Each year Hill-Stead Museum May Market, Hill-Stead Museum welcomes the arrival of spring with its signature two-day gardening and crafts event.
More than 75 exhibitors set up booths throughout the scenic grounds and historic stone buildings, offering fine hand-made arts and crafts as well as unique plants, trees, shrubs, and antiques for home and garden. Continuing a longstanding tradition, The Hill-Steaders offer a fine selection of beautiful and rare varieties of plants and flowers from some of the best local nurseries, Hill-Stead’s own Sunken Garden, and gardening friends, with a focus on perennials.
At 11 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, renowned interior designer, author and Farmington resident Holly Holden will share her style secrets from her newly published book The Pretty and Proper Living Room, A Guide to Timeless and Elegant Design in a talk titled "Six Secrets for Inviting Interiors," followed by a book signing and a la carte lunch in the Makeshift Theater. Saturday features creative craft activities for children and a chance to visit with Hill-Stead’s own flock of sheep.
Throughout the two days, visitors will experience gardening experts presenting seasonal demonstrations, knowledgeable Master Gardeners providing advice, musicians and dancers entertaining in the food court, and Monet’s Café and Bakery offering delicious sandwiches, soups, salads, and sweet treats. Additionally, treasure hunters will want to arrive early to be the first to Theodate’s Attic, where they will find a large selection of collectibles, linens, artwork, glassware, gardening books, jewelry, and more for sale. Organized and presented by the museum’s dedicated Hill-Steaders volunteers, May Market includes self-guided museum tours of Theodate Pope’s 1901 Colonial Revival mansion.