• Explore the state capital, Hartford (website: www.enjoyhartford.com). Families will enjoy the Bushnell Park Carousel, built in 1914, and Wadsworth Atheneum, the oldest public art museum in the country.

• See Hartford's literary heritage at Nook Farm - the place where Mark Twain wrote his greatest work, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884. The cottage next door was once the home of author Harriet Beecher Stowe (Uncle Tom's Cabin).

• Explore the thriving cultural life of New Haven (website: www.visitnewhaven.com), the site of Yale University, the Peabody Museum of Natural History and the Center for British Art. New Hope is a region of inventions, medical milestones, a long list of firsts and 10 national historic landmarks.

• Discover Connecticut's maritime past at Mystic Seaport (website: www.visitconnecticut.com/mystic_eastern.html). Inspect displays of wooden ships, a maritime museum and art and craft collections. Marvel at the sharks, dolphins and seals at Mystic Aquarium. Shop and dine in the New England colonial setting of Olde Mistick Village (website: www.oldmysticvillage.com).

• Venture 8km (5 miles) east of Mystic to Stonington Borough, a delightful old fishing village, which boasts a number of antique shops and a Lighthouse Museum (website: www.stoningtonboroughct.com).

• Try your luck in the casinos of Foxwoods Resort or tour the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center in Mashantucket (website: www.foxwoods.com).

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.