Visit Hill-Stead!

Daily Tours

  • 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; no more than 16 people per tour.
  • Hill-Stead also offers Exclusive Private Tours on select Saturdays.
  • Hill-Stead’s grounds are open to the public daily from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. for group 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.
  • 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 reservations. For more information, see Group Tours.
  • Hill-Stead now offers both in-person and online field trips.  BOOK NOW
  • Visitors will be required to lock their bags and personal belongings in the lockers located in the visitor center, or alternatively, to store them in their car during the visit/tour of the historic house and/or art gallery.
  • Please review our reopening plan

Admission

To keep our museum accessible to all, Hill-Stead participates in the Blue Star Museums, Museums for All, AAA and Connecticut Art Trail programs.

Museum Members are always free.  Not a Member?  JOIN NOW

Members  | FREE
Adults | $18
AAA & Seniors (62+) | $16
Students | $12
Children 6-12 | $10
Children under 6 | FREE

Museum Members are always FREE!
Not a Member?  JOIN NOW

Special Admission Programs

As a Blue Star Museum, Hill-Stead offers active-duty military families FREE admission from Memorial Day through Labor Day.  Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and museums across America.

Hill-Stead is a part of the Museums for All program and offers FREE admission for up to four people to with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. Museums for All is a cooperative initiative between Association of Children’s Museums and Institute of Museum and Library Services to offer a program that encourages families of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits.

Hill-Stead is a member of the Connecticut Art Trail.  Discover Connecticut’s artistic treasures with the Connecticut Art Trail Art Passport. The $25 Art Passport includes one admission to each of the 20 member museums per year. Explore diverse, quality collections rich in history and heritage, including European masterpieces, American Impressionism, ancient art and contemporary culture.

 

The safety of staff and visitors is our highest priority.

To ensure a safe, inspiring experience for all, we’ve adopted new health and safety protocols. You’ll find everything you need to know about your next visit below.

Social distancing best practices are in place. All persons entering the building will be required to wear a face mask covering at all times.

  • Always wear a facemask and make sure it fits over your nose and mouth
  • Practice safe social distancing. Please keep six feet between yourself and others (outside your party)
  • Please wash/sanitize your hands at our sanitizing stations
  • A limited number of visitors will be permitted at one time
  • A one-way flow of traffic will be required in the House
  • Contactless payment is available and encouraged
  • Please let us know if you or another member of your party have traveled outside of Connecticut in the past 14 days or​ experiencing fever, chills, cough, or any other symptoms

Hill-Stead’s grounds

Director’s Message – May 21, 2021

Dear Friends, 

I think my colleagues at HillStead were taken aback by how eagerly I jumped on their suggestion of tethered hot air balloon rides for this year’s gala dinners. They had no idea that my all-time favorite wedding reception included these magical experiences. Nor did they know how badly I needed a reminder of the beautiful wonders of our world.

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2021 Fresh Voices Winners

Congratulations to the 2021 Fresh Voices Winners!

Enjoy reading more about these talented students. Then, please join us at Hill-Stead on June 23, 2021, for Young Poets Day to experience their poetry in person. These impressive poets will open for author and award-winning national poet Chen Chen!

 

Eve Brouillard is currently a senior at Rockville High School, the trumpet section leader of the marching band, and a Humanities scholar.  Eve spends a lot of time reading and writing, as well as creating more stories with friends through Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop games.  They love to seek inspiration by walking through outdoor trails as well as museums, taking photos along the way.  Eve won an honorable mention in the 2019 Scholastic Art and Writing Contest and had two works published in the Connecticut Student Writer 2020 magazine.  This year, they received the gold key in the Scholastic Awards for poetry.  In the future, Eve hopes to continue writing and publishing their original poetry.

Nora Holmes is a rising senior at Hall High School where she also runs track and cross country. She has been recognized by NCTE, The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, The New York Times, and the Connecticut Student Writers project. When she is not writing or running, you can find her laughing at her own jokes and starting debates in her history classes. 

JaMara “Mara” Jean is a rising senior who currently attends The Westover School. Mara has been writing poetry since she was in the 5th grade. During some time in the 7th grade, Mara was handpicked by a teacher to write, memorize, and perform at a Slam Poetry Show. When she began high school, she took part in her first production ever, Much Ado About Nothing. Since then, she’s acted in seven productions at her school and is currently the First Drama Head. She can thank her theatrical knowledge and ability to the many productions she has been in thus far and her poetic ability to both her teacher in 7th grade who encouraged her to write slam poetry and Thomas Juvan, who taught her everything she has learned about poetry at Westover. 

Valli Pendyala is a sophomore at South Windsor High School. She is a member of her school’s mock trial and Model United Nations teams, and she is the president of the Sexuality and Gender Alliance. Valli is also a member of South Windsor Future Leaders in Politics. Over the summer, Valli plans to attend the National Student Leadership Conference Political Action & Public Policy program. Valli is passionate about participating in the political process and advocating for issues she is passionate about, both locally and nationally. In her spare time, Valli enjoys reading, spending time with her sister, and learning about history. She is currently working for her Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouts, and has previously earned her Silver Award. Valli plans to major in political science and economics.

Cindy Truong is a senior at Platt High School in Meriden and the Educational Center for the Arts, where she studies creative writing. She will be attending New York University this upcoming fall and plans to major in English. Cindy finds inspiration in her Vietnamese heritage and culture along with her Vietnamese-American experience. She’d like to give her biggest gratitude to her teachers and workshop at ECA, for being the place that nurtured her and allowed her to find her voice.

Visual & Performing Arts STEAM Academy 2022

REGISTER

Hill-Stead Museum and Farmington Continuation Education join together to offer a unique summer camp experience for students, grades 2 through 8, from Farmington, Hartford, New Britain, and Plainville, August 2–13, weekdays from 8 am to 3 pm.

Please note that students from other locations are warmly welcome to join; however, the program will not be able to provide transportation from and to these additional locations.

This dynamic program offers opportunities for students to experience bold, innovative, and engaging visual, performing arts, and STEAM enrichment activities.

The morning begins at Hill-Stead with “screen-free” activities such as painting outdoors, writing poetry in the sunken garden, and dance & music classes in the Makeshift Theater. Students will also interact with Hill-Stead’s world-class collection of artworks, including French Impressionist paintings by Degas, Monet & Manet along with works by Whistler and Cassatt, Japanese woodblock prints, botanical prints by Albrecht Durer, etchings and drawings by notable artists.

Afternoons are spent at Farmington High School with a focus on performing arts such as dance, African drumming, Chinese strings/percussion instrumentation, and theater. Students will engage in art exploration through technology in activities like game design and animation, as well as traditional studio arts like clay, drawing, and painting.

Bus transportation between sites will be provided midday, along with lunch and a snack. Students should bring a water bottle.

Please note: The $25 registration fee for this program is contingent on the award of the AccelerateCT Innovation Grant through the State Department of Education. This fee is due upon registration! 

Since the current program design is contingent on grant funding, should funding not be awarded, the program design may be altered, whereas an additional $125 registration fee will be due on July 1. Registered families will receive communication should funding not be awarded and the design of the program alters before additional fees are charged.

REGISTER

2021 Fresh Voices Winners!

THANK YOU to all the students who participated in the 2021 Fresh Voices Poetry Competition, and to the teachers and parents who support them!

We are immensely grateful to this year’s Fresh Voices Judges: Frederick-Douglass Knowles II, Luisa Caycedo-Kimura, and Sophie Spaner.

On May 12, Fresh Voices finalists read their poetry for this prestigious panel of judges. At the conclusion of the readings, the following winners were announced:

Eve Brouillard Rockville High School
Nora Holmes William H. Hall High School
Jamara Jean Westover High School
Valli Pendyala South Windsor High School
Cindy Truong ACES Educational Center for the Arts

What’s next for the winners? On Wednesday, June 23, they will participate in a Young Poets Celebration. Better yet, these impressive young poets will open for author and award-winning national poet Chen Chen!

Fresh Voices Judges

Fresh Voices 2021 Finalists Announced

Hill-Stead proudly announces the 2021 Fresh Voices Poetry Competition Finalists!

Their work represents a collective of young creatives of the region. We are honored to have received so many extraordinary poems and grateful to all the teachers and parents who supported them. Our heartfelt congratulations to the following finalists:

  • Prisca Afantchao, Windsor High School
  • Caroline Bartolotta, Rockville High School
  • Julia Baun, William H. Hall High School
  • Madeleine Brouillard, Rockville High School
  • Sara Cove, Rockville High School
  • Nora Holmes, William H. Hall High School
  • JaMara Jean, Westover School
  • Kevin Delgado Manea, Weston High School
  • Lexi Mays, Westover High School
  • Violet McCabe, Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
  • Katrina Melnik, Avon High School
  • Cali Miville, Rockville High School
  • Valli Pendyala, South Windsor High School
  • Eleanor Polak, ACES Educational Center for the Arts
  • Cindy Truong, ACES Educational Center for the Arts

Hill-Stead Museum also wishes to thank this year’s Fresh Voices readers, Barbara P. Greenbaum and Victoria Nordlund. Thank you for your thoughtful read and review of each submission and for selecting these finalists to present their poetry in front of a live panel of judges on Wednesday, May 12 at 5 pm.

This year’s Fresh Voices Judges will be Frederick-Douglass Knowles II, Luisa Caycedo-Kimura, and Sophie Spaner.

Save-the-Dates

Wednesday, May 12 @ 5 pm 
The Fresh Voices finalists will read before a panel of judges; we will announce four to six Fresh Voices winners that evening. *

Wednesday, June 23
Young Poets Celebration featuring the Fresh Voices winners. These impressive young poets will open for author and award-winning national poet Chen Chen! *

Please note: *Fresh Voices winners must be available to participate in this performance!

Fresh Voices finalists will be given complimentary passes to the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival, held September 10-12, 2021.

The Fresh Voices winning poems will also be featured in our online publication of Theodate, Hill-Stead’s poetry journal. And, for the first time, each winner of the Fresh Voices adjudicated reading will receive a monetary prize award!

On behalf of everyone at Hill-Stead, we look forward to sharing your Fresh Voices and celebrating poetry together!

Thank you to our sponsors and donors who make Fresh Voices possible

Ellen Jeanne Goldfarb Memorial Charitable Trust

The Goldfarb Family

With additional support from Becky & Tom Trutter

 

Director’s Message – March 30, 2021

Dear Friends,

The miracle of birth has arrived at Hill-Stead! We are delighted to introduce adorable Ulysses, the first of this year’s group of new lambs. (welcome to the world, little guy, we are trying to make it better for you!) With many more lambies expected in the coming weeks, we warmly invite you to come for a visit to see this natural wonder for yourselves, and if desired, to join our contest to name three of the newborns (or dedicate a trail or an outdoor bench) through our Healthy Living Campaign. Continue reading

Meet Mary Sargent

We are delighted to bring you the first edition of The Legacy Society Newsletter.

The Legacy Giving Society recognizes and thanks donors during their lifetimes for including Hill-Stead in their estate plans. Since 1998, The Legacy Society members have helped support and sustain our beloved cultural hub and the larger community it serves far into the future.


Meet Mary Sargent: The Inspiring Founder of Hill-Stead’s Legacy Society

Mary Sargent and Executive Director, Dr. Anna Swinbourne touring Hill-Stead’s newly renovated spaces

Hill-Stead has a long history of fearless females, beginning with its founder and architect, Theodate Pope Riddle. Since opening its doors, a series of inspiring individuals, many of whom have been women, have worked tirelessly to keep Theodate’s dream alive. This merry crew has linked hands across generations to serve the public, bettering the lives of others through our beloved cultural hub.

During International Women’s History Month, it is fitting to recognize former Board President and Hill-Stead champion Mary Tennant Sargent. The Legacy Society founder is passionate and proud of her work to support and sustain Hill-Stead.

For more than three decades, Mrs. Sargent has devoted herself to the betterment of the treasured institution that she describes as a hidden gem. “I love everything about Hill-Stead, from its storied history to its extraordinary setting,” says Mrs. Sargent.

The longtime resident of West Hartford has been actively involved in garden clubs for many years. She helped with the 1986 restoration of Hill-Stead’s Sunken Garden, designed by Beatrix Farrand (America’s first female landscape architect). It was then that Mrs. Sargent became smitten with both the museum and its glorious grounds. She went on to serve as President of the Board of Governors for four years from 1991-1995, the longest tenure to date.

Mary and Joseph Sargent at the 2005 Hill-Stead Gala Benefit

Mrs. Sargent attended Smith College and met her husband, Joseph Denny Sargent, at the Farmington Polo Club when she was just 17 years old. The pair would marry when she was 19 and enjoy 57 years of wedded bliss, splitting time between Connecticut and Vermont.

Along with another couple, the two helped found the Killington ski area. This once-little-known peak grew into one of our country’s largest winter sports resorts. Many treasured moments were spent outdoors with their four children on the slopes at Killington and summer wilderness trips filled with fishing and backcountry hiking, and family time at Trail Creek and Red Rock Ranch, Wyoming.

Over the many years, Mrs. Sargent has dedicated much of her free time and resources to Hill-Stead’s growth, and she is excited about the next chapter. Now on the brink of its 75th anniversary as a museum, Hill-Stead has a significant renovation project well underway. The incredible project will result in a state-of-the-art exhibition gallery, a new media space, a museum shop, and elevated educational & arts programming.

“I want to see Hill-Stead thrive and go on for the future,” says Mrs. Sargent.

To this end, Mrs. Sargent has supported both the current capital campaign and generously included Hill-Stead in her estate plans. We are immensely grateful for Mrs. Sargent’s extraordinary leadership and for leaving an indelible mark on Hill-Stead for generations to come.

 


Fresh Voices 2021 Judges Announced

Meet our Fresh Voices Judges

Hill-Stead is delighted to announce our 2021 Fresh Voices judges, Frederick-Douglass Knowles II, Luisa Caycedo-Kimura, and Sophie Spaner. The judges will review the poems by this year’s finalists. Please enjoy their incredible bios.

Frederick-Douglass Knowles II (left) is an educator and activist passionate about achieving community augmentation through literary arts. He is the inaugural Poet Laureate for the City of Hartford. His works have been selected as finalists for the New England Association of Teachers of English (NEATE) Poet of the Year Award. Nominated for the Pushcart Prize, has received various poetry awards, including the Nutmeg Poetry Award and the 2020 Connecticut Arts Fellow in Artist Excellence for Poetry/Creative Non-Fiction. Knowles holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Eastern Connecticut State University and penned BlackRoseCity, a poetry book. Currently, he is an Associate Professor of English at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, CT.

Luisa Caycedo-Kimura (center) is a Colombian-born writer, translator, and educator. Her honors include a John K. Walsh Residency Fellowship at the Anderson Center, an Adrienne Reiner Hochstadt Fellowship at Ragdale, and a Robert Pinsky Global Fellowship in Poetry. Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she has received various poetry awards. A former attorney, Caycedo-Kimura left the legal profession to pursue her passion for writing. She holds an MFA from Boston University. Her poems appear or are forthcoming in The Cincinnati ReviewSunken Garden Poetry 1992-2011, RHINO, Diode, Shenandoah, Mid-American ReviewNashville Review, The Night Heron Barks, Louisiana Literature, among others. Currently, she is an Assistant Editor for the Connecticut River Review.

Sophie Spaner (right) is an 18-year-old writer, singer-songwriter, and artist from Deep River, Connecticut. She was a Fresh Voices Poet in 2017. She is currently taking a gap year and will be attending Yale University in the fall, where she plans to major in Film and Media Studies. During her gap year, she has been working as a quality control consultant for both foreign and American independent films with the international film distributor Kino Lorber. In her free time, she enjoys learning new instruments and expanding her artistic practice.

Construction update – March 23, 2021

Onward and upward!

As the beautiful weather arrived this past week, so too did many milestones in our renovation project!

With all the stone pavers laid, we now have a gorgeous new terrace, ready to host visitors and gatherings galore. Just behind it, glazing has been placed in the openings of the former Drive Shed to transform this open-air space into a glorious, light-filled interior. From this vantage point, one can still appreciate the breathtaking natural views to both the south, toward the sunken garden, and the north, looking to the red barn, farm complex, and lush hills beyond.

And together with beauty, we have power! A brand-new generator, which will henceforth service both the historic house and the renovated spaces, was installed thanks to this majestic crane on Friday, March 19. We couldn’t help but interpret this machine built to soar high as a metaphor for the elevated heights Hill-Stead will reach thanks to this long-planned renovation!

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