This museum boasts of the most comprehensive collection of British art outside the United Kingdom, which includes paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings and rare books that chronicle British life from the Elizabethan period to the present. Fifteen hundred paintings showcase the likes of great landscape painters John Constable and JMW Turner. The museum also hosts concerts, lectures, family education days and symposia. The gift shop offers a wide range of collectibles, art reproductions and literature for both children and adults.
The Congregational United Church of Christ, as it is more formally known, has stood on the New Haven Green since 1639. The current Georgian structure dates to 1812. Architect Ithiel Town incorporated large windows into the design to capture sunshine, as there was no heating system. A beautiful Tiffany window, installed in 1890, depicts the Rev. John Davenport leading the first service in the new colony. The historic crypt contains the remains of Benedict Arnold's first wife. There is a small burial ground behind the church, where regicide John Dixwell is laid to rest.
Housed in a contemporary building, the Housatonic Museum of Art features paintings of some of the most renowned artists of the bygone era. If you are an avid connoisseur of art, both modern and ancient, this museum would be a delightful discovery. The museum boasts of a collection of paintings from legends like Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Auguste Rodin, Mary Cassatt, Giorgio DeChirico, Milton Avery, Andy Warhol and the likes. The museum with its large collection is sure to leave you spellbound.
Branford Point on Harbor street is a wonderful attraction that offers stunning views of the boats floating in the pictures harbor. Located in the heart of the downtown, it offers a panoramic view of the town, including the town beach and recreational boaters. Visitors can relax at the sandy beach or sit by the lookout, which also provides an opportunity for fishing from the stone.
Eli Whitney was an idealist and visionary who has been forgiven the unwitting consequences of his brilliant inventions; the cotton gin turned slavery from a tottering institution into a thriving business, and the milling machine gave rise to the horrific abuses of American industry. The museum occupies several buildings erected by Whitney as a model for a factory town, and preserves the roots of the industrial revolution that changed the country and the world.
The Yale University Art Gallery, founded in 1832, and with more than 100,000 pieces in its permanent collection, is the oldest university art museum in the country. The gallery offers an excellent overview of art history, ranging from ancient to modern. There is an exquisite collection of American paintings, and an extensive display of 20th-century European paintings. Classic objects from ancient Egypt and the Middle East, and treasures from the South Pacific and Far East are also on display. Guided tours, lectures, and family programs are all available. Admission is free.