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Hartford’s Treasures Tour

Join us for an exclusive, members-only day trip to visit Hartford, Connecticut, an unexpected place for remarkable art museums and historic houses. Working with our friends at the Mark Twain House, the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Austin House, we will view some of the hidden treasures this city has to offer.

What you need to know

Hartford’s Treasures Tour at has closed.

Hartford Treasures Tour Itinerary

For more information or to register, email members@newportmansions.org or call (401) 847-1000, ext. 167

8:30 am – Depart Newport

We will meet in the parking lot at Kingscote and board a small coach for the trip to Hartford.

10:30 am – 12:00 pm Mark Twain House with Executive Director Pieter Roos

Designed by New York architect Edward Tuckerman Potter, this was the home of Samuel and Olivia Clemens from 1874 to 1891, where they enjoyed what the author would later call the happiest and most productive years of his life. The interior was decorated by Louis C. Tiffany & Co., Associated Artists, who were members of the Aesthetic movement, well known for their exotic interiors. We will enjoy a guided tour from Mark Twain House Museum Executive Director Pieter Roos, along with a visit to the adjacent museum to view a special exhibit focused on Gilded Age leisure and travel.

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch at Wadsworth Atheneum

Lunch onsite at the Wadsworth Atheneum Café catered by Berkins on Main; select from pre-order menu options.

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Wadsworth Atheneum

After lunch we will enjoy a docent-led tour of the highlights of the outstanding Wadsworth Atheneum, the country’s oldest continuously operating public art museum. Founded in 1842, the Wadsworth presents engaging and groundbreaking exhibitions that explore every era of art history and is consistently at the forefront of collecting works by iconic artists.

3:00 – 4:00 pm Austin House

Austin House is a National Historic Landmark and the former West End home of the legendary and innovative A. Everett “Chick” Austin Jr., the Atheneum’s director from 1927 to 1944. Although this house appears as stately as any home in the neighborhood, its front is made of painted pine board, earning it the nickname “Façade House.” To add to the quirkiness, the building is nearly 90 feet long and only one room deep! This unusual home, with styles that range from 18th century Rococo to modern Bauhaus, was the setting for many lively gatherings with leaders of the international art world.

4:15 pm Return to Newport

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