Free things to do in CT

Ever felt trapped in your house because you don’t have extra cash on hand to do something fun? A lot of websites will tell you to go to your local park & have a picnic or take a trip to your library. Those are great idea’s, but sometimes you just want to do something different! Here are 22 adventures to get you out of the house & having a blast!

1.  Peabody Museum offers free admission on Thursday afternoons from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., September through June. The museum is also free on the Sunday and Monday of Martin Luther King Jr. weekend for the Martin Luther King Jr. Festival of Environmental Justice, October 13th for the ¡Fiesta Latina! event and the last Saturday in August for Summer’s Last Roar!
2. The Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton  is an awesome display of the United States Navy’s finest. It’s open free to the public,  9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from May 1 through Oct. 31 & 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Nov. 1 through April 31. The museum is always closed on Tuesdays.
3.  The New England Civil War Museum is open the second and fourth Sunday of the month from noon to 3 p.m. The museum and its library works to convey the lessons of the American Civil War.
4.  The New Britain Museum of American Art has free admission to the public on Saturday’s from 10 a.m. to noon. It’s a great place to discover the budding artist in you!
5.  UConn’s Connecticut State Museum of Natural History & Connecticut Archaeology Center are open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. Explore what geology, climatology, conservation biology, ethnobotany, and archaeology reveal about the way we live in Connecticut.
6.  The New Britain Youth Museum endeavors to create a greater understanding of the arts, the humanities, natural history, and science through the collection, preservation, care and exhibition of material culture, natural history collections, plants and live animals the museums.They offer activities including a puppet theater, construction toys and games, and the Dinosaur Room. Saturdays include a movie and a craft or art-related activity throughout the day. Admission is free. The museum hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wed.-Fri. noon to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m to 4 p.m.
7.  Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk has free admission on the first Thursday of any month from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. It’s a great way to bring out the kid inside of you!
8. The J. Robert Donnelly Husky Heritage Sports Museum is open free of charge to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. The Museum is also open two hours before the men’s and women’s basketball games at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. If you’re a true Husky fan, you have to see this!
9.  The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 285 Main St. in Ridgefield, is free for everybody on Tuesdays. The Aldrich is one of the few non-collecting art museums in America & it’s the only museum in Connecticut devoted to contemporary art.
10.  The Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop was established in 1979 as a not-for-profit historic and educational organization. The Museum preserves the site on which Whitney constructed the first American factory in 1798. It offers a hands on approach to art & history. Wednesday–Friday: 12–5pm Saturday: 10am–3pm Sunday: 12–5pm
11.  The Museum of Connecticut History, in the Connecticut State Library, is open Mon.-Fri. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sat. from 9 a.m.to 2 p.m. Admission is free. Exhibits include Colt fire arms, portraits of Connecticut governors and the Mitchelson coin collection.
12.  Hubbard Park’s Castle Craig Tower in Meriden is a stone observation tower located atop East Peak in Meriden’s Hubbard Park. There are beautiful hiking trails to the Tower as well as a road which is open from May 1st through October 31st from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Great for the kid in all of us who wants to play castle!
13.  Visit the Connecticut State Capitol for a free guided tour, available weekdays and Saturday. All of CT’s legislative history in one place!

14. Silver Sands State Park offers salt water fishing, swimming and bird watching and has free parking and a free beach. The park is open from 8 a.m. until dusk. Talk about relaxing!                                                                                     

15. The Wadsworth Atheneum offers free admission on the second Saturday of each month, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. They also offer Hartford students (grades K -12) free admission year round. Free Open House events feature special programming, activities, and performers to heighten the connection between visitors and the art. On the weekend of Veteran’s Day they honor active and former military personnel with free admission to the museum.  Bank of America gives its credit and debit cardholders free admission to the Wadsworth Atheneum the first weekend every month. Lastly, most evening lectures are free and open to the public.
16.  The Yale Center for British Art is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. It houses the largest collection of British art outside the United Kingdom.
17.  Center Church & Ancient Burying Ground in Hartford offer self-guided tours with detailed brochures available at the inner Main St . gate opposite the African-American monument. Contact the Ancient Burying Ground Association, Inc. for guided tours. It is the oldest historic site in Hartford, and the only one surviving from the 1600s. From 1640, four years after the arrival of the first English settlers, down until the early 1800s, it was Hartford’s first and foremost graveyard.
18. Stew Leonards is an adorable interactive grocery store but it offers so much more, like singing animatronics, samples to taste and a free petting zoo. It’s a fun place to visit for an afternoon. Free children’s movies with complimentary popcorn and juice are shown in October.
19.  Elizabeth Park in Hartford is home to the first municipal rose garden in the U.S. During the summer months, more than 14,000 rose bushes representing 900 different varieties of roses are in bloom. The park is open free daily.
20. Katharine Hepburn’s Grave Site isn’t exactly an attraction, but if you are a Katharine Hepburn fan and you’re in Hartford, you may want to pay your respects to the late star of more than 75 films by visiting her grave site. Cedar Hill Cemetery, 453 Fairfield Avenue, Monday – Sunday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
21. Hartford Star Shuttle in Downtown Hartford  is a free shuttle bus service that connects the Connecticut Convention Center and the riverfront with downtown hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions. Take a free ride to reach a specific Hartford spot or for a quick tour of the city. Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 11 p.m, Saturday 3-11 p.m. , 860-522-8101.
22. Mystic Aquarium  welcomes military (active and retired) with free admission during July and August in honor of Independence Day and the military’s service to our country. Their family members with a dependent’s ID receive a special military rate of $15 per adult and $10 per child. This offer is on general admission only and is valid July 1 – August 31. Must present Military ID at admission gate to receive the discount. Cannot be combined with any other offer.

Feel free to share this info with your friends & family. If you know of any other free things to do in CT, share them in the comments section!