Florence Griswold Museum

Cliché in the best possible way… That is, the cliché charm people imagine about New England and how it is portrayed in the movies.
Great effort has been made to preserve a slice of history, in which an artist settled into Miss Griswalds Inn and formed a colony by inviting his friends. You will see a video explaining the history. There is a new gallery with rotating art, but the unique piece is seeing many impressionist works placed in their original setting in a period New England home filled with antiques, linens, china, and personal effects. The original painted door panels, and painted dining room remain, and in the summer you can enjoy the same flowers that artist did in the classically kept gardens.
For a snack: A picturesque setting with Café right on the CT river, I’ve beer actually made it inside. They always seem to be closed when I’m there so you may want to check the hours
This museum is worth a visit, but, doesn’t hold enough interest for me during a second visit a few years later. Since they are doing preservation, not much changed. I’m also a child of an antiques dealer so, I’m pretty saturated with looking at that stuff.
Don’t miss the Fairy Houses which are set up during a few special weeks of the year, after seeing this museum twice I won’t go back until the fairys!

Have wanted to visit here for a long time so we made time this past weekend. It’s located right off the highway, I never realized it was that close. We started off in the museum that has the ticket office, there was a maritime exhibit going on and the pictures were absolutely beautiful. We then walked around the gardens and finally into the house and were pleasantly surprised. It’s a CT treasure. I just wish the upstairs was decorated with furniture instead of being a gallery. Would have been nice to see the pictures hung on the walls with the rooms full of furniture. But it was still nice to spend about 1.5−2 hours enjoying local culture.

You know the feeling. You have a date with a friend that you are so looking forward to, but you’ve got a hundred emails to return, a massive to-​do list, and a cloud of anxiety settling in. How does it all get done? Sometimes just taking a break is the only way to rid yourself of The Overwhelm. That was me last week when I headed over to Café Flo for lunch with an old friend. As soon as I sat down on the terrace overlooking the Lieutenant River, my hunched shoulders slid away from my ears. This is one of my favorite al fresco spots. And it’s easy to see why this view inspired and launched an entire artist’s colony. Gourmet Galley runs the kitchen here, and dishes up everything from this summery Salad Nicoise, to Lobster BLT’s, and a simple but elegant French chicken breast. (I always want to ask WHO orders the liverwurst sandwich??). Whether you’re visiting the museum (and you’ve still got two weeks left for Peter Halley’s Big Paintings), or just stopping by for lunch, this is a don’t miss summer treat.
p. s. Gourmet Galley catered a delish dinner recently at the Lyman Allyn Gala, starting with a creamy and wonderfully fresh Asparagus Soup. We’re smack in the middle of local asparagus season, so I grabbed a few bunches and begged Anna, owner of Gourmet Galley, for the recipe.

Grew up in this area but only recently went with my family. What an awesome little museum. The location on the river is beautiful and peaceful, the foliage in the fall along the river bank was amazing.
The steam punk fairy exhibit was exquisite. Such a creative way to reuse items no one needs anymore. The gift shop was adorable, quirky and fun and not overly expensive.
Bravo!

When people think of museum food visions of cafeteria food and blah dishes probably come to mind. After all people don’t visit a museum for its food.
Well Flo Café of the Florence Griswold Museum doesn’t serve cafeteria food. They actually serve food that’s worthy of a visit by itself. So forget the museum (OK maybe not). The food is prepared by a company called Gourmet Galley Catering and in addition to running the café they also cater the museum’s on-​site functions.
The black bean vegetarian chili was reason enough for me to forever forget about meat based chili for the rest of my life. It was THAT good. It was complex, sophisticated, and far from blah.
The vegetarian sandwich was also very good. Again, I’d also describe it as sophisticated and somewhat unique.
Service was terrific. The setting was absolutely gorgeous while dining outside on a rear porch and overlooking the Lieutenant River.
I hate to use the word «hidden gem» because I think the word is over used a lot, but if there were ever a true hidden gem in the town of Old Lyme then Café Flo would be it.

Kayaking the Lieutenant River we pulled ashore at the Florence Griswold Museum to rest in the shade. Noticed they were starting to serve lunch and we decided to extend our break. Soooo glad we did. Great service, beautiful setting and fabulous food! We split the spinach vichyssoise which was perfection with our wine. Then my husband had the lobster roll and I had the best Niçoise salad I have ever had! We really were too full for dessert but didn’t want the experience to end so we split a trio of ice creams. They also included two lemon cookies. When the lunch rush was slowing the chef came to every table. Nice touch. Perfect ending to the perfect meal. PS. have visited the museum a few times in the past… Café Flo will just add to the great experience.

This museum is exactly what other reviwers described. Warm, welcoming and intimate. This is a very unique and well maintained museum, all the staff there were so attentive and informative. It is truly a hidden treasure that people should definitely visit. The tour was worth taking and I recommend people to sit for a short 10 minutes of introdcution before you start the tour of the museum, it defeinitly helps you get more involved and understanding the story of the house.

I really love this little museum. It is small and has an intimate feel to it but I really like that patrons can enjoy the outdoor space as much as, if not more than the exhibit area inside. My first visit here was on a gorgeous afternoon in early September. The museum offers free painting «en plein air» every Sunday as weather permits. People of all ages can grab a smock, palette of paints and canvas and find a spot anywhere on the grounds to paint quietly. It is so relaxing and a great activity for little ones. Once we were done painting my son had fun running around in the open space while I got to sit on the lawn and enjoy the waterfront view. The only downside is that the museum is located all the way out in Old Lyme. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about tick bites as we sat on the grass. I plan on returning for some of their fall activities including the Children’s Fairy Festival. This museum is truly one of Connecticut’s gems.

This is a very well maintained art museum that tells the story of Florence griswold and the summer art colony of Lyme. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit of the museum as well as the Florence griswold home. A true hidden gem.
We had read an article in the courant about café flo and decided to try it. We were seated immediately and given menus that looked like a paint palette (adorable). Our hostess explained that there were a few specials that were not on the menu like a liverwurst sandwich but never explained that you could put in your order to go for a picnic lunch by the river.
Our waitress came soon after and we ordered a peroni, lemonade, Niçoise salad and a liverwurst sandwich. She did not return with our drinks for about 15 minutes which is a long wait on a hot summer day. She returned with some homemade break after another 10 – 15 minutes. I ordered a refill for the lemonade at the same time and it took another 10 – 15 minutes before she returned with a drink. When the food finally arrived, they were very simple and portion sizes were optimal for lunch. It is pricey for what you get, so I will have to give this place a 1 for value. But the food is pretty good, simple and seasonal. The sandwich was 2 slices of liverwurst and greens between two slices of white bread with mustard. The Niçoise salad was filled with fresh ingredients– greens, olives, fingerling potatoes, haricot vert and a big chunk of tuna. I made the mistake of not ordering dressing on the side, my mistake. So there was a ton of lemon pepper vinaigrette that doused and soaked the salad. But overall, very good. The lemonade was decent.
We decided to try the chocolate bread pudding with coffee for dessert. The waitress took our order and returned a few minutes later with our check minus dessert and coffee. I was already slightly irked by her lack of personal service and disinterest in the customer, so this was it for me. So we paid and left. I would give them ½ a star for their service but a 3 ½ for the food.

Not big. Intimate and very beautiful. You can place yourself right in the conversations of this artist colony. Its a great experience… summer or winter.

Nice small museum with interesting history. Tour was very professional however the woman giving it could be a little persnickity. Regardless of her persnickity-​ness, she gave a complete, extensive and informative tour and lecture. I enjoyed it very much. The museum however is small and less informative. There is some nice space, but the amount of space adds up to a medium sized art gallery instead of a museum. The grounds are lovely on the river. There are child-​friendly activities. I recommend it for the American Art lover or History Buff, but don’t think you’ll make a day of it as it will likely take you less time than it took my family and that wasn’t very long. It’s only good for kids on the days that have the kid activities.

Children fairy festival with guest performances like the Connecticut Ballet puts this museum on the charts for quality and class. It’s a lovely environment for strolling, the water views are nice when dining at the café, and the cross between modern architecture and historical is really fun to meditate on.

This is one place to visit before moving on into the next life. And what could be more tranquil than the setting of a few structures located next to a slow moving river.
As for the collection, all I can say is WOW. I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited Paris and of course was exposed to much of the impressionist art gathered there. In the upper floor gallery of the Griswold House, you will see Impressionist and Tonalist styles painted by the artists who worked there. I’m willing to bet that you will come away from this museum with a much better perspective on the two styles. P. S. Watch the film in the Krieble Gallery or you will miss pertinent pieces of information concerning the history and characters related to the estate. GO!

We visited the Florence Griswold Museum for the Wee Faerie Village. First of all, the display is spectacular and if you have the chance to check it out (I believe that it runs through the end of October), you should. In addition to the faerie display, the home and the grounds are beautiful and there is a lot of really great artwork on display. Moreover, it looks like the museum offers many, many family programs on the weekends. After looking at the upcoming events of its website, I know that we will be going back for sure — and probably purchasing a family membership!

Miss Florence was a capable, interesting & Uncommon woman– particularly for her time. One of the founders of the infamous Lyme Art Colony.
The Georgian style mansion has been well maintained, which commands attention from the road, was the center of America’s best-​known Impressionist art colony.
The tour of it is well worth taking.
Known for its collection of American Impressionist paintings.
The grounds are particularly beautiful.
The juxtaposition of the modern gallery’s architecture in the rear of the property, is surprisingly impressive. It melds well with the light & views of the outdoors.
Exhibits change often.
Seasonal Events in/​outdoors are a pleasure. They also hold teas & host a seasonal farmers market.

A perfectly wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Get there early enough to appreciate the exhibit in the gallery. Today and through 9÷18÷11 are paintings on loan from the Parrish Art Museum located in Southampton, NY. Numerous paintings by landscape artists capturing rural scenes throughout the east end of Long Island and the Hudson River Valley complement the «Artist’s Colony» feel of the Florence Griswold Museum. Then enjoy a sandwich at the café’ located in one of the restored barns. A little pricey, but if you stick with one of their delicious sandwiches and forego the very bland guacamole, (chopped avocado w/​terra chips at $ 8.00), then it’s not too hard on the pocketbook. Then stroll through the herb, vegetable and flower gardens as you make your way to the back entrance to the impressive Late Georgian-​stye Griswold house. A step back in time when the size of the rooms and over-​the-​top opulence wasn’t in fashion, but architectural details were what mattered. Enjoy the inside info provided by the knowledgeable hosts as you admire the paintings by the resident artists of the time. Then wander down to the banks of the river as you admire the specimen tree-​dotted landscape. It’s understandable that this peaceful and scenic location and surrounding areas provided inspiration for the American Impressionist Movement. And parents, please ask your kids to be respectful of others and of the atmosphere that The Florence Griswold Museum and its grounds tries to maintain; calm, creative and courteous. Looking forward to a return visit with art supplies in hand.

A wonderful small museum, with a historic house, recently renovated, with glorious American Impressionist paintings everywhere, plus a modern gallery with changing exhibitions that are always fascinating. I’m a Lyme native who doesn’t get back to visit that much, but when I do, I always try to stop by the Flo Gris for a visit. Recently the museum has been adding some interesting outdoors installations, often very kid-​friendly. Weekends also usually include special kids activities in the Education Center, esp. around the holidays. My daughters and nieces and nephews have spent some stimulating times working on projects here — that are fun for grown-​ups too.

This was one of the coolest things on our trip to the East Coast. This beautiful house and museum used to be an artists colony for several artists, and «Miss Florence» the woman who hosted them and squeaked by a meager income, was loved by all.
Currently, the museum consists of of American Impressionism works, a nice little giftshop, and there is a set of gardens and the house itself to tour. When you walk in, there is a great guide in each room with fun stories and history, (and some great dinner recomendations!) My favorite part was that the artists that were «invited to» would paint a panel of the dining room, right onto the wood. I especially liked it when more than one artist worked together.
Wooddrow Wilson had come here with his wife-(she was the artist, not him!) just a tidbit of info. The upstairs is also a museum of the work the artists did of the house and area. They paid seven dollars a month for room, two meals a day, and studio space. I think they drank a lot too. It sounded like they had a great time :)

The Florence Griswold Museum is definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area.
What goes up must come down, and accordingly, financial hardship compelled Florence Griswold to open her home as a boarding house. She had been classically trained, so she groomed the spirit of her home to harbor artists that became the Lyme Art Colony, the center of Impressionism in America. Boarders included Henry Ward Ranger, Child Hassam, Willard Metcalf, Mathilda Brown, William Chadwick and many others.
Her beautiful house is right next door and open to the public via a friendly tour guide available for info and gossip, which I’ve sadly already forgotten. Rooms are set up as if she still entertained live-​in artist guests, and the upstairs rooms are beautiful galleries.
Opening in May 2008 a special exhibit will feature Impressionist American expatriate artists, and in the Fall, an exhibition of Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women, showcasing intimate statuettes.