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FAQs
The Wadsworth is open and welcoming guests to the galleries. Registration is suggested but not required. Walk-up visitors will be accommodated. Call (860) 278-2670 to talk to a representative at the Info Desk Thursday – Sunday.
Visitors are advised that backpacks, food, and drink are not permitted in the galleries. Coat check and bag storage is available. All docent-guided tours will begin at the Avery Memorial entrance, located at 29 Atheneum Square North. Learn more about our safety guidelines.
Download our Map and Visitor Guide.
Gallery Guidelines
Accessibility
ATM
Backpacks, Bags, Umbrellas & Other Personal Items
Bicycle Parking
Cell Phones
Children, Babies, Strollers & Carriers
Elevators
Food & Drink
Gallery Stools
Guide Dogs
Hotels
Library
Lost & Found
Parking & Directions
Photography & Video-recording
Public Transportation
Restrooms
Roadside Assistance
Sketching
Taxi Cabs
Weapons Policy
Gallery Guidelines
While enjoying your visit, please help us protect the art by following these guidelines:
- Please do not touch the artwork, including sculpture, furniture, paintings, and other objects. Even small amounts of oil and dirt can cause damage. And, remember that food, drink, and gum are not permitted in the galleries.
- You are welcome to sit on public benches, use a portable stool, or sit on the floor. Please do not sit, step on, or lean on platforms, pedestals, display cases or the Avery Court fountain.
- Keep a safe distance between you and the artwork. We prefer that you don’t point, and never point with an object in your hand. At times, our Gallery Attendants may require more distance between visitors and the artwork.
- Please walk. Running and pushing can cause accidents and disrupt other visitors.
- Sharp or pointed objects are not permitted in the galleries, including scissors, umbrellas, and other pointed objects.
Depending on a situation, a Gallery Attendant may modify any of the above guidelines.
Accessibility
The Wadsworth Atheneum welcomes visitors with disabilities to the world of art.
There are several city-maintained handicapped parking spots in front of the museum’s main entrance at 600 Main Street.
The Avery Memorial entrance at 29 Atheneum Square North is barrier-free and accessible for visitors with wheelchairs and strollers.
Wheelchairs are available free of charge on a first-come, first-serve basis. Restrooms with wheelchair access are located on Avery Level 1. Inquire at the Information Desk about elevators and ramps to ease your movement around the museum.
Motorized wheelchairs are permitted. Please exercise caution and move only at the speed of ambulatory visitors. Segways are permitted for visitors with mobility disabilities.
A docent tour with an American Sign Language interpreter or a Verbal Imaging tour for those with vision limitations may be requested by calling (860) 838-4046. Please allow at least four weeks to arrange a tour.
The Wadsworth Atheneum’s American Sign Language Video Tour features select works of American art from the permanent collection.
ATM
24-hour ATM service is located one block north on Main Street (intersection with Pearl Street), at One Financial Plaza. Enter People’s United Bank at the revolving door; 24 hour security is present at this entrance. ATM service is available next door at Hartford City Hall during weekday business hours.
Backpacks, Bags, Umbrellas, & Other Personal Items
Coat check and bag storage are currently available and visitors are advised that backpacks, food, and drink are not permitted in the galleries.
Protection Services reserves the right to determine that an item may or may not be brought into the museum. If deemed unfit for the museum, Protection Services also reserves to the right to remove any item from the premises. See the museum’s Weapons Policy.
Bicycle Parking
For bicycle parking, use the metal fence next to the building by the Main Street entrance, at the corner of Main Street and Atheneum Square North.
Cell Phones
Please silence your cell phone when you are in the museum. If you need to make or receive a call, leave the gallery and use the hallway or lobby in an effort to be respectful of other visitors.
If using a cell phone to take photographs, please see the Photography section below. Video-recording is not permitted.
Children, Babies, Strollers & Carriers
Children age 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Inquire at the Information Desk about family guides and other ways to enjoy family time together in the galleries.
Baby strollers are welcome but may be restricted during peak visitation periods or in a special exhibition. Check at the Information Desk for current gallery limitations.
Jogging strollers and infant carriers worn on the back are not permitted in the museum. Front-facing infant carriers are permitted.
Visitors with strollers are encouraged to use the accessible Avery Memorial entrance at 29 Atheneum Square North. Check at the Information Desk about elevators and ramps to ease your movement around the museum. Strollers are not allowed on the staircases by Morgan Great Hall or the Avery rotunda.
Baby changing areas are located in the Women’s and Men’s restrooms located on Avery Level 1 and on Morgan Level 2. For infant feeding, ask a Gallery Attendant to escort you to the Untitled Bistro.
Elevators
Two elevators provide service to the galleries on the upper floors. Gallery Attendants are ready to help if you need any assistance finding your way.
Food & Drink
The café at the Wadsworth, is open Thursday-Sunday, noon–4PM. Please note: The café will be closed November 13–29. Check back soon for updates.
Gallery Stools
Lightweight folding stools are available near the Information Desk. Ask Visitor Services staff for assistance. Please return them at the end of your visit.
Guide Dogs
Guide dogs and service dogs are welcome.
Hotels
Downtown Hartford has a variety of hotel options, including the Marriott, Ramada Plaza, Hilton, Residence Inn, and Holiday Inn Express. All of the hotels are located within a few blocks of the museum, with fine dining, theater, and other cultural attractions also within walking distance. For more information visit Hartford.com.
Library
The Art Library is currently open Friday, 10am–5pm, by appointment only.
Lost & Found
If you lose an item during your visit, please ask for assistance at the Information Desk. To report a lost item after your visit, contact the Protection Services Department at (860) 838-4004. Items are kept 30 days. Unclaimed items are donated to charity.
Parking & Directions
Click here for directions and parking information or see the Public Transportation section below. If you need assistance selecting the best options to suit your needs, please call (860) 838-4100, Wednesday and Friday through Sunday, and our staff will be happy to help you.
Photography & Video-recording
Artwork in the museum’s galleries may be photographed during your visit for personal, non-commercial use only; occasional exceptions including works of art on loan and certain special exhibitions may apply. Flash, tripods, selfie-sticks, and video-recording are not permitted.
Photographs cannot be published, sold, reproduced, or otherwise commercially used in any manner unless approved in writing. Learn more about the museum’s Rights & Reproductions.
Members of the press may require an escort which must be arranged in advance. Contact the Communications and Marketing Office at media@thewadsworth.org to set up an appointment.
Public Transportation
CTfastrak is Connecticut’s first bus rapid transit line between Union Station in Hartford and downtown New Britain.
Local travelers should refer to the Connecticut Transit bus schedule. Bus stops are located in front of the museum and within two blocks at the Hartford Public Library and Central Row.
AMTRAK trains and major bus lines regularly serve downtown Hartford, including nonstop bus service from Manhattan and Boston. Trains and buses arrive at Union Station, located across from Bushnell Park, approximately seven blocks from the museum.
The Hartford dash Shuttle is a free bus service operating downtown. Pick-ups run approximately every 15 minutes Monday through Friday from 7am to 7pm.
Restrooms
The Wadsworth is committed to access and inclusion. Visitors may use public restrooms that correspond to their sex, gender identity, and/or gender expression. A single occupant restroom on Morgan Level 2 is an Everyone Restroom.
Roadside Assistance
The Hartford Guides are Security Ambassadors in downtown Hartford. They are available to walk visitors to their cars and provide limited roadside assistance on Mondays, 11am to 7pm; Tuesday through Friday, 7am to 11pm; and Saturday, 3pm to 11pm. For assistance call (860) 522-0855.
Sketching
If you are sketching with a pad that is larger than 9 x 12 inches please see the Information Desk at the museum entrances. Sketchbooks may not exceed 30 x 24 inches. After completing the Sketching Guidelines Form, you will be given a Sketching Pass.
Sketching with pencil is permitted for works in the permanent collection*. Sketches must differ in size from the original by at least two inches. Objects may not be moved or touched. Sketches may not be reproduced, duplicated, broadcast, sold or used for any commercial purpose without the written consent of the Wadsworth Atheneum.
Pens, markers, and other “wet” media are not permitted in the galleries. Please do not lean on walls or cases or use these areas as a writing or drawing surface. Pencils may be borrowed at the Information Desk upon request. Unless otherwise noted, sketching is not allowed in temporary or special exhibitions. Please be respectful of other visitors’ access to artworks and pathways through the galleries. During periods of high attendance, the sketching policy may be modified.
*Works in the permanent collection are identified by an accession number (for example, 1967.12.4). Ask one of our Gallery Attendants to show you where to find this information on object labels.
Taxi Cabs
The Visitor Services staff will be happy to call a cab for you. The Yellow Cab Co. provides 24-hour service including to Bradley International Airport. Call (860) 666-6666.
Weapons Policy
The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art prohibits the possession or use of dangerous weapons on museum property. This policy applies to all who enter the premises, including visitors and guests of the museum, as well as staff and contract workers. A license to carry the weapon does not supercede this policy. The museum reserves the right at any time and at its discretion to search all packages, containers, briefcases, purses, lockers, desks, enclosures and persons entering the property.
Dangerous Weapons include: firearms, explosives, knives, and other objects that might be considered dangerous or that could cause harm, including harm to works of art.
Thank you for your cooperation and compliance.