Frommers.com Frommers.com
Most Recent Destination Forum Posts
Most Recommended Articles
Most Commented Articles
  Print This Article Print Get Frommer's RSS Feed RSS

Hartford Map: Mark Twain HouseMark Twain House Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Hours Mon-Sat 9:30-5:30pm; Sun noon-5:30pm. Visits by guided tour only; last tour begins at 4:45pm
Address
351 Farmington Ave
Transportation Take Exit 46 off I-84, turn right onto Sisson Ave., then right onto Farmington Ave. The house is on the right. From downtown, drive west on Asylum St., bearing left on Farmington Ave. The house is on the left
Phone 860/247-0998
Web site www.marktwainhouse.org
Prices Admission $12 adults, $11 seniors, $10 students, $8 children 6-12, free for children 5 and under
Season Closed Mon Jan-May

Frommer's Review

This 19-room house is a fascinating example of the late-19th-century style sometimes known as "Picturesque Gothic," with several steeply peaked gables and brick walls whose varying patterns are highlighted by black or orange paint.

Samuel Clemens, whose pseudonym was a term used by Mississippi River pilots to indicate a water depth of 2 fathoms, lived here from 1874 to 1891. The High Victorian interior was the work of distinguished designers of the time, including Louis Comfort Tiffany, who provided both advice and stained glass. Twain's enthusiasm for newfangled gadgets -- Life On The Mississippi is said to be the first novel written on a typewriter -- led to the installation of a primitive telephone in the entrance hall. A guided tour takes about an hour and eventually leads to the top floor and the writer's main workroom, a large space that also has a pool table. Twain would often walk across the hall in the middle of the night and wake up his butler to play a few games.

A education and visitor center houses galleries, a small cinema, a cafe, and a shop.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.


Back to Top


  Print This Article Print Get Frommer's RSS Feed RSS


Destination Guide
Destination Guide Destination Guide Destination Guide
Destination Guide Destination Guide Frommer's New England, 14th Edition Destination Guide Frommer's New England, 14th Edition

Author: Paul Karr
Pub Date: October 06, 2008
Price: $21.99

Add to Cart
Destination Guide Destination Guide Destination Guide Related Titles:
Boston For Dummies, 4th Edition
Destination Guide
Frommer's Boston 2009
Destination Guide
Frommer's Boston 2010
Destination Guide
Destination Guide Destination Guide
Destination Guide Destination Guide Destination Guide
Destination Guide
Destinations