state’s original colonial
charter and a vast collection of Samuel Colt firearms. Admission
is free, and museum hours are Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Sunday. Call 860-757-6535,
or visit www.museumofcthistory.org
Butler-McCook Homestead
The same family continuously occupied this Hartford home from the
time it was built in 1782 until 1971. Three centuries of life
on at 396 Main Street in Hartford are represented in the art,
furnishings, and household items preserved here. There is an
extensive collection of American art, East Asian artifacts, antiques,
and Victorian era toys. Homestead hours are Wednesday through
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4
p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and students,
$4 for children 6–18, free for children under 6. Call 860-522-1806,
or visit www.ctlandmarks.org/butler.php
Old State House
Designed in 1796 by noted architect Charles Bullfinch, this house
at 800 Main Street in Hartford is the oldest state house in the
nation. It served as the seat of state government until almost
a hundred years later, when the present Connecticut Capitol was
built. The home has hosted major state and national events, including
many visits by dignitaries and celebrities. Oliver Wolcott, signer
of the Declaration of Independence, was the first Governor to
serve here, and P.T. Barnum served in the legislature here as
well. Experience the interactive audio tour — “Hartford
Begins Here: Connecticut’s Old State House” — exploring
the magnificent historic rooms. Don’t miss the exciting
6,800-square-foot multi-media exhibit, “History is All
Around Us,” which tells the story of Hartford and the importance
of history in our lives. Hours are Tuesday to Friday 11 a.m.
to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults,
$3 for seniors 65 and older, students, and children 6-17, free
for children under 6. Call 860-522-6766 or visit www.ctosh.org
Noah Webster House
 Guides dressed in period clothing will direct you through the Hartford
birthplace and childhood home at 227 South Main Street of Noah
Webster, author of the first American dictionary. They are excited
and informative as they relay everyday information about Noah,
both as a child and an adult. Participate in hands-on activities,
such as flax breaking and wool carding. On view are early editions
of Webster’s Dictionary of the American Language and blue-backed
Spellers, as well as china, glassware, a desk, and clocks that
Webster owned as an adult. Open Thursday through Monday 1 p.m.
to 4 p.m., admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for
students and children 6-18, free for children under 6. Call 860-521-5362
or visit www.noahwebsterhouse.org
Elizabeth Park Rose Gardens
Named for the wife of wealthy industrialist and statesman Charles
H. Pond, this lovely park on Hartford’s aptly named Prospect
Avenue features vistas that look out over meadows, fields and
water. A world-renowned half-acre garden of rose bushes is the
centerpiece of the 100-acre park that features greenhouses, garden
areas and pathways along with a picnic grove, pond and recreation
areas. The Pond House Cafe is open year round for lunch, dinner,
and Sunday brunch. Admission is free. Call 860-722-6541, or visit
www.elizabethpark.org
Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration
The highlight of this aquarium located in scenic Mystic, Connecticut,
an hour southeast of Hartford, is an amazing reef featuring 30,000
corals, sharks and stingrays, along with a wide array of many
colorful fish species. Take in the Institute for Exploration,
a daily dolphin show, and the Beluga exhibit. Open daily 9 a.m.
to 6 p.m., admission is $20.75 for adults, $19.75 for seniors
65 and older, $15.75 for children 3-17, free for children under
3. Call 860-572-5955 or visit www.mysticaquarium.org
Mark Twain House
 Visit the Hartford home where Mark Twain wrote several of his most
beloved novels, including Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and The
Prince and the Pauper, in the state that suggested the title,
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. This Stick-style
Victorian mansion at 351 Farmington Avenue was built in 1874
in this famous Nook Farm neighborhood. Guided tours are available
in which events from Twain’s personal and family life are
recounted and the architecture and furnishings are described.
Open Monday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sunday Noon to
5:30 p.m., admission is $13 for adults, $11 for seniors 65 and
older, $8 for children 6-16, free for children under 6. Telephone
860-247-0998, or visit www.marktwainhouse.org
Titanic Exhibition
At the XL Center on Trumbull Street in downtown Hartford during
StampShow 2008, the Titanic Exhibition brings to life the brief,
tragic history of the legendary RMS Titanic — a compelling
human drama of the doomed ocean liner told through nearly 300
authentic artifacts and extensive room re-creations. Visitors
are drawn back in time to 1912, as each receives a replica boarding
pass of an actual passenger upon entrance. The exhibition then
takes guests on a chronological journey through life on the ocean
liner. Attendees will marvel at authentically recreated first-
and third-class cabins, view the ship’s boiler room, feel
the temperature drop as they press their palms against the iceberg,
and learn of the passengers and their countless stories of heroism
and humanity. In the “Memorial Gallery,” guests will
take their boarding pass to the memorial wall and learn if their
passenger and traveling companions survived or perished. Open
Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday to Sunday 10:00
a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with discounted fees for groups of 15 or more.
Call 860-525-4500 for details and prices.
 New England Air Museum
Let your imagination soar as you walk through one of the nation’s
outstanding aviation museums, located in Windsor Locks, near Bradley
International Airport, just minutes from downtown Hartford. Explore
the history of aviation as you tour the Museum’s three huge
exhibit hangars and see more than 80 aircraft from all periods
of history, including a beautifully restored B-29 Superfortress.
Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, admission is $9.50 for ages 12 and
up, $8.50 for seniors ages 60 and older, $6 for children 6-11,
free for children under 6. Telephone 860-623-3305, or visit the
Museum’s website at www.neam.org
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
 In 1852, her words changed the world with Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
the groundbreaking anti-slavery novel that propelled abolition
into the American consciousness as never before. Tour Stowe’s
1871 Victorian Gothic Revival home, the Katharine Seymour Day House
built in 1884, and the Victorian grounds and gardens at 77 Forest
Street in Hartford. Stowe Visitor Center showcases changing exhibitions,
and access to the research library is available by appointment.
Visit the museum shop for distinctive gifts and books. A special
family-friendly tour for children 5-12 is offered every Saturday
and Sunday at 2 p.m., and any time by advance reservation; call
860 522 9258, extension 302, or e-mail info@StoweCenter.org. For
hours and additional information, call 860-522-9258, or visit www.harrietbeecherstowe.org
Mohegan Sun
Native American décor serves as the backdrop to this gaming
and entertainment complex in Uncasville, less than an hour southeast
of Hartford. Enjoy a few of the 6,000 slot machines and 200 gaming
tables, or high-stakes bingo, or treat yourself to dinner, shopping,
or live entertainment in the Wolf Bar and Showroom. Open 24 hours
a day, call Mohegan Sun at 888-777-7922, or visit www.mohegansun.com
Foxwoods Resort and Casino
This world-class casino less than an hour southeast of Hartford
invites you to play one of the more than 5,000 slot machines
or pick from the hundreds of tables of blackjack and roulette.
Try your hand at poker, bingo, keno or racebook. Enjoy the dining,
shops, and entertainment. Open 24 hours a day, call 860-312-3000,
or visit www.foxwoods.com
More about StampShow
2008 August 14-17
in Hartford is available.
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