phelps tavern museum

Phelps Tavern is part of life in Simsbury Ct. It is the location for the annual Civil War reenactment. It is open for the annual Art Walk, a celebration of local artists. It is part of the Simsbury Celebrates, a festival that closes down Hopmeadow Street for street entertainment, a firemen"s parade with Santa, and fireworks. Phelps Tavern is best known for being part of a historic tour that includes a town meeting based on documented meetings with the players in costume and visitors as townsmen, a fiddler teaching the latest dance steps of the era, a school teacher giving a spelling lesson in the school house (a mistake may involve bringing in wood for the stove), and a brush with a ghost recently documented by experts in the field. Simsbury Historical Society can provide a schedule of events.

This is an old stagecoach tavern lived in until the 50s or 60s. It is the Simsbury Historical Society and each room shows a different era in the home's history, dating back to the colonial period. There are many old buildings that have been moved here from other locations around Simsbury--some to look through the windows and others to go into. Also on the property are a nice gift shop, stocks and pillories (great photo ops).

Phelps Tavern Museum in the center of Simsbury is not a destination attraction. If you have 15 minutes and are going past anyways you might as well pull over and stop. We had seen the museum in a magazine photo spread. In real life the museum is very dark and smells kind of funny. While you are parked take a walk across the street to the cemetery and look at the headstones from the 1600's. They are as interesting as the museum. The oldest stones are right along the front.

Interesting, very small museum. Small herb garden, a couple other small gardens. Not a whole lot to see but worth seeing if you're in town anyway. Fun at Christmas time when they have the tree lighting and caroles. It's located right in downtown Simsbury so you can wander around the shops and restaurants after or before you visit.Worth a stop, just don't think you need hours and hours - which pleased my husband. Visiting takes a bit longer in the summer when the gardens are blooming, probably less than one hour in the off season.