The Butler-McCook House & Garden, build in 1782, is Hartford oldest house and was the home to four generations of the same family. The restored house, located on Main Street, explores three centuries of life on Main Street in Hartford and provides insight into the lives of a family whose members included physicians, industrialists, missionaries, artists, globe trotters, educators, and social reformers. The house's exterior has been restored to its 1782 appearance. Behind the house is a Victorian ornamental garden originally laid out in 1865 by landscape architect Jacob Weidenmann, designer of Hartford's Bushnell Park and Cedar Hill Cemetery. Inside are the family’s original furnishings and a number of their cherished belongings ranging from Connecticut-crafted colonial furniture, Victorian-era toys, paintings, and samurai armor acquired during a trip to Japan. Adults and children ages 8 and above. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Presented by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and Connecticut Archaeology Center, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UConn. 860.486.4460 and www.mnh.uconn.edu