Ancient Burying Ground: Have a few extra minutes while waiting for your bus? Check out how people honored their dead back in the day. This is not a huge space, but there really is a lot of information to unpack. Occasionally there are walking tours offered.

Arch Street Tavern: There is no cover charge to listen to the Hartford Jazz Orchestra on Monday nights.

ArtSpace Gallery: No cost to view the art exhibits.

Asylum Hill Congregational Church: Free book talks, open mic nights, and screenings of films that have some social justice tie-in.

Bushnell Park: Our friend, the heron, is enough entertainment, standing there, scooping up fish-after-fish. But if you tire of watching him, there are self-guided tree tours and various free events, mostly in the summer, including the blues and jazz festivals.

Bushnell Performing Arts: Almost everything here has a hefty price tag, but there are a few opportunities to get in the door when you have no money.  Occasionally, local non-profits will have giveaways of CT Forum tickets. If you don’t know the speakers but are interested in the general topic and you have access to a free ticket, take the chance and go.

Butler-McCook House & Garden: About. There is free admission to the house during the Sunset Sounds Concert Series. The garden is always open, even if it does not look that way from Main Street. Enter from Prospect Street if the main gate is locked.

Cedar Hill Cemetery: There are guided (small fee) and self-guided (free) tours, along with the occasional free event like the amazingly popular “Butterfly Walk.”

Charter Oak Cultural Center: Hartford’s first synagogue is now a venue for performances, with an art gallery on the lower level. Their marketing is low-key, so keep an eye out for events that should not be missed.

City of Hartford’s Parks: I’ve mentioned a few separately because they stand out above the rest, at least in my mind. Basically, all you can do in Hartford is swim; play basketball, soccer, baseball, handball, tennis, golf, volleyball, and cricket; bike or walk on paths; take yoga and Zumba classes; use exercise equipment; go fishing; picnic; and, if you’re feeling lazy, watch movies outdoors. Nothing to do!

City Hall (the municipal building): it’s a lovely building, even if the politics in it are ugly. But if you’re up for that, there are countless meetings you can go to.

Clare Gallery: This is located at the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry next to St. Patrick-St. Anthony on Church Street.

Connecticut Historical Society: Learn Connecticut’s story and see other exhibits with links to our state. Free admission to the museum galleries on the first Saturday of each month. Family programs and exhibit tours are often offered free on the first Saturday.

Connecticut Old State House: The basement exhibit tells Hartford’s story. Then, of course, there is the room full of curiosities. Free admission on Connecticut Open House Day. They also host free musical performances.

Connecticut State Capitol: Free tours of the building

Connecticut Science Center: Mostly geared toward kids, but enjoyable for adults who are curious and not know-it-alls about sciencey things. Plus, and I can not overstate my love for this, they have a rooftop garden that is open during warmer months. They’ve been offering free admission for Hartford residents during one summer month.

Connecticut State Library and Museum of Connecticut History: It’s an intimidating building for sure, and they do have you pass through a metal detector, but it’s chill after that. A few items in the museum could use updating, but it doesn’t detract from what’s there. Free admission.

Elizabeth Park: Besides wandering through the gardens or playing tennis, they offer free music on Wednesday evenings in warmer months. They have led moonlight walks, various garden tours, and have allowed other free events like Congregation Beth Israel’s Rosh Hashanah service on the Rose Garden Lawn. . . which, by the way, if you’ve ever wondered what a Jewish religious service was like but did not want to feel weird walking into a synagogue, this is a super way to find out. Oh, and the Halloween display they have installed in recent years has been amazing.

Farmers’ Markets: You have to buy food anyway, you might as well do it where there is live music.

Hanging Hills Brewery: Free live music without a cover charge.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House: Free admission for Hartford residents.

Hartford Free Center: When the Hartford Public Library chose to shut down its Goodwin Branch, they left a perfectly usable building behind. Thankfully, CO:LAB decided to move its operation from Parkville to this property, and then went on to create the Free Center, a community space where they have already hosted events from a panel discussion to NRZ meetings.

Hartford Public Library: They have books. Lots of them. Knowledge is not “locked up” anywhere — you just have to go get it. If they don’t have what you want, put in a request. Besides books, you can borrow DVDs, so if you have to cancel your Netflix, you actually don’t need to waste energy with despair. Also, lugging around physical objects can help you to keep your passive consumption in line because it’s not as easy to ignore as mindlessly clicking the remote. There are CDs and books-on-tape (but CDs, though that does not flow off the tongue as well). Digital downloads. There is an art gallery on the top floor, next to the Hartford History Center, where you can look at old photographs and more.

But here’s the other thing: the library can get you free or discounted access to a bunch of other places, inside and outside of Hartford, including: American Clock and Watch Museum, Bushnell Park Carousel, Roaring Brook Nature Center, Connecticut River Museum, Connecticut’s Old State House, Connecticut Historical Society, Connecticut Trolley Museum, Eric Carle Museum, Florence Griswold Museum,Hill-Stead Museum, Mark Twain House & Museum, New Britain Museum of American Art, White Memorial Conservation Center, and more.

Hartford Seminary: They have a labyrinth you can explore, and occasionally host a speaker or panel discussion that is free and open to the public. Plus, they honor more than one faith tradition.

Hartford Symphony Orchestra: Not free, but students with ID can get deeply discounted admission to performances.

Heaven: The outdoor art gallery changes sporadically, and with most paintings, opinions will differ on what should even be called art. Watch people skateboard, rollerblade, and bike on the ramps, or get bold and join in.

Hog River Brewing: Live music, no cover charge.

Keney Park: You don’t need to leave Hartford to go walking through the woods. Check out the ravine (carefully), go watch a cricket match, peek at the horses, and visit the Keney Park Sustainability Project folks.

KNOX: They’ve offered free workshops on beekeeping and beyond, and there are many opportunities to volunteer.

Little Free Libraries: If it’s not convenient to get to a library branch, here’s another option, though with more of a gamble when it comes to selection.

MakeHartford: This is Hartford’s first makerspace. For full use of the facility, you really need to be a member, but there are free events every month.

Mark Twain House & Museum: Free tours for Hartford residents in July, and there is free admission a few other days during the year.

Naturally Dogs & Cats: Check out their Yappy Hour mixers for people and pets.

Open Studio Hartford: This is really a chance for living artists to earn money, and if you have the dough, help them to do that. But there’s no shame in treating this like a weekend art viewing binge. And if you really like someone’s work, take their business card. Maybe you’ll fall into a pile of money someday. Or one of your friends is looking to redecorate and wants suggestions.

Pratt Street Patio: During warmer months, Pratt Street is opened for people-centered use. Grab a table to eat lunch outdoors in the street. Listen to music. With any luck, the powers that be will realize that Pratt Street should be for people, always, and just shut it down to vehicles, permanently.

Real Art Ways: except for during special events, like Creative Cocktail Hour, there is no cost to walk through the art galleries. The art galleries are open 12:30-9 PM daily.

Riverfront: (Charter Oak Landing, Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, and Riverside Park, plus whatever is over in East Hartford) Asian and Caribbean festivals, rowing, fireworks, and more.

Sea Tea Comedy Theater: Mostly improv, but stand up comedy and other offerings. These are not free events, but you can almost always find “Pay It Forward” tickets tacked to the bulletin board at the box office. With that said, they do have a free show coming up August 1, 2019.

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch: Do some stair climbing! Get a great view of Bushnell Park! Find out where the bodies are buried! There are free tours offered on Thursdays, May through October. (Soapbox: I’m not considering this part of Bushnell Park until some serious traffic calming happens on Trinity Street, like narrowing the road and installing speed bumps, or better yet, closing it to everything except emergency vehicles and vendor trucks.)

TheaterWorks: Professional plays. About once each month or so they offer a Pay What You Can night. So, there’s still money involved, but much less.

The 224 EcoSpace: A lovely gallery.

Thomas Hooker Brewery at Colt: Live music and trivia nights, no cover.

Toivo Center: Yoga, meditative coloring, and offerings along those lines. Almost all of their programming falls into the “no one turned away for lack of funds” category.

Trinity College: Tuition ain’t free by a long shot, but community members can attend free art openings and gallery exhibits, along with various performances from plays in Austin Arts Center to the carillon concerts. There are often free lectures, readings, and panel discussions. In April, they host the International Hip Hop Festival.

University of Hartford: The Hartt School has a fantastic reputation for a reason, and though they don’t advertise this much, you can attend many free recitals on campus. The Joseloff and Silpe Galleries. Sometimes there are free lectures that are open to the public. While on campus, visit WWUH and view the Park River from one of several bridges.

Upward Hartford: They have an art gallery with openings that cost nothing and include food.

Wadsworth Atheneum: Hartford residents receive free admission every day except for during fundraiser events (Festival of Trees and Traditions, Flowers, etc.). There is also free admission from 4-5 PM and on the second Saturday of each month from 10 AM – 1 PM.

Wherehouse: Some free art exhibits and potlucks.

Did I miss anything? Leave the details in the comment space below.