Department of Economic Development Tourism Division 865 Brook St. Rocky Hill, CT 06067-3405 (800) 282-6863 [800-CT BOUND]; (860) 258-4355 Road Conditions Hotline (203) 594-2650 weekdays; (800) 443-6817 (CT only) Connecticut Environmental Protection (203) 424-3105

• Speed Limit : 55 • Studded Tires Permitted from Nov. 15 - Apr. 30 • Child Restraints Required • Seat Belts Required • Auto Liability Insurance Mandatory

• Overnight Off-Road Parking Permitted in Designated Rest areas only • Trailer Brakes Required if Weight > 3,000 lbs • Combined Maximum Length of Car-Trailer Combination must not exceed 60 feet in total • Trailer Chains Required

General Information

Nickname: Constitution State

State bird: American Robin

State flower: Mountain Laurel

Capital: Hartford

Date of admission to the Union: 9 Jan 1788 (original 13 States; date of ratification of the Constitution)

Population: 3,425,074 (official estimate 2002)

Population density: 238.6/sq km

2000 total overseas arrivals/US ranking: 260,000/24

Time: Eastern (GMT - 5). Daylight Saving Time is observed.





The State: Connecticut is a mixture of town and country; beyond the towns inhabited by New York commuters and the major cities are quiet colonial villages set in a rural landscape. The third-smallest State in the USA has a rich literary history. Hartford was the home of Mark Twain, and tourists can visit The Mark Twain House where he wrote his greatest work, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, in 1884. Next door is the cottage in which the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, lived until her death in 1896. For children, there is the delightful Bushnell Park Carousel, which was built in 1914 in one of the first public US parks. Other Hartford attractions include the oldest public art museum in the country, Wadsworth Atheneum; and the Old State House, which housed the State government until 1914. The nearby village of Farmington contains the Hill-Stead Museum, which displays a collection of Impressionist masterpieces by the likes of Manet, Monet and Whistler.





New Haven is the site of Yale University, the Peabody Museum of Natural History and Yale University Art Gallery. The Art Gallery houses a fine collection of art, including works by John Trumbull and Italian Renaissance artists. The town is also known for its theatre; famous names to have trodden the boards in New Haven include Glenn Close and Meryl Streep. The New Haven Symphony Orchestra and the Yale Repertory Theater have their homes here.
Mystic Seaport is a living museum of Connecticut’s maritime past. There is a display of tall ships, a maritime museum, shops, and art and craft collections. Visitors can sail out on the Sunbeam Express to watch the whales at play or marvel at the sharks, dolphins and seals at Mystic Aquarium. They can also shop and dine in the New England Colonial setting of Olde Mistick Village.

Other attractions in the State include the entertainment complexes and casinos of Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, and the Haight Vineyards in Litchfield and Mystic.