A National Historic Landmark, the Twain house features the only remaining domestic interiors by Louis-Comfort Tiffany. The most impressive objects in the house include the Clemens’ ornately carved Venetian bed and a mantle salvaged from a Scottish castle.
Daily tours offer insights into the life and tart opinions of America’s great story-teller, outspoken critic, and social commentator.
Nearby, Connecticut’s newest riverboat, m/v Mark Twain, sails from Hartford’s Charter Oak Landing. The excursion boat plies the Connecticut River, past classic New England towns and fishing villages, waterfront mansions and wetland preserves.
Summer Events
In June, Bud fanciers will find everything coming up roses during Greater Hartford’s Rose & Garden Weekend. The third largest rose garden in the U.S., Elizabeth Park Rose Garden has more than 15,000 rose bushes in bloom, representing some 900 different varieties, an antique rose garden, perennial and annual gardens, and rock and herb gardens.
Local poetry readings, concerts, the Connecticut Rose Show, self-guided tours, an art show, an herbal cooking demonstration, and talks at the gardens surrounding Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Victorian home may inspire you to stop and smell the roses. Mark Twain Days, Hartford’s summer festival, take place in August and celebrate the author’s legacy and the city’s Victorian heritage with concerts, fireworks, a book fair, and tours of Mark Twain House given by characters in period costume.
