Manchester Cultural District

The North/South path begins at Center Springs Park and travels south to the Firestone Art Studio & Café and the Army & Navy Club. Along this route, visitors will encounter landmarks like the Elks Club, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the Mary Cheney Library. WORK_SPACE, a multifunctional Coworking, Meeting, and Gallery space owned by the town, adds a modern touch to the historical journey. The path includes local businesses, such as a tattoo and art gallery, the Main Street mall, multiple coffee and ice cream shops, a brewery, market, hardware store, and an array of other retail stores and restaurants. This path also traverses the Central Business District, part of which benefits from being designated as an Opportunity Zone, promising growth and revitalization.

The East/West path offers a different flavor, starting from Charter Oak Park, known for its Rotary Music Garden, playground, and connection to the Charter Oak Greenway, includes the Lutz Children’s Museum and stretches all the way through the Cheney Brothers Historic District. This path includes cultural landmarks like the Manchester Historical Society, Old Manchester Museum, the CT Fire Museum, the Mill apartments, and the Mahoney Center, home to the Culture and Leisure Labs.

The Cultural District is also the stage for various annual events that bring the community together, such as the Thanksgiving Road Race, Cruisin’ on Main Car Show, Silk City Fest, and Christmas Tree Lighting. Different businesses, organizations, and individuals are joining forces to offer monthly events such as the 2nd Thursday DateNight Downtown, the 3rd Thursday Listening Room/Open Mic., and the 2nd Saturday Downtown Open House, featuring performances by Imagine Manchester buskers, vendor pop-up at the Firestone, and family-friendly themed activities sponsored by the Manchester Downtown Special Services District.

“Manchester’s cultural district is twice the fun – it is literally two districts in one! Come to Manchester and bring your family. Great restaurants, very accessible and kid-friendly art galleries, restaurants and museums, plus a Children’s Museum with live animals! We’re excited to promote the natural vibrancy of this historic cultural destination,” said Liz Shapiro, DECD’s Director of Arts, Preservation and Museums.

Mayor Jay Moran stated, “The Town of Manchester is blessed to have a multitude of cultural institutions, venues, activities, and other assets (both profit and nonprofit, artistic, economic, and educational) in and surrounding our existing Downtown and Historical areas. Our residents and visitors have a plethora of opportunities to experience culture, art and community in ways that make Manchester special. The cultural District designation will greatly assist Manchester to

encourage, support and showcase artists and creative businesses, promote tourism, raise awareness for our rich cultural resources and inspire community participation. These designations will also help us to highlight Manchester’s unique 200-year history and optimize the quality of life for those that work and live here.”