Bushnell Park is one of the jewels of the city. It is named for the Reverend Horace Bushnell, who was an early advocate to create an open space for the public in Hartford.

Bushnell asked his friend, noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, to design the park. However, Olmsted was involved with designing Central Park in New York City at the time, and recommended Jacob Weidenmann, a Swiss-born architect and botanist.

The park contains dozens of varieties of trees and shrubs from North America, Europe and eastern Asia. Most notable is the scion of the Charter Oak.

Also contained in the park is the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, the Corning Fountain, a working 1914 Stein and Goldstein carousel with a 1925 Wurlizer band organ, and the Pumphouse Gallery.

Monuments in the park include Horace Wells, Israel Putnam and the Spanish American War Memorial.

And, while not technically a part of Bushnell Park, the Connecticut State Capitol Building overlooks its southern border.

Although Bushnell Park has seen tremendous change since its early days, it continues to be a place where residents and visitors alike can enjoy open space, historic monuments, the carousel with antique horses, a playground, festivals, music events and sporting events.