The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center features many unique, life-sized dioramas showing the history of the Pequot Indians. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)
In the woodlands of southeastern Connecticut, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center offers a lifelike journey through the history of the Pequot people.
Located on the Mashantucket reservation, this three-level museum spans 85,000 square feet and features more than 10 permanent indoor exhibitions.
Opened in 1998, the facility is best known for its immersive, life-sized dioramas that depict the history and culture of the Pequot Indians, whose descendants continue to reside in the area.
The Pequot were historically divided into two tribes, the Paucatuck in the east and the Mashantucket in the west. Sometimes referred to as the “Fox people,” though the museum does not explain the origin of the nickname, the Pequot were early traders with English and Dutch settlers in the 17th century.
The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center features many unique, life-sized dioramas showing the history of the Pequot Indians. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)
The tribe’s population was decimated during the Pequot War of 1637 in Mystic, brought on by conflict with European settlers and other tribes, as well as exposure to new diseases.
Visitors enter the museum on the second floor. Informational pamphlets are available at the ticket desk, and audio guide devices can be picked up before beginning a self-paced tour through exhibits featuring photographs, 17th-century artifacts, maps and a large topographical model of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation’s reservation.
One of the first exhibits, Arrival of the People, showcases the tribe’s creation story through the work of nine Native American artists. Nearby, dioramas illustrate cold-climate life, including a caribou hunt.
The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center provide a glimpse into the Ice Age, featuring a walk-through faux glacier with dripping water and a small pool. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)
The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center provide a glimpse into the Ice Age, featuring a walk-through faux glacier with dripping water and a small pool. Prehistoric models on display include a mastodon, a preserved set of mastodon molars, dire wolves and other Ice Age creatures. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)
Glacial Crevasse and A World of Ice provide a glimpse into the Ice Age, featuring a walk-through faux glacier with dripping water and a small pool. Prehistoric models on display include a mastodon, a preserved set of mastodon molars, dire wolves and other Ice Age creatures.
The Changing Environment exhibit focuses on the tribe’s adaptation to seasonal shifts, with displays of traditional hunting and farming tools. A large photo gallery features portraits of Pequot descendants, both past and present.
Among the highlights is the Pequot Village exhibit, housed in a large, dimly lit room filled with dioramas of daily tribal life such as fishing and food gathering. Life-size wigwams and huts feature dining and sleeping areas, and some structures allow visitors to walk inside.
The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center provide a glimpse into the Ice Age, featuring a walk-through faux glacier with dripping water and a small pool. Prehistoric models on display include a mastodon, a preserved set of mastodon molars, dire wolves and other Ice Age creatures. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)
A 30-minute film plays in the on-site theater, depicting the events that led to the Pequot War and the massacre of 1637. Outdoors, a two-acre 1780 Pequot Farmstead exhibit demonstrates farming and livestock practices from that era.
An observation tower made of glass and stone rises 185 feet, offering panoramic views of the reservation and surrounding forest.
The museum also features a gift shop with a wide range of items, including pottery, jewelry, local maple syrup and stuffed animal toys representing regional wildlife such as foxes.
Throughout the summer and fall, the museum hosts cultural, educational and recreational programs and workshops.
The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center features many unique, life–sized dioramas showing the history of the Pequot Indians. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)
Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center
Directions: 110 Pequot Trail, Mashantucket, CT 06338
Times: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Sundays and Mondays.
Costs: $25 for adults; $20 for seniors 65 and older; $16 for ages 6 to 17; free for children 5 and younger.
Food: There is an onsite cafe.
Information: Phone: 860-396-6910; Online: pequotmuseum.org
