Open Door, Explore: Preview of Open House Across Connecticut
“The chance which now seems lost may present itself at the last moment.” Jules Verne
If you don’t go, you won’t know. Well, here’s opportunity knocking metaphorically on your door – to find out more and just walk in to places and sate your wanderlust – Connecticut Open House Day Saturday, June 13, 2026, is the day to go explore all sorts of places and venues.
Welcome.
Try a new skill, bring the family, find out more about the human history kept by those who love and respect their communities. The past and present intertwine, storytelling augmented by new technologies. But not much beats walking into a new site, the aroma and the conversations. (Also the international visitors met along the way, travel details shared.)
Great scenic beauty, rivers, backroads, interstates to get you there.
Backroads.
— Moo Dog Press (@moodogpress.com) May 26, 2026 at 2:57 PM
The former home of O.C. Marsh in New Haven, Connecticut.
The great tidal river that is the Connecticut (source near Canada to Long Island Sound) and meandering tributaries. Culture and history, exceptional libraries mirror each community and function as a hub for information and events. Farms, orchards, berry picking. Farm stores and stands. Access to ancient hills and minutes to the ocean, salt marshes, plus rich deep soils, good water. Houses that stood before the nation was founded, candle-lit in the inky nights (can you imagine). Benedict Arnold, forts and harbors. Trains, bridges, ferries.
Fort Griswold is a Connecticut state park and an important site of human history. That’s the Thames River, down the hill.
Aviation, aerospace, airports. Museums, world-class science, knowledge applied. Bookstores. Submarines. Collections, archives.
Trails, hundreds of miles of marked trails. Parks, greenways, arboretums, gardens. Dams and viaducts, flood control. Art, architecture. Universities and colleges that offer programs, outings, forums, bus trips. Weather that is always changing, four distinct seasons, incredible geology. This is Connecticut. Where abolitionist John Brown was born. Homes of so many writers, poets, playwrights and authors, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Eugene O’Neill and Wallace Stevens. (Many, not all, now museums open to the public.)
An undated photo of a Jenny biplane at Bethany Field, chocked but with the engine running, from a 4/12/27 family photo album (courtesy of Cynthia Stulpin). Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Central Connecticut by Paul Freeman. Linked to official site, many more photos.
Edwin Way Teale, Gladys Taber. Artists. Athletes. Firebrands. Determination personified, Venture Smith. Entertainers. Singer Marian Anderson. Technology, education. Those who found a way around traditional learning. Eli Whitney; Samuel Colt and his wife, Elizabeth, who outlived her husband and children, became a businesswoman and philanthropist. Beatrice Fox Auerbach. Paul Newman. Eric Sloane. Tapping Reeve. And yes, P.T. Barnum.
Ivory combs examined by Ian Basilone at Pandemonium Rainforest Project (PRP) offices. Stay tuned for more about a museum dedicated to ivory-related histories and objects, industries, elephants; perhaps opening the door in July.
Places to visit offer free or discounted admission.
Learn more about participating properties at this link to the official state tourism site.
Find listings by town or activity. A valid Connecticut driver’s license may be required at some locations.
True, that there is always something more to learn. So how well do you know your own backyard – the nooks and crannies of the state in which you live?
Communities hold treasures of human stories, makers, innovation, competition, beauty, artistry, gardens, authors, architecture. Be sure to notice the dedication of those who work to safeguard these places for current and future generations. Each county holds treasures–gardens, artifacts, stories.
New Haven Museum, open noon to 5 p.m. with free admission on Open House Day.
Darling Farmstead and History Museum, Woodbridge, will hold a Witness Stones plaque-laying ceremony honoring the lives of the enslaved people who lived and worked here.
The Institute For American Indian Studies, Washington (Litchfield County): As part of the 22nd annual Connecticut Open House Day, visit the Institute for American Indian Studies to learn about the more than 12,500-year history of Connecticut’s Indigenous inhabitants. Museum educators and docents will be offering introductory tours of the museum and replicated Algonkian village.
Canton Historical Museum, Canton (Collinsville section). Collins Axe Company history; Civil War and Victorian items.
Collinsville Canoe & Kayak, half off on-site rentals from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To the Connecticut River.
Connecticut’s Old State House, Hartford. Learn about the history of this site and more, Visit the entire museum, free admission.
Portal.
The Woodbridge Farmstead, Manchester, set on what was the main thoroughfare between New York and Boston (ask about the George Washington story). Enjoy live musicians as you tour the pre-revolutionary barn, 1830 farmhouse and grounds. Visit the new Pollinator Pathway garden.
— Moo Dog Press (@moodogpress.com) May 22, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Atwood Farm Museum, Mansfield Center: Buildings, grounds and implements of this 19th century farm through demonstrations, self-guided tours. Explore a bank barn, blacksmith’s shop, an ice house, corn crib, pigsty. A heritage site of Joshua’s Trust.
Piloted by I.I. Sikorsky, designer. Part of an exhibit at New England Air Museum.
Gift of the day to hear, view.
— Moo Dog Press (@moodogpress.com) June 5, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Editor’s note: This story has been updated. Verify discounts/free admission when arriving; note that some places featured above are not participating, yet utterly worth the time and fee to see. Consider packing containers of cold water, snacks, sandwiches–along with freezer packs. Binoculars. Find a place to get some ice cream along the way. Take a walk should you see a preserve sign; take an image at the map board to remember the name/orient. Use an event site as a jumping-off place to find other places not listed. Ask what else to see while there (you’ll likely be surprised). Insect repellent, sunscreen, water shoes–be prepared for wonders and to avoid hitchhikers (ticks). If an interest is sparked, pop into the local library (your CT library card is a key–you may have to verify home address. And of course, a library card should be obtained from your home library first.)
Willimantic River.
— Moo Dog Press (@moodogpress.com) May 17, 2026 at 5:33 PM
If you missed this and have bicycles to donate, look over Bikes for Kids in Essex.
Inside the magic workshop of Bikes For Kids CT, Essex.
— Moo Dog Press (@moodogpress.com) May 27, 2026 at 10:34 AM