Mark Twain, one of America's most celebrated writers, lived in this stately house on Farmington Avenue between 1874 and 1891. The elegant, 19-room mansion - built in a Victorian Gothic style - was where Twain wrote many of his most famous and successful works (including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), and has since been declared a National Historic Landmark. Visitors to the Mark Twain Museum Centre can anticipate a fascinating Ken Burns documentary detailing Twain's life and work, and state-of-the-art exhibition facilities. William Faulkner once called Mark Twain "the father of American literature" - and anyone with even a passing interest in American culture, would be ill-advised to pass up a visit to this significant, and memorable museum.

Address: 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford

E-mail: info@marktwainhouse.org

Website: www.marktwainhouse.org

Telephone: (860) 247-0998

Opening times: Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm (last tour leaves at 4.30pm); Sundays 12pm to 5.30pm (last tour leaves at 4.30pm); Closed on Tuesdays from January to March, and on major holidays

Admission: $16 (adults); $14 (seniors 65+); $10 (children 6-16); free admission for children under six years of age