Events

Join a group of fellow arts and culture enthusiasts for a specially curated and guided day trip with all-inclusive meals, transportation, and special museum access departing from the Hudson Valley to Connecticut and back again. Presented by the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in partnership with Friendship Tours. Begin your day at the stunning Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT, a National Historic Landmark renowned for its Impressionist masterworks and elegant 1901 Colonial Revival mansion designed by pioneering female architect, Theodate Pope Riddle. Enjoy a guided house tour showcasing an exceptional collection of paintings by Monet, Degas, Manet, and Cassatt displayed in the intimate setting the collectors intended. Socialize with your fellow travelers during your catered lunch spread of sandwiches, salads, chips, dessert, and beverages at the Hill-Stead, and enjoy time on your own to stroll the beautifully landscaped grounds and gardens, including the Sunken Garden, redesigned in the 1920s by landscape designer Beatrix Ferrand. In the afternoon, we will travel to Hartford for a guided tour of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the nation’s oldest public art museum founded by Thomas Cole's patron, Daniel Wadsworth. The tour will focus on the museum’s stunning Hudson River School galleries with iconic Thomas Cole masterpieces and iconic works by artists he inspired, including Frederic Church and Albert Bierstadt. A rewarding day of fun and discovery awaits.