[Attractions Map and Key]

One Day Highlight Tour

Begin the day with a stop at the Visitor's Center (Keeney Memorial Cultural Center), operated by the Wethersfield Historical Society. Guides can provide brochures and maps for many of the town's attractions. Be sure to visit the permanent exhibit for an overview of Wethersfield's history, as well as the revolving exhibits on Connecticut life.

Across the street is a complex of historic buildings run by the Colonial Dames. The site is the Webb-Deane-Stevens museum. Each of the three historic structures represents a phase of Wethersfield's development from the mid-18th to the early 19th centuries. Guided tours are available; self-guided tours of the exterior gardens can be taken anytime.

Enjoy a lunch break with a selection of homemade soups and sandwiches at the Spicy Green Bean Deli, or a slice of pizza at Village Pizza.

Continue your tour in the afternoon with a stop at the Buttolph-Williams House. This late Jacobean style manor house, built at the turn of the 18th century, is owned by Connecticut Antiquarian & Landmarks Society. It contains one of the finest collections of 17th and 18th century kitchen tools and implements in the country.

Be sure to visit the First Church of Christ Congregational. Built on the site of the first church in Wethersfield, the present brick structure was constructed in 1761-4. Behind the church, meander through the Ancient Burying Ground, where tombstones of Wethersfield citizens date back to the 17th century.

End your day with a meal at the J. Michaels Tavern, built in 1787. The Tavern serves fine dining for lunch and dinner in a delightful 18th century setting.

Second Day Highlights or Options

Experience over 300 hundred years of history on a walking/driving tour of the historic district in Old Wethersfield. Over 150 homes in the district were constructed before the Civil War. The district is the oldest, and largest, in Connecticut. Strolling or driving down Main Street towards the Wethersfield Cove, you will pass many of these historic homes, including the oldest one in Connecticut. At the Cove is one of the few surviving warehouses built in America in the 17th century. In summer months, it is open for tours. The Cove itself was once part of the Connecticut River, until a flood in 1700 changed its flow. The Cove now hosts small sail and power boats and the cruise boat Lady Fenwick.

Returning back up Main Street, you can stop and enjoy a late morning tea at Mainly Tea.

Continue your walk/ride tour by a visit to the Broad Street Green. This was one of the many "common" greens in Wethersfield, devoted to the grazing of cattle and sheep ("kine") in the 17th and 18th century. A map is available which highlights both the mature native trees around the Green as well as the historic homes flanking it. Also on the Green are two farm stands. The farms date to the 1800's, and the produce sold there is native to the area.

A stop for those interested in genealogy and history is the Wethersfield Historical Society's Old Academy. It hosts a considerable number of resources for those researching family trees.

At the end of the day, visit one of the many enjoyable restaurants in Wethersfield.