Bristol

Bristol, Connecticut is less than 20 miles S.W. of Hartford, is Connecticut's ninth largest city, and has been known as the "Clock City", the "Bell City", and the "Mum City". "Clock City" is because Bristol in 1790 was the country's first town to manufacture clocks. Through much of the 1800's, Bristol was the world's premiere clock manufacturer. You can visit their American Clock and Watch Museum with hundreds of clocks and watches plus a research library and the sundial garden with flowers and herbs. "Bell City" is due to the Rockwell brothers bringing to Bristol what became one of the largest bell factories in America with their invention that rang a doorbell with a spring driven mechanism instead of the normal electrical battery. "Mum City" of the United States was earned by the amount of chrysanthemums grown there and sold, and there is an annual "Mum Festival" to celebrate this accomplishment. There is also The Family Center to visit with its 23,000 sq. ft. children's museum named Imagine Nation which features a greenhouse, Cyberlab, Kids Workshop, Art Exhibit, Dolls of the World Exhibit, ESPN Sports Exhibit, and more. The Carousel Museum has one of the country's largest collections of antique hand-carved carousel pieces.