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Hartford Attractions
Sports and Recreation
The American Hockey League's Hartford Wolf Pack take to the ice October to mid-April at the Hartford Civic Center; phone (860) 246-7825. Collegiate athletics hold court in nearby Storrs, especially when the University of Connecticut's men's and women's basketball teams play; phone (860) 486-2724.
Goodwin Park, 1130 Maple Ave., offers a driving range and 27 holes of golf, an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, a fitness trail and other facilities; phone (860) 722-6542 for the park, or (860) 956-3601 for golf information. The Hartford Parks and Recreation Department can be reached at (860) 722-6500.
Shopping
The outdoor Hartford Downtown Farmers' Market, 855 Main St., offers food and locally grown seasonal produce Monday, Wednesday and Friday, June through November.
In the Farmington area is Westfarms, on New Britain Avenue off I-84 exit 40 (SR 71); the mall contains JCPenney, Lord & Taylor, Macy's and Nordstrom. Buckland Hills Mall, I-84 exit 62 at 194 Buckland Hills Dr. in Manchester, contains more than 130 stores, including JCPenney, Lord & Taylor, Macy's and Sears.
Old Wethersfield offers shops, restaurants and museums in preserved antebellum houses, warehouses, carriage houses and barns. Old Avon Village, on SR 44 in Avon, offers 65 shops and eateries. Riverdale Farms Shopping, off I-84 exit 39 in Avon, is on a restored, landscaped 19th-century dairy farm. The Marlborough Country Barn, in Marlborough on N. Main Street off SR 2 exits 12 and 13, is a shopping village offering traditional wares, including reproduction lights and hardware.
Nearly 150 galleries, shops and boutiques can be visited at West Hartford Center, along Farmington Avenue in West Hartford.
Performing Arts
The Tony Award-winning Hartford Stage Company, (860) 527-5151, presents classics and contemporary experimental productions at 50 Church St. TheaterWorks, (860) 527-7838, at 233 Pearl St., presents off-Broadway productions all year. In addition to presentations by local companies, the 1930s Art Deco Bushnell Memorial Hall's offerings include visiting orchestras, plays direct from or on their way to Broadway, lectures, and performances by well-known entertainers; phone (860) 987-5900.
The musical arts are not neglected in Hartford. The Connecticut Opera, (860) 527-0713, and the Hartford Symphony, (860) 244-2999, both have exciting seasons at Bushnell Memorial Hall. University of Connecticut's Jorgenson Center for the Performing Arts in Storrs plays host to Broadway musicals, symphony orchestras, dance, opera, pop, country, jazz and cabaret acts September through May. At the Dodge Music Theater, (860) 548-7370, offerings range from productions for children to musicals to performances by superstars.
A variety of performances, lectures and workshops are held at Charter Oak Cultural Center, which is housed in what was once the state's first synagogue, built in 1876; phone (860) 249-1207.
Special Events
Bushnell Park is the site of jazz concerts and other entertainment events in the spring and summer. Elizabeth Park, the nation's first municipally owned rose garden, also is the site of spring and summer concerts. Riverside Park plays host to warm-weather concerts.
In late June the Greater Hartford Rose and Garden Weekend celebrates the blooming of some 15,000 rose bushes. Riverfest, a 4th of July celebration, brings crowds to the downtown riverfront for music, entertainment and fireworks. The Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival is held in Martin Park in East Hartford in July.
In late July professionals tee off at the River Highlands in nearby Cromwell for the PGA's Greater Hartford Open. New Britain's Italian Festival, also in late July, offers arts and crafts, entertainment and food. Southington salutes local agriculture the first two weekends in October during the Apple Harvest Festival.
Middletown plays host to a pair of fall events: the Head of the Connecticut Regatta in early October and the Wesleyan Potters Exhibit in late November and early December. Downtown's Constitution Plaza celebrates the holiday season with the Festival of Light from late November through New Year's Day.
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