Music:
Jesse McCartney takes the Big E Court of Honor Stage in a free concert Friday 7:30pm. Jay and the Americans also perform free with your admission Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows at 3pm from the Court of Honor Stage. Billy Idol performs at the Big E Arena Saturday 7:30pm. Tickets $39-$49. (more on the Big E below)
Red Light performs at the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun Friday and Saturday at 8pm. Kick takes the stage Sunday at 7pm. These shows are FREE.
Indigo Girls take the stage at Foxwood’s Great Cedar Showroom Friday 8pm. Tickets $59 and $75. Lil Kim stars Saturday at 8pm in Foxwood’s Premier Theater. Tickets $75-$158. www.foxwoods.com
Events:
Join Christmas Wish CT for an old-fashioned Summer Cookout Saturday 1-5pm at The Outdoor area of Revolutions Bowling, 60 Bidwell Road, South Windsor. Enjoy Hot dogs, Hamburgers, side dishes, an Ice Cream Sundae Bar, music with Mike Stacy, Volleyball, Bocce, Cornhole and more! $40 for Adults. $25 for Teens 10-15. Children under 10 are free! Help us continue to grant wishes to Connecticut Children and Families in need this Christmas. You can buy at the door with cash, venmo, credit card or check payable to Christmas Wish CT.
Fair season continues with the Berlin Fair Friday 11a-10p, Saturday 9am-10p and Sunday 9am-7pm. Adults $14, Seniors $10, Military and children 11 and under are FREE. www.ctberlinfair.com ; And The Big E is open at the Eastern States Exposition now through October 3rd. Friday and Saturday hours are 10a-11p. www.thebige.com ; The 23rd Annual Connecticut Renaissance Faire is in Lebanon, 122 Mack Road now through October 17th. Admission is $15 for Adults, $10 for Kids 7-15 years old. 6 & under are free. Each weekend celebrates a different theme. This weekend is Roses and Romance Weekend. www.ctfaire.com ; The Guilford Fair runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Stone House Lane and Lovers Lane. www.guilfordfair.org
Do you need a good laugh? SNL Alumni Jay Pharoah is on stage at Foxwood’s Great Cedar Showroom Saturday 8pm. Tickets $32 and $54. www.foxwoods.com
Thirsty for some old fashioned Lemonade? Hungry for local produce? Visit the Wallingford Garden Market Saturday 9am to noon in Doolittle Park, 78 South Elm Street. Anna’s Fresh-Squeezed, Old-Fashioned Lemonade is just some of the delish you’ll find!
Six Flags New England is open weekends! For daily passes, season passes, park information and more visit www.sixflags.com/newengland
Quassy Amusement Park is open weekends for its 113th season! Lake Quassapaug, Rt. 64, 2132 Middlebury Road, Middlebury, CT. For daily passes, season passes and parking information, please call 1-800-FOR-PARK or visit www.quassy.com
Lake Compounce celebrates her 175th season. For the best deals on tickets and season passes, please visit www.LakeCompounce.com
Come Ride the Bushnell Park Carousel Saturdays 12-5pm and Sundays 12-4pm. The Bushnell Park Foundation and City of Hartford will be offering rides on this beautiful gem of a merry-go-round. Rides are $2 per person. Children and adults of all ages are welcome. We will be following all mask and social distancing guidelines required by the City of Hartford, which includes wearing a mask inside the pavilion. www.bushnellpark.org
Farmington Miniature Golf and Ice Cream Parlor on Route 4 in Farmington is celebrating 60 years of miniature golf family fun and over 31 years of scooping the best ice cream! Their September hours are Sunday - Thursday 10:30am, last tee time of 8:30p and ice cream parlor closing at 9:30p. On Friday and Saturday, the course opens at 10am, last tee time 9:30p and ice cream parlor closes at 10pm. www.farmingtonminiaturegolf.com
Gillette Castle is open weekends through Columbus Day. Masks will be required to enter the Castle, regardless of vaccination status. Tickets will be on sale at the door of the Castle. Additionally, the State is optimistically hoping to also have ticket sales available to pre-purchase up to 12 individuals for specific time slots in 15 minute intervals. To guarantee a slot, advance purchase is recommended. To pre-reserve a slot, guests should check online at the Reserve America website and look for "Gillette Castle State Park Tours" to purchase a ticket. www.reserveamerica.com/tourParkDetail.do?contractCode=CT&parkId=101150&legacy=true
The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center and The Mark Twain House & Museum are reopened to the public for guided tours. Situated in the historic Nook Farm neighborhood in the West End of Hartford, these adjacent tourism attractions welcome tens of thousands of visitors and field trips annually.
Both museums will resume tours with safe visitation protocols including reduced tour capacities and frequency and mandatory mask use for guests and staff. Due to the smaller tour sizes, advance online ticket reservations are highly recommended for both sites to avoid disappointment. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center new tour hours are Thursdays, 12:30pm-8pm (last tour at 7pm); Fridays, 11:30am-6:00pm (last tour at 5pm); and Saturdays, 8:30am-5:30pm (last tour at 4:30pm). Tours will run every hour on the hour Thursdays and Fridays. On Saturdays tours will expand with start times every 30 minutes. The museum highly recommends purchasing tickets online ahead of time; for more information, visit stowecenter.org/visit/tour. The Mark Twain House & Museum tours will go out every hour on the half hour, with the first tour departing at 10:30am EST and the last tour departing at 3:30pm EST. Tours will be limited to six guests to allow for social distance between visitors in every room of the house. To ensure the best possible visitor experience, the museum highly recommends purchasing tickets online ahead of time. For the most up-to-date information on hours and to purchase tickets, please visit marktwainhouse.org/visit.
The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks hosts the Flights of Fun Family Programs offering social distanced activities for families on Saturdays and Sundays 10am to 4pm including Flight Science Demonstrations, the Investigation Station, and take-home versions of our popular Build and Fly Challenges. Additional activities include QR Code Tours, Scavenger Hunts, and opportunities for visitors to peek inside select aircraft cockpits. All programs are included with general admission. Limited Capacity and Covid-19 safety measures are in place. Please visit www.NEAM.org before you go!
The New England Carousel Museum and Museum of Fire History, 95 Riverside Avenue, Bristol are open to the public and offer free FREE general admission to visitors that live in the cities of Bristol and Burlington through December 31, 2021. General admission includes guided tours at noon and 2:00 PM during public hours and one carousel ride per person. Additional carousel rides are $1 each or $3 for an unlimited ride bracelet. Presently masks are required for all visitors over the age of 2. Other towns may make a reservation online or visit the Museum for ticket prices and special events. www.thecarouselmuseum.org
Hike from Giuffrida Park to Chauncey Peak in Meriden along the Mattabesett Trail to enjoy marvelous views atop the state’s famous traprock ridges.
Or there’s Campbell Falls State Park in Norfolk, where you can hike to see a 50-foot waterfall. The waterfall at this park features a rugged form that is not often found in New England.
And Bluff Point State Park in Groton, is great place to hike along the Long Island Sound. Hikers can enjoy both wooded trails mixed with spectacular views of the water and maybe even spot some wildlife along the way.
And don’t forget Talcott Mountain State Park in Simsbury, where you can hike to the famous 165-foot Heublein Tower and look out to see amazing views of New Hampshire, the Berkshires and parts of Long Island Sound.
Mohegan Sun is open! Comix Roadhouse has also reopened. Safety measures have been instituted including reduced attendance, sanitation procedures, social distancing, physical barriers and more. www.mohegansun.com
Foxwoods Casino is open. Safety measures have been instituted including reduced attendance, sanitation procedures, social distancing, physical barriers and more. To learn more, visit www.foxwoods.com.
MGM Springfield Casino is now open! www.mgmspringfield.mgmresorts.com/
Nomad's Adventure Quest, 100 Bidwell Rd, South Windsor is re-opened with limited capacity and some activities restricted. Hours are Friday 4pm-10pm, Saturday 12pm-10pm and Sunday 12pm-8pm. www.nomadsadventurequest.com or 860-290-1177
Revolutions Bowling and Lounge, 60 Bidwell Rd, South Windsor, CT 06074 is open daily. NEW for 2021 – Outdoor Sand Volleyball Courts! Please make a reservation and follow mask and social distancing guidelines! Call (860) 282-2695.
Mystic Seaport is open with many family friendly outdoor activities.
Mystic Aquarium's outdoor spaces including the Penguin Pavilion, Marsh Trek, Pacific Northwest habitats and the Arctic Coast habitat featuring New England’s only beluga whales are open! Hours of operation will be 10am to 6pm daily for timed-ticket visitation. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.mysticaquarium.org/visit/tickets/
Theater/Streaming:
Theaterworks Hartford streams Harrison David River’s workshop piece, “Proximity” Friday through September 29th. The show is about two single parents who get to know each other through their kid’s school during covid isolation. $25 per stream. www.twhartford.org
Unique Dining Options:
Visit J Restaurant Bar, 297 Washington Street in Hartford for the Gazebos and Box Car Dining Experience. A large area of their secure parking lot has been transformed - their parking lot is now a Paved Paradise complete with tables, lighting, fans a whiskey/tiki bar and more! 860-527-7764 or www.jrestaurantbar.com
Mykonos Mediterranean Restaurant, 2414 Berlin Turnpike in Newington has expanded their dining room and expanded their outdoor patio now open for the season. Complete Family Meal To Go Offerings are still available for $35 & $45. 860-594-0900
