Connecticut is New England's southernmost state — a compact, densely layered destination where Ivy League prestige meets colonial seafaring heritage, world-class pizza, casinos, and Long Island Sound beaches. From Yale's Gothic spires in New Haven to Mystic's tall ships, from Hartford's Mark Twain house to the gilded estates of Greenwich, Connecticut packs an extraordinary range of experiences into 5,543 square miles.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Connecticut.
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1
Dutch explorer Adriaen Block sails up the Connecticut River — first European contact
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2
Thomas Hooker leads a group of settlers from Massachusetts Bay Colony to found Hartford
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3
New Haven Colony established by English Puritans; later merges with Connecticut Colony (1665)
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4
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut drafted — considered the world's first written constitution
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5
Yale University founded in Saybrook, later moved to New Haven (1717)
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6
Connecticut ratifies Declaration of Independence; Griswold Inn in Essex established
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7
Connecticut becomes the 5th state to ratify the US Constitution
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8
Samuel Colt patents the revolver in Hartford; Colt Manufacturing Company transforms Hartford
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9
Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes Uncle Tom's Cabin, written while living in Connecticut
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10
Mark Twain builds his Nook Farm home in Hartford; writes The Adventures of Tom Sawyer here
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11
USS Nautilus, world's first nuclear submarine, launched at Groton's Electric Boat shipyard
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12
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation gains federal recognition; Foxwoods opens (1986, expanded 1992)
Historical sites
Places where Connecticut's past comes alive.
Mark Twain House & Museum
Where: Hartford
Admission: Adults $24 USD, Seniors $22 USD, Children (6-16) $12 USD
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
Where: Hartford
Admission: Adults $16 USD, Seniors/Students $14 USD, Children (5-12) $10 USD
Mystic Seaport Museum
Where: Mystic
Admission: Adults $29.95 USD, Children (4-17) $19.95 USD
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (founded 1842)
Where: Hartford
Admission: Adults $20 USD, Seniors/Students $15 USD
Old State House Hartford (1796)
Where: Hartford
Admission: Free
Gillette Castle State Park
Where: East Haddam
Admission: Castle tours $8 USD adults, $3 USD children; grounds free
Submarine Force Museum & USS Nautilus
Where: Groton
Admission: Free
Florence Griswold Museum
Where: Old Lyme
Admission: Adults $14 USD, Seniors $13 USD
Griswold Inn Essex (est. 1776)
Where: Essex
Admission: Restaurant and bar open to public; no admission fee for historic building tours