Fun & Cheap Connecticut with Kids

Situated in the northwest corner of the state, the Action Wildlife Park is a 116-acre menagerie that is home to an impressive collection of around 250 animals across 32 species. Surrounded by a bucolic New England setting, the sanctuary boasts a story-high stone mountain from which visitors can spot the animals roaming around in their natural habitats, such as bison, reindeer, ostriches, donkeys and massive Watusi cattle from Africa. Other animals in the park include Japanese sika deer, Russian boars, Asian yaks, and a Poitou donkey from France, half donkey, half-zebra. Formerly a dairy farm, Jim Mazzarelli opened the animal kingdom two decades ago, and it has delighted visitors ever since who come to learn more about nature and the fauna and flora that call it home. Guests can explore the park on drive-through tours and pet animals such as donkeys, goats, and rabbits.

337 Torrington Rd, Goshen, CT 06756, Phone: 860-482-4465

The Barker Character Comic and Cartoon Museum is a fun, family-friendly museum dedicated to antique toys, collectibles, and other vintage memorabilia. Spread over two floors, the museum features an impressive collection of cartoons and toys spanning 15 decades of American history with the ground floor showcasing unique animations from all eras and genres while the second-floor houses exhibits of hundreds of toys and kid-centric objects. The museum also features an art gallery with incredible artworks and hosts a scavenger hunt for kids.

1188 Highland Ave Building B, Cheshire, CT 06410, Phone: 203-699-3822

The Discovery Science Center and Planetarium is an immersive science center in Bridgeport that encourages children to learn through exploration, imagination, discovery, and play. Founded in 1958 as the Museum of Art, Science, and Industry, the museum has served as an educational resource for young minds and a tourist destination ever since. The regional science center features a wealth of exhibits covering science and engineering-related issues, such as Adventure Science, Dare to Discover, MoonBase Discovery, Nano, and Space Gallery. The museum is home to the Henry B. DuPont III Planetarium, which also features a variety of permanent and traveling exhibits and offers simulated space missions in the Challenger Center. The Discovery Museum and Planetarium presents a range of educational and community outreach programs for schools.

4450 Park Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604, Phone: 203-372-3521

Brooksvale Park is a 500-acre farm-inspired park that provides a fantastic adventure for families. Owned and operated by the town of Hamden, the farm is home to a variety of farm animals, a bee apiary, an organic vegetable/herb garden, fields for recreational use, a sugar shack where maple syrup is boiled, and several hiking trails. There is a lovely Picnic Pavilion that can be rented for special celebrations and functions, and the park hosts a range of educational programs and annual events such as the yearly Camp Brooksvale summer day camp, the Brooksvale Fall Festival, and the annual WreathMaking Workshop. Summer offers guided farm tours where visitors can learn about organic farming, and during winter, the Park focuses on teaching visitors about maple sugaring.

524 Brooksvale Ave, Hamden, CT 06518, Phone: 203-287-2669

One of the oldest publicly funded parks in the country, Bushnell Park in Hartford, is a charming outdoor space for the local community and is home to a beautiful vintage 1914 carousel. The elegant 24-sided pavilion has 48 exquisite hand-carved horses and two lovers’ chariots that whirl around to music from a Wurlitzer band organ and is open to the public Fridays through Sundays. The park has a museum dedicated to the carousel, showcasing its history and hosts a variety of events throughout the season, including one-hour educational program that includes an interactive mini-lecture about the art and history of the carousel.

Bushnell Park Carousel, 1 Jewell St, Hartford, CT 06103, Phone: 860-585-5411

The Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut is a 5,000-square-foot, hands-on educational and cultural institution in Niantic that is designed to encourage children and their families to take an interest in art, engineering, culture, and the sciences. Interactive exhibits include the Discovery Room, which is full of science-based activities, including an apiary where visitors can watch the inner workings of a beehive. Visitors can pilot a fishing boat at the Imagination Station, be a fireman for a day, take on the role of architect and design a structure with giant foam blocks, or relax at the Global Bazaar & Café. Young visitors can play at Toddler Land or in the outdoor play space, which has a real treehouse, a climbing wall, a whale drum, and performing stage.

409 Main St, Niantic, CT 06357, Phone: 860-691-1111

Based at Steamboat Dock on the banks of the Connecticut River in Essex, the Connecticut River Museum celebrates the maritime heritage of the Connecticut River Valley. The educational and cultural institution focuses on the marine environment with a variety of interactive exhibits that showcase a wealth of maritime-related items, objects, and artifacts from the region. Visitors can discover old navigation tools, handmade tools used for fishing and hunting, delight in a model train layout, and explore the Turtle, the first submarine to be used during the Revolutionary War. The museum also offers a range of educational and community outreach programs and special events throughout the year.

67 Main St, Essex, CT 06426, Phone: 860-767-8269

Located on the banks of the Connecticut River in downtown Hartford, the Connecticut Science Center is a multi-story museum where children and their families can explore, discover, interpret, and learn about all things science. Based in a striking building designed by César Pelli & Associates, the museum features over 165 hands-on, immersive activities and exhibits in ten galleries, four educational labs, a state-of-the-art 3D digital theater, a gift shop and a casual café serving light fare. Visitors can dig for dinosaur bones, explore the solar system, build a race cart, get up close with native Connecticut sea creatures in a marine touch tank, and watch science come alive in the state-of-the-art 3D movie theater. The museum also offers a range of educational programs, science-based workshops and classes, community outreach programs, and more.

250 Columbus Blvd, Hartford, CT 06103, Phone: 860-724-3623

The Beardsley Zoo is a long-standing animal sanctuary in Bridgeport that is home to over 300 animals with a focus on North and South American species. The top family attraction was established to encourage an interest in endangered and threatened species and the conservation of animals and the environment in which they live. The zoo offers a variety of educational programs for children of all ages, including Zoo Tots and Zoo patrol for children up to the age of four years, which include arts and crafts, games, stories, behind-the-scenes tours, zoo-keeper talks, hands-on learning, and educational games. Other exciting things to do at the zoo include scavenger hunts, field trips, and workshops for teenagers.

1875 Noble Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06610

Housed in the former Union Station on the east end of downtown Danbury, the Danbury Railway Museum celebrates the history of railroading in southern New England and New York. Established in the mid-1990s, when the Metro-North Railroad was closed, the architecturally distinctive building has a beautiful Richardsonian Romanesque style with Colonial Revival touches. The museum boasts a collection of heritage railcars and over 70 pieces of historic railroad equipment and artifacts, and visitors can enjoy a guided tour of the museum’s six-acre railyard. The Danbury Railway Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, Strangers on a Train.

120 White St, Danbury, CT 06810, Phone: 203-778-8337