DEVELOPMENT Westport Museum for History and Culture

Dress Construction Viewing and Activities
2023-07-12 12:30 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Ever wanted to know how a dress from your favorite period drama was made? Have questions about fashion from the past?
Join our Director of Programs and Collections, Nicole Carpenter, as she creates a reproduction gown based on 18th century examples and techniques. Visitors are encouraged to ask questions about the process of creating a gown, the history of mantua-makers or dress makers, and the Museum’s textile collection. Visitors can also try textile art objects like a spinning wheel, loom, and embroidery hoops for themselves.
This gown will be worn by the bride during our fall Mock Colonial Wedding, on September 16th. Interested in attending? Registration is required and can be made with the form below.

Exhibition Curator Tour: “Legacy: The Adairs of Westport”
2023-08-09 19:00 - 20:00 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Join our curators to immerse yourself in the story of the Adair family in this special tour of our exhibit “Legacy: The Adairs of Westport.” Hear the fascinating story of how the Westport Museum brought to light a family that Westport had forgotten. See the artifacts up close, and learn how the exhibit came to life through years of research and an intense writing and design process.
Pre-registration required. Tickets are $10 and available for purchase below. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt.

Bittersweet: Chocolate in the American Colonies
2023-08-17 00:00 - 2023-11-11 23:59 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Experience the growing, harvesting, and historical process of making cocoa in Westport Museum’s hands-on exhibition that explores the connection between chocolate and Westport’s mercantile past in the 18th and 19th century. Learn more about the history of the cocoa industry in the American colonies and how the Saugatuck River and other regional waterways supported this trade.
This exhibit is included in the ticket price for visitors. It is on display until November 11, 2023.

I Thee Wed: Bridal Fashion from the Collections
2023-08-17 00:00 - 2023-11-11 23:59 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Visitors can explore several examples of wedding gowns—both white and the less traditional—in the Museum’s collection in I Thee Wed: Western Bridal Fashion from the Collection. Discover how these iconic dresses and their place in the world of fashion relate to wealth, class, gender, and women’s rights. Or try creating your own wedding dress with fashions from around the world at our interactive magnet wall.
This exhibit is included in the ticket price for visitors. It is on display until November 11, 2023.

Legacy: the Adairs of Westport
2023-08-17 00:00 - 2023-11-11 23:59 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
For nearly one hundred years Benjamin Adair and his descendants called Westport home. Likely born into slavery in North Carolina, Adair built a prosperous life through a series of smart investments and his association with financier Morris Ketchum. Married to Ursula Mingo of Long Island’s Shinnecock nation, for decades Adair’s daughters became prominent educators and creatives, yet their story and Westport Legacy was interrupted when the family lost their homestead through unfair real estate taxation. Rediscovered in 2020, their legacy is re-explored in this exhibit built using artifacts from descendants.
This exhibit is included in the ticket price for visitors. It is on display until November 11, 2023.

Westport-wide Scavenger Hunt
2023-08-19 00:00 - 2023-09-09 23:59 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Riddle me this! Can you find all 12 of the Museum’s town history “quilt” squares? Hidden around town at partner locations are 12”x12” beautifully designed artworks inspired by town monuments, buildings and industries mimicking the quilt style. Solve a riddle (pay close attention to the highlighted words) for the location and write down your answer about which animal is on each board when you find them. If you get stuck, you can always ask the Museum for a hint.
Once you’ve found at least 8, return your sheet to the Museum before 5 pm on September 9th to be entered for a chance to win one of two great family friendly prizes—two tickets to our Sanitarium Escape Room or Haunted House.
Many notable sites in Westport have taken a panel and cleverly placed them somewhere on their property. It’s your job to find them!
Winners will be randomly selected from completed packets that are returned to the Museum by September 9th at 5 pm. Winners will be notified through email.
Scavenger hunt kits are free for Family Members and above, $5 for nonmembers. Register here to access and receive a scavenger hunt download. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you cannot participate, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt. This program is active until September 9, 2023.

Destination Westport: In Gatsby’s Shoes
2023-09-02 09:30 - 11:00 | Longshore Marina, 260 Compo Rd S, Westport, Connecticut, 06880, United States
Imagine it’s the summer of 1920. Westport is a sleepy farm community that lures New York’s most glamorous couple-F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald—to its shores.

Seeking respite from their whirlwind Jazz era lives, the Fitzgeralds set up in an 18th century farmhouse that has seen Revolution and the building of a nation over many decades. Zelda swims daily in the peaceful waters of the Long Island Sound while Scott takes advantage of the bucolic quiet to work on what he hopes will be his next great novel — The Great Gatsby. Join the Museum, as we recreate the summer of 1920 and the sites and characters that influenced Fitzgerald’s Great American novel.

Come prepared for a gorgeous, vigorous 90-minute walk in one of the East Coast’s most beautiful settings. Please bring water and wear comfortable walking shoes.

Parking Information: Guests should park at Longshore Marina, along the asphalt and dirt areas, in Lot F.

Tickets $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers. Reservations are required, register here. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt.

Space is limited to 25 persons per tour. Additional tours may be added if demand requires. If you wish to join but the tour has been sold out or are interested in a private tour, please email your interest to programs@westporthistory.org.

Free First Saturdays
2023-09-02 11:00 - 17:00 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
First Saturdays are a great opportunity to experience what we have to offer at the Westport Museum free of charge on the first Saturday of each month.

Young visitors can enjoy a scavenger hunt in the museum, the diorama of Westport featuring an audio tour by Joanne Woodward, coloring pages, colonial games and more. Adult visitors will enjoy our wide array of exhibits. Our 2023 exhibitions include Legacy: The Adairs of Westport, Bittersweet: Chocolate in the American Colonies, I Thee Wed: Bridal Fashion from the Collections, Reluctant Liberators: Westport in the Civil War, Becoming Westport, and our local history gallery.

Destination Westport Walking Tour: Evergreen Burial Ground
2023-09-16 09:30 - 10:30 | Evergreen Cemetery, Evergreen Avenue, Westport, Connecticut, 06880, United States
Survey the resting place of past Westporters and learn their stories as you meander through Saugatuck Congregational Church’s Evergreen Cemetery. Discover gravestones belonging to everyday citizens as well as prominent individuals and families.

Meet at the southernmost entrance of the cemetery along Evergreen Avenue. We recommend you wear comfortable walking shoes and bring bottled water — the ground is uneven and the weather may be warm.

Tickets $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers. Reservations are required, register here. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt.

Space is limited to 25 persons per tour. Additional tours may be added if demand requires. If you wish to join but the tour has been sold out or are interested in a private tour, please email your interest to programs@westporthistory.org

Felt Pumpkin Kits
2023-09-27 11:00 - 2023-10-31 17:00 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Our felt pumpkin kits are the perfect craft to celebrate the spooky season. Celebrate a spooktacular Halloween with your own miniature pumpkin creation! Miniature pumpkin kits will include one felt pumpkin, stuffing, felt face pieces, coloring book and a lollipop.

Participants may drop in anytime between 11am and 5pm to decorate a miniature pumpkin. Can’t stay? Pumpkin decorating kits are available for purchase in the museum’s shop to make your unique creations at home.

Kits $5 to cover supplies. Purchase your kits here. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt.

Join us for more Spooktober programs, exploring the darker side of history. Click here to explore more.

“Who Was Accused in the Salem Witch Trials?: Tituba” with Illustrator Rowan MacColl
2023-09-30 16:00 - 17:00 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Join us for an in-person discussion with the illustrator of Who Was Accused in the Salem Witch Trials?: Tituba, a graphic novel exploring the Salem witch trials through the eyes of Tituba, one of the first women to be accused of witchcraft.

Follow the terrifying events of the 1692 Salem witch trials from the perspective of Tituba, an enslaved woman who was accused of bewitching two girls, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams, during this harrowing, historic period. A story of speculation, mass hysteria, and survival, this graphic novel invites readers to immerse themselves into this haunting moment in American history—brought to life by gripping narrative and vivid full-color illustrations that jump off the page.

Light refreshments will be served. Registration highly recommended, register here.

Join us for more Spooktober programs, exploring the darker side of history. Click here to explore more.

Thursday Treasure: Dolls
2023-10-05 18:00 - 18:30 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Whether you find them creepy or cute, dolls remain popular toys and collectibles amongst children and adults. From the sweet to the sinister, take a look at dolls housed in the museum’s collection. Just as the famous Annabelle doll calls Connecticut home, you may find some… hauntingly beautiful dolls right here in Westport. Make sure to let us know if one starts moving on its own – these dolls aren’t mechanical!

Thursday Treasures is a Westport Museum programming series showcasing objects from the collection not normally on public view. See and hear the stories behind some of the most unique, mysterious, and impactful artifacts in our community.

To watch live and ask questions, join our YouTube broadcast here.

Like our programs? We’d appreciate your support! Suggested donation of $5 continues our unique programming. Visit our donation form.

Join us for more Spooktober programs, exploring the darker side of history. Click here to explore more.

Destination Westport: Art from the Beyond Walking Tour
2023-10-07 10:00 - 11:00 | Greens Farm Lower Cemetery, Nyala Farms Rd, Westport, Connecticut, 06880, United States
Ever wondered why you shouldn’t walk on a grave or why there are so many skulls on tombstones? Do you know the story of Connecticut’s witch trials?

Join Westport Museums Programs & Collections Director Nicole Carpenter at the Greens Farms Lower Cemetery to discuss the 18th and 19th century superstitions associated with cemeteries and the dearly departed. Hear the tale of Westport’s accused witches and see the oldest gravestone in the burial ground. Learn what urns, willow trees and other artistic symbols on gravestones mean as you meander through the cemetery.

Park on Nyala Farms Road and meet on the marked green at the back entrance to the cemetery. We recommend you wear comfortable walking shoes and bring bottled water on the walking tour — the ground is uneven and the weather may be warm. This tour is not handicap accessible.

Tickets $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers. Purchase your tickets online here. Please note reservations are required. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt.

Space is limited to 25 persons per tour. Additional tours may be added if demand requires. If you wish to join the walking tour but it has been sold out or are interested in a private tour, please email your interest to programs@westporthistory.org

Join us for more Spooktober programs, exploring the darker side of history. Click here to explore more.

Darkness, Inside the Mind of Connecticut’s Witches
2023-10-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Darkness, Inside the Mind of Connecticut’s Witches is a unique Halloween experience. Enter 1647 and witness the witch trials that European colonists experienced through their own words, in the darkness that pervaded their everyday lives. Sit with us in the dark and hear about superstitions of witchcraft and the belief that danger—both physical and supernatural—was all around.

This event will discuss mature themes in complete darkness for extended periods. Our program is held inside our newly renovated historic 19th century barn. Darkness is not a haunted house, though traditionally “scary” topics will be examined. Phones and light sources are not permitted. This event is not recommended for children under 10, adult supervision is mandatory.

Tickets $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Please make your reservations here. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt.

Join us for more Spooktober programs, exploring the darker side of history. Click here to explore more.

Destination Westport: Westport Sanitarium Walking Tour
2023-10-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Winslow Dog Park, 25 CT-136, Westport, Connecticut, 06880, United States
Though the buildings are long gone, the site of the Westport Sanitarium—one of two in Westport—stood in what is, today, Winslow Park. Follow our docent through the park and discover the tales of the administrators, doctors and patients that lived and worked in the sanitariums. See images from the time and ear tales of heartbreak, control, medicine, life and death on this unique walking tour.

Meet on the cement path in front of the parking lot along Compo Road North. We recommend you wear comfortable walking shoes and bring bottled water — the ground is uneven and the weather may be warm.

Tickets $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers. Reservations are required, register here. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt.

Space is limited to 25 persons per tour. Additional tours may be added if demand requires. If you wish to join but the tour has been sold out or are interested in a private tour, please email your interest to programs@westporthistory.org

Join us for more Spooktober programs, exploring the darker side of history. Click here to explore more.

Into the Sanitarium Escape Room
2023-10-14 11:30 - 2024-06-29 20:00 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Can you go into the Sanitarium escape room and make it out? Can you uncover the truth of the Westport Sanitarium? Rumors have spread of strange goings on inside the patient wing. Like the famed Nelly Bly, you are a reporter who has gone inside the sanitarium to investigate but find yourself locked inside the doctor’s private office. Your group of up to ten people have one hour before the sanitarium staff return and begin your treatment.

This is a great group activity! Wonderful for birthdays, company activities or a club outing. Fun for the whole family, this escape room is recommended for children over eight. Children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Groups of 2-10 people. Reservations are required, select your date and time online. Reservations close 48 hours prior to their posted start date. You may make your reservation private for an additional $10 per group.

Purchase your tickets online here. To book a private session or use your member discount, please call the museum at (203)-222-1424.

Time slots are available Tuesdays-Thursdays from 11:30 am to 5 pm; on Fridays and Saturdays slots run from 11:30 am through 8 pm. All reservations last for 60 minutes, with the recommendation of arriving 15 minutes prior to your start time.

Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt. Groups arriving 15 minutes after their reservation start time will have their reservation cancelled without a refund.

Online waiver acknowledgment is required prior to entry into the escape room. Those 17 and under must have the waiver signed by a parent or guardian. The room is not suitable for individuals with pacemakers.

Made possible, in part, by generous sponsorship by Cohen & Wolfe

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Reading by Washington Irving
2023-10-19 18:30 - 19:30 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
The ghostly apparition of Washington Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, has been resurrected for a special reading of his frightful tale about the Headless Horseman. Audiences of all ages are encouraged to hear an abbreviated version of his famous story in our historic barn. Enjoy light refreshments while you listen.

Tickets free for members, $5 for non-members. Become a member today to attend this program for free. Members receive discounts on most programs.

Reservations are required, register online here. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt.

Join us for more Spooktober programs, exploring the darker side of history. Click here to explore more.

Destination Westport: Dark History
2023-10-20 18:30 - 19:30 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Sneak along the paths of downtown as you hear curious tales from the darker side of Westport’s past. Care for a stroll along the waters that once contained the runoff of the Embalmers Supply Company? Peek into the windows of the former Coffin Tack factory, rest at a speakeasy, and hear about the Westport Museum’s resident ghost.

Meet on the Westport Museum’s brick walk along Myrtle Avenue. The tour covers 1-2 miles of sidewalk walking, please bring water and suitable outdoor attire.

Tickets $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers. Reservations are required, register here. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt.

Space is limited to 25 persons per tour. Additional tours may be added if demand requires. If you wish to join but the tour has been sold out or are interested in a private tour, please email your interest to programs@westporthistory.org

Join us for more Spooktober programs, exploring the darker side of history. Click here to explore more.

Cocktails & Collections
2023-10-23 18:30 - 19:30 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Come sip a cocktail and view special pieces from the museum’s collection! This event is for members to enjoy private access to our newly renovated historic barn space and never-seen-before collections.

Registration is recommended for members.

Cocktails and Collections is an exclusive, 21+ members-only event. Interested in joining? Become a member now!

Master of Stone: A Bus Tour of Frazier Peters Homes in Westport
2023-11-05 13:00 - 17:00 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Join us on a bus tour with HisTOURy to see and learn about a collection of this Connecticut icon’s works! Architect Frazier Forman Peters, had a signature stone style. Between 1924 and 1936 he designed and built over 40 such stone homes in Westport alone, and many more in surrounding towns. We will see a great collection of some 20 of these homes, discussing their beautiful designs and special histories along the way. Several one-of-a-kind interior tours will also be included!

The bus will depart from the Westport Museum.

Tickets $75 for adults, $49 for students. A portion of the proceeds to benefit the Museum. Reservations are required, register online at histoury.org/historical-tour-calendar-and-tickets

A discount is available for Museum members from September 22nd through September 29th. Join today at westporthistory.org/support/membership and receive the discount code.

Modern Chocolate Tasting
2023-11-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Westport Museum for History & Culture, 25 Avery Place, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Join Westport Museum and a local chocolatier to see a demonstration of how modern chocolate is made and try some delicious samples.

Our Executive Director, Ramin Ganeshram, a trained chef, food historian and award-winning cookbook author, will talk about the history behind chocolate and provide some delicious samplings.

Tickets $35 for members, $45 for non-members. Reservations are required, register here. Workshops limited to 10 participants. Tickets are nonrefundable. In the event you must cancel, we will consider your purchase a donation and will happily issue you a donation receipt.

Why not bring a group? Workshops are a wonderful opportunity for your company get-together or a family outing. If you’re interested in a private event please contact programs@westporthistory.org.

Sponsored by American Heritage Chocolate.
