Florence Griswold Museum — Attraction in Old Lyme

We held our wedding at the Florence Griswold Museum. We wanted an outdoor ceremony with a beautiful garden for photos and they certainly delivered. Our ceremony was by a tall tree in front of the river with a gentle sloping lawn for the guests chairs, so everyone had a great view. Our cocktail hour was on a covered veranda on the side of the museum and they very generously let us use their tables and chairs from their outdoor restaurant. Our reception was in a tent at the back of the museum over a slate floor outside. The tent and caterer’s tent were thankfully included with the contract. We needed to do a pre wedding ceremony including signing our marriage license and they let us use a beautiful indoor meeting room for that. We had a first look on the small dock overlooking the river. We got a tour when we were deciding between venues. We had a few reasons we chose the Flo Gris over the other venue: they offered both a flower garden and water/river view, they offered a backup plan for ceremony location if it rained (thankfully the weather was gorgeous!), they had power hookups outside for our DJ and other vendors who needed power, they were more handicap friendly as we had 2 guests in wheelchairs, they had indoor bathrooms with AC, the locations from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception flowed really well and were all separate locations, and the caterer’s area was nicely hidden by a rose trellis that included a driveway in the back that was perfect for the caterer’s truck to pull into. They were very easy and wonderful to work with answering our questions. They worked well with our wedding planner and our other vendors. We had so many compliments from guests who had never been to the museum before, saying it was an excellent wedding venue for a summer wedding, and that they wanted to go back to see the museum’s exhibits and gardens. They had a preferred caterer’s list but we asked if we could bring in an outside kosher caterer for religious reasons and they were very accommodating about that. We also liked that they only allowed about 6 weddings a year, so we felt really special and appreciated we were the only wedding that weekend. They had a suggestion to do a hydration station with iced tea & lemonade drink dispensers and bottled water in front of the ceremony. It was a great suggestion to provide our guests with cold drinks before our outdoor summer ceremony. The Florence Griswold had so many wonderful elements as a wedding venue that it was easy to choose them. If you chose the Flo Gris as your venue, I suggest having the bridal party get ready at the Old Lyme Inn across the street, they were also a great choice. We highly recommend the Florence Griswold Museum for a wedding venue, they helped our wedding...

I got my mom tickets for the tea as part of her Christmas gift and we went the day after Christmas. The tea was delightful, everything was very good and the staff was incredibly nice in the tea service area. Decorated very nicely for holiday, and a staff member went out of their way to make sure we got a good picture together there in front of the stairs. Very thoughtful.

The museum was really interesting and had some great works of art positioned nicely against more modern works- very nicely done. The paint palettes on Christmas trees trees painted by artists were really neat- some of them really outstanding.

When we got to the home itself a really kind woman with round glasses and shortish brown hair welcome us and told us some information on the house- very kind. She then switched out with an older, shorter woman with short grey hair that was giving me weird looks. I like to know who did the paintings and when, so I took the laminated sheets about the paintings with me through the house. They are throughout the house but do not correspond to the area. For example there is one about the painted panels (incredible and fascinating) throughout the home so if you care to learn about them you need to carry them around with you. Also the laminates on the hallway paintings is in the entry way so likewise you have to take them into the hallway with you. I came around the corner with them and the shorter docent took them out of my hands and said I couldn’t take them with me… I went back in and politely asked if there was information about the hallway paintings because they are not labeled. She got huffy and told me I could look at it but seemed really mad and told me I just had to return them. I then went through with my mom and we read all the information together but it was really awkward and she kept giving me dirty looks. I don’t know what I did to upset her but she wasn’t there telling people about the paintings and I really wanted to know about them because they weren’t labeled.

It was really bizarre and made me really Uncomfortable- my mom was also like making jokes about how I better not steal her laminated packets. If the rest of the visit had not been impeccable it would have really ruined it for me. I had a long holiday at work and personally and being accused of stealing computer printouts at a gift for my mother could have been my last straw.

Perhaps put laminated information near the objects on display or maybe be a little choosier about some of...

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to visit this gem of a museum, whilst on our travels to the CT shoreline. What a marvelous place! My visit to the FloGris was long overdue! I thoroughly enjoyed the roughly three hours I had, to explore their collection of fine paintings, from some of the most renowned American Impressionist master painters of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. I am a huge fan of both Childe Hassam’s and William Chadwick’s artwork, so I was especially delighted to see the many paintings of theirs, that they have in their collection. I was also excited to be able to visit at a time of year, when William Chadwick’s studio was open, as I got to see that, as well! The grounds and Florence’s main house, are impeccably maintained, with splendid views all around, of the property, and its gardens! The building that houses the modern galleries and gift shop, is spacious and well laid out! I can’t say enough, about what a treasure this place is! Especially the painted wood panels in and around the dining room of Florence’s historic home, as well as the other furnishings and paintings throughout. If you are an artist, an aspiring artist, an art connoisseur, or simply just a lover of American history, this place is definitely hallowed ground, and should be on your bucket list! I can’t...