Music:
Enjoy music Friday and Saturday at the Riverfront Food Truck Festival hosted by Christmas Wish CT and sponsored by Elicit Brewing Company in Manchester! Indulge in tasty offerings from a wide variety of Food Trucks on Mortensen’s Riverfront Plaza in Hartford and enjoy free music from HOT MUSIC: A Broadway Experience, Phorein, Ali Kat Acoustic, Coconut Comedy Rocks, The Salty Dog Band, Adelaide Punkin the Rockin Elf and Half Hearted. Please bring school supplies and/or backpacks to benefit area children in need on site or virtually. Follow Christmas Wish CT on Facebook and Instagram or be there in person!
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra continues with the 25th Anniversary of the Talcott Music Festival Friday with A Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to the Beatles! All concerts begin at 7:30 pm. Gates open at 6 pm. Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center. www.hartfordsymphony.org
Summer in New England will heat up further when live music returns to MGM Springfield with the new Free Music Fridays Concert Series. Every Friday now – September 3, some of the area’s most popular rock bands will perform on The Plaza at MGM Springfield starting this Friday at 7:30 p.m. it’s No Shoes Nation (weather permitting). The Plaza Bar will offer summer cocktails, beer and non-alcoholic beverages, and diverse food offerings from The Chandler Steakhouse, Tap Sports Bar and Southend Market venues including Bill’s Diner, Jack’s Lobster Shack, Wicked Noodle and Hearth Grill. For additional details on the Free Music Fridays Concert Series, including lineup updates, visit www.MGMSpringfield.com
Events:
The Weather Tech Sports Car championship returns to Lime Rock on Friday and Saturday with the IMSA Northeast Grand Prix. The main event showcases the popular GT Le Mans and GT Daytona classes in a two-hour, 40-minute race, giving fans the final opportunity to see the exciting Corvette C8Rs in action for the final time in GTLM trim. The weekend also includes the Lime Rock Park 120 for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Sports Car Challenge. www.limerock.com
Gillette Castle is open seven days a week from 10 am to 5 pm through Labor Day. After that, the castle will be open on 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
Bristol’s Museum Collaborative has teamed up with the Arts and Culture Commission to bring Bristol a City-wide game of “Art & Seek”. One hundred one-of-a-kind art glass objects created by renowned Glass Artist Peter Greenwood will be hidden throughout the city’s public spaces now through the Summer and beyond, if any remain undiscovered. Anyone wishing to participate is welcome to “Art & Seek”. A Facebook page, @Art&seekbristolct, will give hints and clues to where the glass pieces can be discovered. “We encourage everyone to post and share photos as they are taking part in the hunt! Bristol’s Museum Collaborative Committee consists of six museums: The New England Carousel Museum, The American Clock & Watch Museum, the Memorial Military Museum, the Bristol Historical Society, Imagination: A Museum Early Learning Center, and the Environmental Learning Centers of Connecticut. Each is as unique as each colorful glass object.
Six Flags New England is now open daily including the water park! 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 its 175th this year in Bristol! The park is open most days 11am to 7pm until August 22. For the best deals on tickets and season passes, please visit www.LakeCompounce.com , where information on health and safety measures, special events, and more can also be found.
Try the new Newington Parks and Recreation Department 9-hole miniature golf course at Mill Pond Park, adjacent to Garfield Street. The miniature golf course is an activity that is COVID safe and is played in the great outdoors! All state COVID sanitation protocols will be in place. Bring your own putters and balls or borrow from parks and rec. The clubs and balls will be sanitized after each party uses them. Visit the brand-new Community Café, the snack bar located in the new Mortensen Community Center. The menu includes items such as hotdogs, chicken tenders and tantalizing sauces, popcorn, soft serve ice cream, nachos, pretzels and soft drinks. More information at www.newingtonct.gov/parksandrec
The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center and The Mark Twain House & Museum are reopened to the public for guided tours beginning Saturday. 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. Residents should be prepared to show and ID or proof or residence. This was made possible by the museums receiving grants from local foundations. 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
Farmington Miniature Golf & Ice Cream Parlor is open daily, weather permitting! Great family fun on route 4 in Farmington!
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:
The Southington Drive-In Summer Season continues every Saturday with this week’s feature, “Epic.” Gates open at 6pm. Movie starts 30 minutes after sunset. Southington residents pay $12 per car. Non-Residents are $18. Walk-ins are $3. 995 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike, Southington. www.southingtondrive-in.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 and safety! 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