Wadsworth Atheneum

The Wadsworth Atheneum opened in 1844 after Daniel Wadsworth, a Hartford patron and amateur artist, set out to give his city a gallery of its own, and today it is generally recognized as the oldest continuously operating public art museum in the United States. The original Gothic Revival building, with its towers and crenellations, looks more like a small castle than a picnic spot for Monet, and the surprise continues indoors. The collection runs to roughly fifty thousand objects. Highlights include Caravaggio's Ecstasy of Saint Francis, a strong group of Hudson River School landscapes by Frederic Church and Thomas Cole, early American portraits, Impressionist canvases, European decorative arts and a distinguished set of modern pieces. The Wadsworth was also the first American museum to buy works by Salvador Dali, Joan Miro and Rene Magritte, and the 1934 Avery Memorial wing was an early example of International Style architecture in a public art museum.

The museum's twentieth-century history is a good story in its own right. Under director A. Everett Austin Jr., known as Chick Austin, the Atheneum staged the American premiere of a Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein opera in the 1930s and hosted early performances by dancers associated with George Balanchine, helping set the stage for what became American ballet. That adventurousness still shows in the galleries, where a visitor can move from a Baroque altarpiece to surrealist dreams in a few steps.

The museum is made of several connected buildings of different eras, so wayfinding takes a little attention. Pick up a map at the desk and choose a route rather than trying to see everything. A first visit works well around three clear goals: the Caravaggio, a loop through the American landscapes, and the surrealists. Allow about two hours for that, and longer if the changing exhibitions in the temporary galleries interest you. The museum cafe is a convenient place to rest, and there is a shop at the entrance.

The Atheneum sits in the center of downtown, on Main Street, a short walk from the State Capitol, Bushnell Park and Connecticut's Old State House. That makes it an easy anchor for a walking day, and it also works well as a rainy-day plan. Admission arrangements, free days and extended hours change from time to time, so check the museum's site before you go.

Families with children will find the building itself a fine adventure, and the museum often runs hands-on programs. Pair it with Bushnell Park Carousel for a lighter second half to the afternoon.

Wheelchair access is good across the connected buildings. Visitors who enjoy decorative arts should look for the period rooms and the collection of furniture and silver, which give the paintings a domestic setting and show how wealthy Hartford families lived in earlier centuries.