There are several popular tourist attractions in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, as it is one of the original cities in the United States. Hartford began as the House of Hope fort that was built up in 1636 by the Reverend Thomas Hooker. The 1878 State Capitol and Legislative Office Building is a popular tourist attractions in Hartford as are Bushnell Memorial Park and Carousel and the Elizabeth Park Rose Gardens.
The Elizabeth Park Rose Gardens have more than 15,000 rose bushes and 800 different varieties of roses. The Park also has a perennial garden with a gazebo, a herb garden and a restful rock garden beside a display of ornamental grasses. The Elizabeth Park Rose Gardens also has areas for weddings as well as a picnic area. The Park's Tree Trail can be one of the most interesting tourist attractions in Hartford for tree lovers as the trail takes tourists on a pleasant walk to discover forty labeled trees — some more than 100 years old. Some of the trees in the Elizabeth Park Rose Gardens have been identified as the biggest of the species in Connecticut by the Connecticut Botanical Society.
Bushnell Memorial Park is one of most well known tourist attractions in Hartford. The Park is named after the Reverend Horace Bushnell who, inspired by New York's Central Park, wanted to create a green space in an industrial urban landscape. In 1853, Bushnell proposed that a public park should be built with public monies and eventually Bushnell's proposal was approved by Hartford voters. Although the Park took many years to be fully developed, with its thousands of trees and shrubs and unique history, Bushnell Memorial Park is both a popular green space and one of the top tourist attractions in Hartford.
The Bushnell Park Carousel is one of the oldest in the United States and is usually known to operate during May through mid-October. It was crafted in 1914 by Russian immigrants Solomon Stein and Harry Goldstein, who began carving carousel pieces for Coney Island in the 1800s. Goldstein and Stein's carousel horses are known for their wild eyes and open mouths with carved teeth as well as the large rose decorations on their bodies.
The Spanish American War Memorial is another one of the must see tourist attractions in Hartford's Bushnell Memorial Park. The Memorial honors Hartford residents who served in the Spanish American War of 1898-1899. A statue of Nike, the Greek Goddess of War, is perched on top of the Memorial.
The State Capital and Legislative Office Building, which overlooks Bushnell Memorial Park from Capitol Hill, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hartford. The state executive offices include the Secretary of the State, Lieutenant Governor and Governor. Constructed in the High Victorian Gothic style of architecture, the 1878 State Capital and Legislative Office Building is a Registered National Historic Landmark.