Connecticut Open House Day
Sponsored by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism

On Saturday, June 11, 2005, cultural organizations and tourism attractions throughout the state will open their doors to Connecticut residents, inviting them to discover - and rediscover - Connecticut's fascinating world of art, history, film and tourism with a variety of special visitor incentives. This unique one-day event, called Connecticut Open House Day, marks the launch of the Ambassador Program, a new state initiative sponsored by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism. The Ambassador Program is designed to instill pride in all of us for our state's rich cultural and tourism assets, and to encourage them to share Connecticut's wonderful treasures with visiting family and friends.

Many art galleries, museums, theaters, historic properties, tourism attractions and other key sites throughout Connecticut are participating this statewide cultural enrichment day. Special Connecticut Open House Day offerings will vary by property.

A current listing of our participants:

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Participating Property	Town	Open House Offer
Farmington Valley Arts Center (860) 678-1867 http://www.fvac.net	Avon	Open studios of 20 artists all day and faculty and student exhibition open to the public.
Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden (203) 266-7596 http://www.hartnet.org/als	Bethlehem	Free admission all day.
Discovery Museum (203) 372-3521 http://www.discoverymuseum.org	Bridgeport	Free admission all day. $2 per person additional for the galleries, films, and planetarium shows.
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo http://www.beardsleyzoo.org	Bridgeport	Free admission for the first 100 visitors.
American Clock & Watch Museum (860) 583-6070 http://www.clockmuseum.org	Bristol	Free admission all day.
Bristol Historical Society (860) 583-6309 http://www.bristolhistoricalsociety.org	Bristol	Free admission all day.
Imagine Nation Children's Museum http://www.imaginenationmuseum.org	Bristol	Free admission for the first 100 visitors.
Brookfield Craft Center (203) 775-4526 http://www.brookfieldcraftcenter.org	Brookfield	Free T-shirts to the first 25 visitors who mention Connecticut Open House.
Creamery Brook Bison (860) 779-0837 http://www.creamerybrookbison.com	Brooklyn	Free walk through field and down a dirt road to see the bison and their handling facilities. Tour the dairy milking barn, enjoy some ice cream and bison burgers for purchase after the tour. Tour begins at 10 a.m.
Prudence Crandall House Museum (860) 546-7800 http://www.cultureandtourism.org	Canterbury	Free admission all day.
Barker Character, Comic & Cartoon Museum http://www.barkermuseum.com	Cheshire	Bring a camera! Scooby-Doo will be on hand all day, free cartoon movies, free scavenger hunts, coloring contests, trivia games, and free gifts.
Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets http://www.premiumoutlets.com/clinton	Clinton	Free Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets VIP Coupon Book, a $5 value worth hundreds of dollars in additional savings available at the Management Office or Information Booth.
Canton Historical Museum http://www.cantonmuseum.org	Collinsville	From admission from 12 noon until 4 p.m.
Nathan Hale Homestead (860) 742-6917, (860) 247-8996 http://www.hartnet.org/als	Coventry	Free admission all day. It is the state's hero, Nathan Hale's 250th birthday. Events feature a parade, hands-on activities for children, live animals, Colonial craft demonstrations, performance by The Reel Thing Colonial Dance Troupe, landscape walks, house tours, and a historical play. Food available and picnickers welcome.
Military Museum of Southern New England http://www.usmilitarymuseum.org	Danbury	Free admission all day.
Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine (860) 653-3563 http://www.chc.state.ct	East Granby	Free admission all day.
Nathan Hale Schoolhouse (860) 873-3399 http://www.connecticutsar.org	East Haddam	Free admission all day.
Goodspeed Opera House http://www.goodspeed.org	East Haddam	Free tour of the historic Victorian theater built in 1876 by shipping magnate William Goodspeed, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Connecticut Trolley Museum (860) 627-6540 http://www.ceraonline.org	East Windsor	Free admission from 10 a.m. until 12 noon.
East Windsor Academy Museum http://eastwindsorhistory.home.att.net/ewmuseum.html	East Windsor	Serving free coffee from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Essex Steam Train & Riverboat Ride http://www.essexsteamtrain.com	Essex	Children ride for free all day.
Hill-Stead Museum (860) 677-4787 http://www.hillstead.org	Farmington	Free admission from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Stanley-Whitman House http://www.stanleywhitman.org	Farmington	Free admission all day.
Nathan Lester House & Tool Museum (860) 464-8540	Gales Ferry,	From 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., experience the Ledyard Sampler offering blacksmithing, butter churning, 40 craft vendors, nature hikes, book and bake sale, tours of the historic 1793 house, and farm tool barn opening.
Bruce Museum of Arts & Science (203) 869-0376 http://www.brucemuseum.org	Greenwich	Free admission all day.
Hyland House (203) 453-9477 http://www.hylandhouse.com	Guilford	Free admission all day.
Henry Whitfield State Museum (203) 453-2457 http://www.whitfieldmuseum.net	Guilford	Free admission all day.
Thomas Griswold House http://www.ctvisit.com/travel/detail.asp?id=102	Guilford	Free admission all day.
Edgerton Park (203) 624-9377 http://www.edgertonpark.org	Hamden	Will have knowledgeable docents on hand to answer any questions about the collection of tropical plants in the greenhouses.
Trail Wood: The Edwin Way Teale Memorial Sanctuary (860) 928-4948 http://www.ctaudubon.org	Hampton	Free admission all day. Explore the walking trails so loved by Pulitzer Prize winning naturalist writer, Edwin Way Teale. Teale's writing cabin and study will also be open to the public.
Mark Twain House & Museum (860) 247-0998 http://www.marktwainhouse.org	Hartford	Free admission all day to the Museum Center which includes the current exhibition "Markson Paper," about Mark Twain's personal library, film by Ken Burns, orientation exhibit. (Admission applies for a tour of the Twain House).
Butler-McCook House & Garden & Main Street History Center (860) 522-1806, (860) 247-8996 http://www.www.hartnet.org/ALS	Hartford	Free admission all day.
Connecticut Historical Society Museum (860) 236-5621 http://www.chs.org	Hartford	Free admission all day.
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center (860) 522-9258 http://www.harrietbeecherstowe.org	Hartford	Meet Harriet Beecher Stowe and members of her family and the Nook Farm neighbors, in celebration of Mrs. Beecher's birthday. Events include music, craft activities, Victorian lawn games, carriage rides, art exhibition, Magic Lantern Theater Company performs, birthday cake and lemonade. Free admission from 12 noon until 5 p.m.
Artworks Gallery http://www.artworksgallery.org	Hartford	From 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., enjoy a free music performance featuring The Alturas Duo. Carlos Boltes (viola & charango) and Scott Hill (classical guitar) combine their talents to craft a seamless blend, specializing in the rhythms and dances of South America. A small group of poets and artists create and share work based on their listening experience.
Real Art Ways (860) 232-1006 http://www.realartways.org	Hartford	Free gallery admission all day.
Hartford Stage http://www.hartfordstage.org	Hartford	Free behind-the-scene tour of this Tony Award-winning professional theater, from 12 noon until 5 p.m.
Isham-Terry House (860) 522-1984, (860) 247-8996 http://www.hartnet.org/ALS	Hartford	Free admission all day from 1 until 4 p.m.
Sloane-Stanley Museum and Kent Furnace (860) 927-3849 http://www.cultureandtourism.org	Kent	Free admission all day.
Lebanon Historical Society Museum & Visitor Center (860) 642-6579 http://www.lebanonCtHistSoc.org	Lebanon	Free admission all day.
War Office (860) 873-3399 http://www.connecticutsar.org	Lebanon	Free admission all day.
Jonathan Trumbull Jr. House Museum (860) 642-6100 http://www.jtrumbulljr.org	Lebanon	Free admission from 12 noon until 4 p.m. "Under the Spreading Ginkgo Tree," a complimentary Colonial tea party on the lawn under the Ginkgo tree.
Dr. William Beaumont House (860) 642-6579 http://www.lebanonCtHistSoc.org	Lebanon	Free admission all day.
The Schoolhouse (860) 464-2865 http://www.ctvisit.com/Travel/detail.asp?id=87	Ledyard	Free patriotic flag to each visitor.
White Memorial Conservation Center Museum (860) 567-0857 http://www.whitememorialcc.org	Litchfield	Free admission all day.
Topsmead State Forest http://www.dep.state.ct.us/stateparks/forests/topsmead.htm	Litchfieled	Free admission all day.
Little Theatre of Manchester (860) 647-9824 http://www.cheneyhall.org	Manchester	Family fun with crafts, ethnic food, local entertainment, bus tours of historic sites, horse drawn carriage rides.
Golden Age of Trucking Museum (203) 577-2181 http://www.goldenagetruckmuseum.com	Middlebury	Free admission for the first 100 visitors.
Quassy Amusement Park (203) 758-2913, (800) FOR-PARK http://www.quassy.com	Middlebury	First 100 visitors receives a free wristband when they report to the Park Office next to the grand carousel building and identifies themselves as an Open House guest.
Amasa Day House (860) 873-8144, (860) 247-8996 http://www.hartnet.org/als	Moodus	Free admission from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.
Mystic Arts Center (860) 536-7601 http://www.mystic-art.org	Mystic	Free admission all day, along with an I-Spy activity for the children.
New Britain Museum of American Art http://www.nbmaa.org	New Britain	Free admission from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., with special docent tours of the exhibits and galleries.
Jerram Winery (860) 379-8749 http://www.jerramwinery.com	New Hartford	Offering free wine tasting for first 50 people.
Summer Yale Cabaret (203) 432-1566 http://www.yale.edu/summercabaret	New Haven	Offering a special opportunity to visit their building and any available artists from 1 until 5 p.m.
Schooner "Quinnipiack" (203) 865-1737 http://www.schoonerinc.org	New Haven	Free tours from 1 until 5 p.m. aboard the flagship of New Haven, Quinnipiack, a 91-foot gaff-rigged wooden schooner.
Creative Arts Workshop (203) 562-4927 http://www.creativeartsworkshop.org	New Haven	Special activities throughout the day as part of the Audubon Art on the Edge street festival, including craft show from 3-8 p.m., chalk drawing, music, coordinated gallery opening for "Cultural Passages" exhibition from 5-8 p.m., dancing, movie at 9 p.m.
Freedom Schooner Amistad (203) 498-9000, (866) AMISTAD http://www.amistadamerica.org	New Haven	Free admission from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
New Haven Colony Historical Society http://www.nhchs.org	New Haven	Free admission all day.
Fair Haven Woodworks (203) 776-3099 http://www.fairhavenwoodworks.com	New Haven	Complimentary refreshments, free raffle drawings, and a special gift to all visitors from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Hempsted Houses (860) 443-7949, (860) 247-8996 http://www.hartnet.org/als/alsprop	New London	Free admission all day.
Lyman Allyn Art Museum http://www.lymanallyn.org	New London	Free admission all day.
Fort Trumbull State Park http://www.dep.state.ct.us/stateparks/parks/fort_trumbull.htm	New London	Free admission all day.
Shaw-Perkins Mansion (860) 443-1209 http://www.newlondonhistory.org	New London	Free admission all day.
Nathan Hale Schoolhouse (860) 873-3399 http://www.connecticutsar.org	New London	Free admission all day.
Hunt Hill Farm/Silo (860) 355-0300 http://www.hunthillfarmtrust.org	New Milford	Free admission all day with a gallery opening of Wendell Minor's "America" and opening reception from 3 until 6 p.m. with food, drink and music. Open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Newtown Meeting House http://www.newtownmeetinghouse.com	Newton	Free admission to a Floral Heritage - Tercentennial Celebration 2005 Flower Show from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk (203) 852-0700 http://www.maritimeaquarium.org	Norwalk	Free admission for the first 100 visitors to the Aquarium.
Norwalk Museum (203) 866-0202 http://www.ctvisit.com/Travel/detail.asp?id=457	Norwalk	Free admission from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
Center for Contemporary Printmaking http://www.contemprints.org/	Norwalk	Serving refreshments from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Faith Trumbull Chapter House (860) 887-7845	Norwich	From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. you can take a tour through the Chapter House, as well as the Nathaniel Backus House, and the Children of American Revolution Museum.
Norwich Arts Council (860) 887-2789 http://www.norwicharts.org	Norwich	Special Saturday opening. Free admission, guided tours including NAC Coop Gallery, NAC Gallery Too, and restored Victorian theatre.
Otis Library http://www.otislibrarynorwich.org	Norwich	Otis Library first occupied a brick building on Union Square. Small even at the time, the library moved from its original 1850 home on Union Square, in 1962 after almost 50 years it moved to its present Main Street location. Demands of the 21st century and to maintain the library's role as the cultural center, the library has moved to a temporary location at 2-6 Cliff Street during the renovations to the Main Street location. Visitors and new patrons welcome from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Slater Memorial Museum (860) 425-5560 http://www.norwichfreeacademy.com/slater_museum/index.html	Norwich	Free all day.
Florence Griswold Museum http://www.flogris.org	Old Lyme	Visitors to the Museum from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. will enjoy free summertime refreshments including lemonade, cookies, ice cream.
Ruth Callander House Museum (860) 342-5455 http://www.portlandhistsoc.org	Portland	Free admission from 12 noon until 4 p.m. with free beverages and desserts.
Portland Brownstone Quarries National Historic Landmark (860) 342-2260 http://www.brownstonequorum.org	Portland,	Offering free canoe rides on the quarry lake, guided tours of the riverside park which is a unique landmass with trails and a tree walk built up on a sandbar on the Connecticut River.
Ridgefield Playhouse (203) 438-5795 http://www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org	Ridgefield	Free admission all day.
Keeler Tavern Museum (203) 438-5485, (203) 431-0815 http://www.keelertavernmuseum.org	Ridgefield	Free admission from 1 until 4 p.m.
Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum http://www.aldrichart.org	Ridgefield	Free admission all day.
Rocky Hill/Glastonbury Ferry http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?A=1380&Q=259738	Rock Hill / Glastonbury	Celebration of the nation's oldest continuously operating ferry service. Celebrating 350 years of operation, events include free hay rides, music, food, vendors from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Sherman Historical Society (860) 354-3083 http://www.shermanhistorical.org	Sherman	Free admission all day to the Old Store Museum and the David Northrop House of Local History, along with refreshments.
White Silo Farm & Winery (860) 355-0271 http://www.whitesilowinery.com	Sherman	Free glass of their specialty Blackberry Sangria to the first 100 visitors. Open 11-5.