The present paper experimentally and numerically explores the response attenuation of a hardening Düffing oscillator using a nonlinear tuned mass damper (NTMD) and an adaptive-length pendulum tuned mass damper (APTMD). The three degrees-of-freedom system is excited by harmonic ground motions. The cubic nonlinearity of the primary structure is obtained using an adaptive passive stiffness (APS) device. When an NTMD is used alone, a high amplitude detached resonance branch in the lower frequency range is identified in the experiment, which validates the results reported in earlier numerical research. In order to attenuate this high amplitude resonance branch, an APTMD with an adaptive frequency realized by means of a variable pendulum length is used in parallel with the NTMD. In the experiment, length of the APTMD is adjusted such that its natural frequency matches the dominant frequency of the harmonic ground motions. Results indicate that the high amplitude resonance branch in the case of an NTMD alone can be greatly attenuated using the APTMD, and significant attenuation of the structural responses over a large frequency range can be obtained. In addition, the APTMD can prevent the occurrence of the “jump phenomenon” existing in the forcing response curve of the nonlinear dynamic system, thereby protecting the primary nonlinear structure effectively when the forcing amplitude varies. Therefore, the present paper provides an effective and viable solution to control the hazardous bifurcations in a Düffing oscillator-NTMD dynamic system.