Discover Hill-Stead

Hill-Stead Museum, the 1901 Colonial Revival-style house designed by pioneering female architect Theodate Pope Riddle, is home to a magnificent collection of Impressionist masterpieces by Monet, Degas, Manet, Whistler and Cassatt; captivating Japanese woodblock prints; and superb decorative arts—all in an intimate family setting.

Throughout the year, Hill-Stead Museum offers family programs, children’s activities, and seasonal celebrations.  Check our Calendar for upcoming events.

Explore woodland trails throughout the scenic 152-acre estate or simply unwind in the beautiful Beatrix Farrand-designed Sunken Garden—home of the nationally acclaimed Sunken Garden Poetry Festival.

  • The 1901 Pope Riddle house and its period rooms are open for guided tours only.
  • Guided tours of the Pope Riddle House are offered Wednesday through Sunday, every hour on the hour from 10 am to 4 pm with the last tour at 3 pm; closed major holidays (Easter Sunday, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day).
  • Tickets may be purchased at the museum on a first-come, first-serve basis; with no more than 16 people per tour.
  • Hill-Stead also offers Exclusive Private Tours on select Saturdays.
  • Hill-Stead’s new Museum Shop is now open during museum hours, Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.
  • Hill-Stead’s grounds are open to the public daily from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. For groups of eight or more please contact Karen Hudkins to make an advance reservation. Dogs are welcome at Hill-Stead. Please note: They must wear a leash and stay under their owner’s control at all times.
  • Please review our reopening plan
  • To keep our Museum accessible to all, Hill-Stead Museum offers  AAA, Blue Star Museums, Museums for All, and Connecticut Art Trail Benefits.
  • Museum members are always free Not a member? Join now.
  • Hill-Stead welcomes groups of 10 or more with advance reservation. For more information, see Group Tours.

About Hill-Stead Museum

Hill-Stead was designed by pioneering female architect, Theodate Pope Riddle, for her parents, Alfred and Ada Pope. Showcasing her father’s collection of French Impressionist paintings and other treasures was one of her aims in creating this country home. When the house became a museum in 1946, it was left completely intact, just as it had looked during the years Mr. & Mrs. Pope, and later Theodate and her husband, the diplomat John Wallace Riddle, had lived here.

Today, Hill-Stead offers something for everyone—guided tours of the historic house and special exhibitions, summer evenings of poetry, music, and picnics at the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival and so much more. For those looking to become part of the Hill-Stead Museum family, membership and volunteer opportunities abound.

Photo by Deborah Key

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