Connecticut

CT Open House Day is Saturday. Here’s what you can do

Published

2 years ago

June 7, 2024

Press Room

CT Open House Day is Saturday. Here’s what you can do

(WFSB) – Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of Connecticut Open House day.

To celebrate, places around the state planned to offer an array of attractions on June 8, 2024.

Here’s a few spots to check out, according to the state’s tourism website, ctvisit.com.

1796 Old Farm School, Bloomfield

Check out a schoolhouse built in 1796 and ring the belfry bell. Play children’s games from the 1800s & learn about a Bloomfield treasure.

The Old Farm School is located at 153 School St. at the corner of Park Avenue.

Ancient Burying Ground, Hartford

Learn about the history of this oldest-surviving English settlement site. There are family-friendly scavenger hunts and guided and drop-in tours.

Berlin Historical Society Museum, Kensington

The museum celebrates local history with creative displays that include stone artifacts left by indigenous people, the beginning of the tinware industry and the Yankee Peddler, Berlin Iron Bridge Company, Simeon North’s pistols, Olcott Cheney clocks, the brick industry, Prentice Zippers, American Paper Goods, the old Berlin Train Station, and The Leatherman. There’s also 19th century artwork and needlework. It is currently highlighting the Wide Awake lantern carried in Abe Lincoln’s campaign, and an award winning film on the black soldiers from Berlin who fought in the Civil War. The museum was added to the Freedom Trail back in May.

Bristol Historical Society, Bristol

A special exhibit honors Bristol’s schools and their history, including the opening of the principal’s office in Bristol’s first high school.

Burlington Elton Tavern and Center Schoolhouse, Burlington

The Burlington Historical Society is welcoming visitors for guided tours of the Elton Tavern and Center Schoolhouse, both of which are historic landmarks.

Center Church, Hartford

Volunteers from the 1636 Heritage Partnership open the 1807 Meeting House sanctuary for self-guided tours. Learn more about nearly 400 years of history and view stained glass windows surrounded by the architecture of the church

Collinsville Canoe & Kayak, Canton

10 percent off canoe, kayak, paddle board and bike rentals.

Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, Hartford

Free admission all day, for all ages, to the museum exhibitions and the Inspire Center.

Connecticut Science Center, Hartford

Everyone Pays Kids’ Price. People can go for full day of family fun. Experience 165 hands-on exhibits, including our brand new traveling exhibition, Science Fiction Science Future.

Connecticut Trolley Museum, East Windsor

Free admission for Connecticut residents.

Connecticut’s Old State House, Hartford

It’s Game Day at Connecticut’s Old State House. The plan is for fun historic games, new games, and games full of Connecticut history. Admission is free.

Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill

A 200-million-year-old fossil trackway, nature trails, arboretum, and interactive exhibits bring the Mesozoic era to life. Explore a paleontological museum and enjoy the outdoors, all in one trip. The park features over 750 early Jurassic dinosaur footprints – one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America – preserved in place inside the museum, alongside exhibits about dinosaurs, fossils, and Connecticut geology.

Galleries @ WORK_SPACE, Manchester

Visit the Galleries @ WORK_SPACE for the opening of “Cogs & Canvas: A Steampunk Art Extravaganza.” Located on Main Street in Manchester, we offer a vibrant showcase of creativity within a historic setting. Enjoy live music, create your own masterpiece at our interactive art station, and explore diverse artworks across our 3 galleries and shop. With ample free parking and nearby dining, it’s the perfect cultural outing in the heart of the downtown.

Happy’s Indoor Golf, Southington

Play golf in a judgement free facility.

Use the code OPENHOUSE24 to get 50 percent off a simulator rental when playing on June 8. The indoor golf simulators are typically $50/hour.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford

The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center will be participating in the open house day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The museum is offering free self-guided, first floor, walk-through tours of the historic Harriet Beecher Stowe House.

Additionally, it is hosting a lawn party for community to come and enjoy the green space.

Hartford Taste Festival, Hartford

Hartford Taste Festival is a celebration of the food, music, art and community. Admission is free! There are 33 restaurants, 29 musical acts, and numerous live artists on site for the two-day festival, which is free to the public on June 7-8 on Pratt and Trumbull Streets in downtown Hartford from 12 p.m.- 9 p.m.

Huguenot House Museum, East Hartford

Open between 1 p.m. and 4 pm. Visitors will receive a guided tour of the 1761 Makens Bemont House. They can also see the 1850 Burnham Blacksmith Shop and 1821 Goodwin Schoolhouse. Complimentary brochures are available and post cards and stationary will be half price

Hungerford Nature Center, Kensington

The Hungerford Nature Center provides science and environmental programs, birthday parties, special events, camps, interactive STEAM exhibits, a playground, a pond, 27 acres of forested habitat with walking trails and is home to a variety of domestic and wild animals.

Kellogg Eddy House Museum, Newington

Offering free tours of the Kellogg-Eddy House Museum from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Georgian Colonial home is located at 679 Willard Ave. in Newington. It features finely restored period rooms highlighting the history of the town. This house is the Town Museum and will be open free of charge on Open House Day.

Iwo Jima Memorial, New Britain

Free historical tours. The memorial is the only one built by survivors of the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Mark Twain House & Museum, Hartford

11a.m. to 3 p.m. lawn party.

There will be dancing, music, sweet treats and hot dogs, free museum tours, lawn games, art activities, and more.

Museums on the Green: East Windsor Historical Society, East Windsor

The Museums on the Green is the home of the East Windsor Historical Society and offers six buildings, and several barns, to explore, including a schoolhouse, probate court, barber shop, and more.

New Britain Industrial Museum, New Britain

New Britain’s “Hardware City” collection: Hand and machine tools, kitchen & household appliances, builders hardware, 200+ years of innovation and manufacturing.

A special is being offered: Stanley Rule & Level 1880s repro. poster – One to family or group with admission.

New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain

Free Admission from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and one free coffee per visitor until 2:30 p.m.

New Britain Youth Museum, New Britain

The Youth Museum offers programs for children and families as well as hands on exhibits and play areas.

Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, West Hartford

On June 8 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., visit the Noah Webster House for free. The museum teachers will lead visitors through a tour of Webster’s East Garden to explore how herbs were used for flavoring food, making medicine, fragrances and insecticides. Create a lavender sachet to take home.

Nowashe Village and Wood Memorial Library & Museum, South Windsor

Celebrations will feature nature programming and take place in Wood Memorial Library, Nowashe Village, and Station 43 Wildlife Sanctuary. Enjoy bird walks, family friendly crafts and activities and learn about Connecticut’s varied environment and wildlife from local experts including a Master Wildlife Conservationist and a certified arborist. This event is free; however, donations are encouraged and appreciated. We hope to see you!

Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine, East Granby

Connecticut’s only underground experience offers visitors the opportunity to explore 300 years of history with modern relevance. Old New-Gate is recongnized as the Nation’s first chartered copper mine and first state prison. Today visitors can explore the prison ruins/exhibits and take a tour of the copper mine that once housed incarcerated people. Admission is free.

Pitkin Glass Works, Manchester

There’s an opportunity to visit the remains of the first glass factory in the state, and the only one in the northeast still standing.

Selden Brewer House 1828, East Hartford

Prominent tobacco farming family house at 265 Main St., East Hartford. Home moved from the banks of the CT river. First floor decorated to 1850s with original furnishings. Beautiful rose garden in full bloom. Tours given by Al Brewer, 10th generation Brewer family member. Free, but donations appreciated. Free pin given.

Stone Age Rock Gym, Manchester

Stone Age Rock Gym will be offering PWYC Day on June 8. “Pay what you can” allows anyone to check-out indoor rock climbing on their budget.

The American Clock & Watch Museum, Bristol

Enjoy free admission all day, and special activities for all ages. Listen to the ticking and chiming of the clocks, take part in one of the scavenger hunts, enjoy the sundial garden, and get an up-close look at what makes a clock tick with a repair person in the clock shop. Curious about a vintage watch you own? For a $10 fee, you can chat about it with Micah Tasker of The Vintage Watchman, who will be at the museum from 1:00-3:00. In addition to these activities, visitors will want to check out the two new exhibits – Seth Thomas: Clocks for Every Need and 70 Objects for 70 Years. These are just a few highlights that the museum has in store for this special statewide celebration.

The Bristol Bazaar LLC, Bristol

It will be offering a free Bristol Bazaar Tote Bag with purchase to the first 20 customers who mention celebrating the CT Open House Day.

The Carousel Museum, Bristol

Free Admission for everyone. Carousel rides for children are just $1 each!

The Simsbury Free Library, Simsbury

Join us for a day filled with connection, exploration, and history for Connecticut Open House Day! Families can delve into their roots with free family tree printables (while supplies last). Its genealogist will be here to guide visitors, sharing insights and unraveling mysteries of your ancestry. Guests can also tour the library, browse its eclectic furniture collection, and visit its Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. It also has several unpublished books chronicling Simsbury’s history and yearbooks brimming with nostalgia, waiting to be discovered.

Truck Day, Manchester

Connecticut Open House Day means it’s Truck Day at the Lutz Museum. Admission is free and the big trucks will be outside of the museum from 12 p,m, to 3 p.m.

Vintage Radio & Communications Museum, Windsor

Tour displays covering the full history of human communications from pre-electronics era through the 1980s. Displays include radio, TV, motion picture, telegraph, teletype, telephone all the way up to personal computers.

Wethersfield Museum at the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center, Wethersfield

Stop by the Wethersfield Museum at the Keeney Memorial.

Cultural Center (200 Main St.) to see Castle on the Cove: The CT State Prison in Wethersfield and Legendary People, Ordinary Lives. Wethersfield Historical Society’s Hurlbut-Dunham House (212 Main St.) and the Cove Warehouse will also be open for tours from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. Refrigerator magnets featuring its historic sites will be offered as a free gift.

For other events around the state, check out ctvisit.com here.

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Connecticut

The Great Westport Sandwich Contest kicks off with event at Old Mill Grocery

Published

6 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The Great Westport Sandwich Contest kicks off with event at Old Mill Grocery

People in Westport have the chance to pick the best thing between sliced bread.

The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce held a kick-off event at Old Mill Grocery on Monday for The Great Westport Sandwich Contest.

The contest runs throughout March with 21 restaurants, delis and markets competing in 10 categories to be crowned the best sandwich maker.

Residents can vote in the following categories: Best chicken, best steak, best vegetarian, best combo, best club, best NY deli, best pressed sandwich, best breakfast sandwich, best wrap, and best fish/seafood sandwich.

After people sample sandwiches, they can vote for their favorites in each category on the chamber’s website. They will also be placed into a drawing to win a free sandwich from one of the 10 winners.

“Of course, the goal is to have people come to Westport and check out restaurants, our markets and our delis. This is a great promotion. I mean it is a competition, but mostly it’s to bring people to the restaurants. It also gives a great community activity because they are the ones who get to vote who makes the best one,” says Matthew Mandell, the chamber’s executive director.

Winners will be announced in April and receive a plaque.

The chamber has held similar contests to determine what establishment has the best pizza, burger, soup and salad.

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Connecticut

Lawmakers again push to restore Shore Line East service to 2019 levels

Published

18 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Lawmakers again push to restore Shore Line East service to 2019 levels

Connecticut lawmakers are again looking to restore Shore Line East rail service to its pre‑pandemic levels, a proposal that could add about 90 more trains per week.

Lawmakers are also weighing a separate cost‑saving proposal to shift the line from electric rail cars back to diesel.

The plan comes as ridership remains well below 2019 numbers, though state data shows those numbers have begun to climb.

The Department of Transportation provided the General Assembly’s transportation committee with the following data:

132 trains per week today versus 222 trains per week in 2019, according to the CTDOT commissioner.
In 2019, most weekday SLE trains traveled between New Haven Union Station and Old Saybrook. This allowed SLE to operate with only five train sets in the morning and four train sets in the afternoon.
It should be noted that 2019 SLE service levels were very different due to constrained infrastructure; 2019 service levels had a reduced number of SLE trains serving New London (13 trains per day Monday through Friday, as opposed to 20 today), while other stations had increased service (36 trains per day Monday through Friday, as opposed to 20 today).

“2019 levels beyond Old Saybrook to New London would require more crews and more train sets than were used in 2019, requiring significantly more financial resources,” the department wrote in its written testimony.

The department said the governor’s FY2027 budget does not include funding for a full restoration. In other words, even if the legislature requires additional trains, the funds are not included in the current financial plan.

Governor Lamont said on Monday to remember that the state subsidizes the line more than any other rail right now.

“There’s not as much demand as there are for some of the other rail services in other parts of the state, so that’s the balance we’re trying to get right,” Lamont said.

At a public hearing on Monday, concerns about the line’s reliability and schedule were a central focus in the testimony.

“We’re making the line less attractive, some would say. The schedules are very, very difficult to manage,” said Sen. Christine Cohen of Guilford, the co-chair of the committee.

The current schedule for eastbound morning commuters is difficult. The train either arrives in New London just after 7 a.m. or after 9 a.m.

“So obviously not really … conducive to a typical workday,” Cohen said.

Cohen, who represents communities along the line, said she continues to reintroduce the bill to expand service year after year, pushing the state to do more with the line.

She thanked the department for the work it was able to do with the recent funding to establish a through train to Stamford.

“What do we need to do, and what are the challenges that you face in terms of expansion at this time?” Cohen asked.

Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto responded that the biggest hurdle is the cost of labor and access fees to Amtrak, which owns the territory.

“The cost to provide rail service is very expensive,” Eucalitto said.

He said CTDOT knows the current schedule is “not ideal,” but the economics of a work-from-home society are difficult.

“People expect 100% of the trains that they had in 2019, but they only want to take it two days a week,” Eucalitto said.

Asked about the eastbound schedule, the commissioner explained Shore Line East still operates on a model that sends trains toward New Haven in the morning rather than toward New London.

Changing that would require more equipment, more crews, and a second morning operations base, as well as negotiations with Amtrak, which owns the tracks.

Amtrak is “protecting their slots to be able to run increased Northeast Regional service as well as increased Acela service,” Eucallito said. “They’re going to look at us and question, ‘Well, how does that impact our need for Amtrak services?’ They’ll never give you an answer upfront, it’s always: ‘show us a proposal and then they’ll respond to it.’”

Cohen, who chairs the Transportation Committee, touted how a successful Shoreline East benefits the environment, development along the line, and reduces I-95 congestion.

“We need to start talking about how much money this costs us and think about all of the ancillary benefits,” Cohen said during the hearing.

Cohen said there is multi-state support for extending the line into Rhode Island.

“We will need some federal dollars. But as you say, there are other businesses up the line in New London,” Cohen said. “We’ve got Electric Boat. We’ve got Pfizer up that way. If we can get those employees on the transit line, we’re all the better for it.”

Rider advocates said the issue is familiar.

“I’d rather see solutions, and not things that are holding it back,” said Susan Feaster, founder of the Shore Line East Riders’ Advocacy Group.

She said she worries the line is facing a transit death spiral, with reduced service leading to lower ridership and falling fare revenue.

“They have to give us the money,” Feaster said. “It shouldn’t have to be profitable.”

Like other train lines across the country, Shore Line East relies on subsidies.

“We’re not asking for everything to be done overnight, but just incrementally,” Feaster said.

The line received $5 million two years ago, which increased service levels.

The proposal comes as the state reviews whether to return to diesel rail cars that are more than 30 years old.

The state says the switch would save about $9 million, but riders have said it would worsen the passenger experience.

NBC Connecticut asked Cohen whether she’ll ask DOT to reverse that proposal.

“I really want to,” Cohen said. “I appreciate what CTDOT was trying to do in terms of not cutting service as a result of trying to find savings elsewhere. This isn’t the way to do it.”

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Connecticut

Iranian Yale scholar in Connecticut celebrates fall of regime, calls for free elections

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Iranian Yale scholar in Connecticut celebrates fall of regime, calls for free elections

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Thousands of Connecticut families with ties to Iran are watching and waiting as their home country undergoes a historic change.

Among them is Ramin Ahmadi, a Yale doctor, human rights activist and founder of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center. He has spent decades advocating for freedom in Iran from his home in Connecticut.

Ahmadi moved to the United States when he was 18. On Saturday morning, he learned of military strikes in Iran and the death of the country’s supreme leader.

Ahmadi said protests for democracy and human rights in Iran intensified in December, drawing millions of participants — including his own family and friends.

“The situation in Iran was a humanitarian emergency and it needed an intervention,” Ahmadi said.

He said he celebrated when he heard the news Saturday morning.

“I was celebrating along with all other Iranians inside and outside the country,” Ahmadi said. “I do regret that we cannot bring him to a trial for crimes that he has committed against humanity.”

Ahmadi said he spoke with his sister in Iran after she celebrated in the streets. She was later told to return home for her safety.

He shared a message she relayed from those around her.

“They said do not let our death be exploited because worse than that is having to live with the criminals who have done this to us for the rest of our lives,” Ahmadi said. “We do not want to do that.”

For those questioning whether the conflict was America’s to engage in, Ahmadi offered a direct response.

“We will all be affected,” he said. “And to those that tell you that the U.S. and Israel are beating the drums of war in Iran, one has to remind them that it was not like before this Iranian people were listening to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor. We had a war already declared on us by this regime. We were being slaughtered on a daily basis.”

Ahmadi said he believes the path forward begins with young military officers forcing out what remains of the regime, followed by free elections.

“Everyone’s life will be safer in the future and not just Iranians,” Ahmadi said.

Connecticut lawmakers are also responding to the U.S. strikes on Iran.

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