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Mark Twain House & Museum
Rating Details »
351 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, CT 06105
(860) 247-0998
Hartford, CT 06105
(860) 247-0998
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
10 reviews for Mark Twain House & Museum
I am a freak for history. Seriously, I would much rather tour old buildings, museums, churches, etc than lay out on a beach. There may be something wrong with me.
I forced my mom to go to the Mark Twain house with me for a short stop in Hartford. It is $14, which I find a bit steep considering other places I've toured are around $5, but they are in danger or shutting down, as the tour guide said, so I don't mind paying a little bit more. It's an extra $5 to tour the servants quarters, which I just couldn't do, $19 is too much.
Our guide was good. Informal, sometimes funny, obviously loved Sam and knew a lot about him, it wasn't just a job to her. She pointed out which items were originals to the home and told us how they got many of the items back after they had been sold when the house was sold. The best story was the large mantel in the library, but you'll have to take the tour to find out what it is. A few of the rooms were being restored while we were there which was a bummer since we couldn't go into them. Also, this is the only home in the United States that still has Tiffany's interior design left in it.
Definitely watch the video in the visitor's center first. It gives you a great background on his life growing up, how much he traveled, his wife and family, etc. It's short but very informative.
I love the Mark Twain house. It is one of the most under rated historic spots in Hartford. The staff is really knowledgeable and offer a great tour. The house is beautifully maintained. The entry price is higher than most museums in Hartford, but the higher fees are an effort to keep the doors open. Next spring many arts institutions in the city of hartford will be highlighting Mark Twain, which will hopefully help bring the Twain House to the forefront.
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Having been a Literature Grad Student...I get all jittery and excited when I get to be near great author's in any capacity, so taking a tour through good ol' Mark Twain's house was RIGHT up my alley.
Now, funny thing...I lived in West Hartford for two years...and about 2 miles from his damn house and I NEVER went! Tsk Tsk...wait, now that I think about it, went to college in Arizona and have never been to the Grand Canyon...and I live in California and have yet to visit Yosemite. Good lord...I really need to get our more and see the scenes!
So I just went back for a visit and decided...now's the time to visit Samuel Clemens' home...
Yes, a bit steep for a tour on which you can't even take pictures (come on people...they don't allow photographs in MANY museums so it's not too much of a shock)...but it's well worth it.
The house is creepy but stylistically exquisite at the same time...the front deck is shaped to resemble the riverboats Twain so loved, the walls are hand-painted to look like mother-of-pearl inlays...
There's three floors so be prepared to climb some stairs! I don't want to ruin it for you...you MUST visit yourself to see all of the rooms and what they have to offer. I will say however, that the top floor pool room IS pretty cool and houses the desk where Twain penned Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer amongst others...
Oh...and make sure you check out the visitor's center for all of your "Huckleberry" needs: coffee, taffy, jam, candy, tea...you name it, they have it!
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One would think that a town as old as Hartford would have a lot of top notch attractions, but this and the nearby Harriet Beecher Stowe house are really about the only ones.
If you are interested in Twain, you must see this place. Not all furniture is original, but they do a good job and the architecture rrepresents his tastes. The pilot-house shaped pool room on the third flloor is where some of his most famous books were written. Agree with other reviewer that admission is a bit steep, especially since the Stowe house is now andministered separately and there are no combo tickets.
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I was wary about shelling out $14 when there are so many fun museums and whatnot that are cheaper (or free for students!) in the area, but I'd heard good things and saw the yelp reviews were pretty positive so I figured I'd take a chance. The museum itself, though struggling to pay the bills now, has clearly benefitted from the multimillion dollar renovation that puts the work of Twain in stone, literally. Lack of money may be the root of all evil, but it certainly didn't take away from the stunning main building.
The Twain home itself if beautifully restored and definitely an interesting use of an hour. Our tour guide was, like most tour guides are, pretty annoying. Maybe it's just me, but speaking about Samuel Clemens in the present tense when he's been dead for decades is a smidge obnoxious. As is cutting off visitors and interrupting them to distinguish between pool and billiards. We get it, you've done nothing but obsess over your pal Sam, but don't take your lack of social skills out on us! Either way, the guide WAS totally on his game regarding the details of the home, and did bring a lot of neat things to light for us. I was disappointed as he said from the beginning he wouldn't point out which items were original and which were reproductions, another reviewer's guide had done that and I was pretty excited about it, but oh well. The stories were still good, and made me long for a Farmington Ave artist's colony today.
Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I definitely recommend putting up the $14 for a visit. Next stop? Harriet Beecher Stowe's home. One of these days.
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When Twain's daughters were little girls, they'd come into his library before bed and he'd tell them a story. It had to be a different story every night, but using the same dozen or so objects that were in the library inlcluding a picture of a tabby wearing a ruffled collar (I bought a needlepoint kit of this print in the gift shop). They'd let him no if he messed up or repeated something.
A life full of joy and sorrow, beautifully conveyed here.
Well worth a visit.
This was a really enjoyable visit. The house itself is really beautiful. The tour guides are extremely knowledgeable and very upfront about what is original to the home and what is not, as well as what has been restored and why (I find this extremely important when visiting historic houses).
The center itself was very nice and well organized and the rates are justifiable ($13 for adults plus an additional $3 for the kitchen wing tour). Unfortunately, I'm afraid that it might seem high to those who don't have a passion for either historic houses or Mark Twain.
Going to Mark Twain House was one of the very best things we did while in Connecticut. Don't miss touring Mark Twain's home -- it is a national treasure and a one-of-a-kind experience.
Visiting it, we felt like we had gone back in time to the days when Samuel Clemens lived here with his wife and children. We were moved to be in the home where Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) lived and wrote his books. The mood of the original decor was captured in period furnishings, many actually having belonged to the family such as the bedstead with carved wooden angels; and details such as the replicas of the original wall paper. The exterior of the house is dramatically beautiful and captures the style of the times. The museum itself had lovely period tiffany lamps and glasswork, interesting paintings that once belonged to the family; and vintage movie posters, books and memorabilia.
Note that you should book your tour in advance -- the tours fill up and the only way to see Mark Twain House is to go on a tour!
As a side-note, the gift shop is also great with many Mark Twain books and lots of other interesting gift items.
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Twain built this architectural wonder in 1874 and lived in it until 1891, writing most of his major works during his time in Hartford. In addition to fostering an appreciation of the author, the house also offers a look into the life and styles of the Gilded Age. The structure houses a High Victorian interior designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, much of the original furnishings, and an extensive collection of family photos. A modern adjacent visitor center includes galleries displaying rare manuscripts, photos, artifacts, and decorative arts, a small theater showing a biopic by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, a cafe, and a gift shop. Admission to the house is only by guided tour, which lasts about an hour. With admission at $12 for adults, $10 for teens, and $8 for children six through twelve, this unfortunately can be an expensive proposition for a family expedition.
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i'm a fan of mark twain, and now a fan of his house.
the house was simply awesome. normally i'm not keen on paying $14.00 for 1 hr of entertainment, but this was history and entertainment in one.
our tour guide was young, and well equipped with probably the most monotone and dry personality i've even encountered. real? act? i will never know.
the architecture and arrangement of the house was simply breathtaking. i could imagine that this house (i think it was $45,000 to build in the late 1800's) made me want to visit with the Clemens family back in 1886.
EDIT: the museum is not closed! go check it out!!