Romantic Escapes in New England

Romantic Getaways in New England

Patricia & Robert Foulke

Hunter Publishing, Inc.

Introduction

Connecticut

Connecticut Shore

Western Long IslandSound

Where to Stay

Westport

Where to Eat

Norwalk

Westport

What to Do

Norwalk

Westport

Connecticut River Basin

Where to Stay

Westbrook

Old Lyme

Old Saybrook

Essex

Chester

Where to Eat

Westbrook

Old Lyme

Old Saybrook

Essex

Chester

What to Do

Old Lyme

Branford

Essex

Haddam

Mystic

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

If you go...

Litchfield Hills

Lakeville, Salisbury &Sharon

Where to Stay

Lakeville

Salisbury

Sharon

Where to Eat

What to Do

Walking & Hiking

Canoeing & Kayaking

Sharon

Lakeville

Norfolk

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

Litchfield, Kent, WestCornwall & NewPreston

Where to Stay

Litchfield

New Preston

West Cornwall

Where to Eat

Litchfield

New Preston

Kent

Washington Depot

What To Do

Litchfield Touring

Historic Buildings

Kent

Washington & New Milford

Where to Stay

Washington

Where to Eat

What to Do

Washington

New Milford

If you go...

Maine

Southwest Coast

Where To Stay

Kennebunkport

Ogunquit

York

Where to Eat

Kennebunkport

Ogunquit

York

What to Do

Kennebunkport

Ogunquit

The Wedding Cake House 

York

If you go...

Casco Bay

Where to Stay

Bath

Freeport

Durham

Newcastle

Pownal

Where to Eat

Newcastle

Nobleboro

What to Do

Shopping

Other Than Shopping

Cruises

Recreational Areas

More Exploring the Peninsulas

If you go...

Penobscot Bay

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

If You Go...

Massachusetts

The Southern Berkshires

Lee, Lenox, & Stockbridge

Where to Stay

Lee

South Lee

Lenox

Stockbridge

Where to Eat

Lenox

South Lee

Federal House Inn 

Stockbridge

What to Do

Music & Theater

Historic Houses

Museums

Nature Walks

If you go...

The Northern Berkshires

Where to Stay

Williamstown

Where to Eat

Williamstown

What to Do

Pittsfield

Historic Attractions

Williamstown

Museums

Performing Arts

Hiking & Walking

If you go...

The North Shore

Marblehead

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

Historic Houses

Walking Tours

Sailing & Cruises

If you go...

Salem

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

Shopping

If you go...

Cape Ann: Gloucester, Rockport & Essex

Where to Stay

Gloucester

Rockport

Where to Eat

Essex

Gloucester

Rockport

What to Do

Gloucester

Rockport

Essex

If you go...

Newburyport

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

Historic Houses & Museums

Hiking & Birding

Whale Watching

If you go...

Cape Cod

Falmouth & Woods Hole

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

If you go...

Sandwich

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

If you go...

Chatham

Where to Stay

Orleans

Where to Eat

What to Do

If you go...

Nantucket

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

Shopping

Cruise

Tours

Bicycling

If you go...

Martha's Vineyard

Where to Stay

Edgartown

Menemsha

Vineyard Haven

West Tisbury

Where to Eat

Edgartown

Oak Bluffs

Vineyard Haven

West Tisbury

What to Do

Historic Properties

Excursions

If you go...

Ferries

New Hampshire

The White Mountains

Where to Stay

North Woodstock

Lincoln

Sugar Hill

Franconia

Bethlehem

Lower Waterford, VT

Where to Eat

North Woodstock

Sugar Hill

Franconia

Bethlehem

Lower Waterford, VT

What to Do

Skiing & Mountain Viewing

Summer Activities Along Route 93

If you go...

Mount Washington Valley

Where to Stay

Bretton Woods

Hart's Location

Jackson

Shelburne

Where to Eat

Bretton Woods

Hart's Location

Jackson

What to Do

Mountain Railways & Roads

Skiing & Hiking Trails

If you go...

Lake Sunapee

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

Cruises

If you go...

Dixville Notch

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

Walking & Hiking

The Balsams Wilderness Ski Area

Balsams

Other Activities

Rhode Island

Newport

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

If you go...

Block Island

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

If you go...

Vermont

Stowe

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

Shopping

Waitsfield, Warren & The Mad River Valley

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

If you go...

Ludlow

Where to Stay

Nearby Lodging

Where to Eat

Ludlow

Nearby Towns

What to Do

Sports

Shopping

If you go...

Woodstock

Where to Stay

Woodstock

Quechee

Barnard

Windsor

Where to Eat

Quechee

Barnard

Windsor

What to Do

Quechee

Windsor

Shopping & Galleries in Windsor

Woodstock

Skiing

Biking

Shopping & Galleries in Woodstock, Ascutney & Bridgewater

If you go...

Manchester Village

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Manchester

Nearby Restaurants

What to Do

Theater

Sports

Alpine Skiing

Nordic Skiing

Shopping

If you go...

Grafton

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

What to Do

Other Sites in Grafton

Introduction

We never tire of exploring New England. The diversity in terrain stimulates us, and, unlike snowbirds, we enjoy all seasons. Some people are happiest in the mountains, with far-reaching views and great hiking. Others are mad about the ocean, especially when boisterous waves crash on a rocky coast. And the rotation of seasons brings gorgeous crisp fall colors, pristine winter snowfalls, spring wildflowers, and summer days spent lazily on a beach. Taken together, the six states offer a greater variety of activities than any other region of the United States.

What is a romantic escape? Couples, as well as each man and woman, have different visions of romance. But no matter what your definition is, some time spent outside your normal routine of home and work can stimulate your imagination and provide relaxation and renewal. It's the chance to be alone together and build memories to share. Even a short trip may be just the break in routine that will refresh stressful couples who have forgotten what brought them together.

When do couples plan romantic trips? Some are considering an engagement, others are enjoying a first, second, or 20th honeymoon, an anniversary of the day they met, or a birthday, yet others are celebrating a promotion, marking the completion of a project, or just seeking some time away from the demands of children. Some head out on impulse or plan a surprise just to escape from ordinary life at home. Romantic anecdotes in the text may entice you to consider your own weekend jaunt.

Where do you want to go? Some well-known towns and resorts in New England are obviously appealing, with great views, interesting architecture, and many activities at hand. Other spots equally attractive are relatively unknown and unspoiled, just waiting to be found. It has been our pleasure to explore many towns, villages, and country roads throughout New England, and almost every trip brings the pleasure of new discoveries. In addition to the ambience of their location, many inns and B&B's have attractive rooms and a habit of pampering their guests in a discreet fashion.

As travelers together for almost 45 years and travel writers for almost 20, we have poked around finding new inns, B&B's and restaurants, as well as revisiting ones we already know. Yet we have only scratched the surface. This selective book focuses on places we know well, ones that have some distinctive character other couples are likely to enjoy. It makes no pretense of covering all attractive places to visit or stay in New England, leaving that to far less detailed but more comprehensive accommodations directories.

With a few exceptions, our choices lie outside of cities because most couples want to escape the urban environment and get into the countryside for their romantic weekends. Our description is meant to help you visualize what the place really looks like. We have listed various ways you can get information about accommodations (telephone, fax, e-mail, Web site).

Prices for Accommodations

$50-$100$

$101-$200$$

$201-$300$$$

$301 and up$$$$

Be sure to ask about high, low, and shoulder seasons, weekday and weekend rates, romantic packages, and special activity weekends. We suggest that you plan well in advance because many of these inns and B&B's are heavily booked. On the other hand, some of our favorite places to stay have been found on the spur of the moment and by accident.

Couples on romantic weekends usually want to find restaurants to suit their own tastes, so we have listed samples of appetizers and entrées. We have also included a selection of recipes so that couples who like to cook together can try them at home either before or after they go.

Connecticut

Connecticut Shore

The Connecticut shore has a special place in our hearts and memories. It's a great place for romantic excursions because it lies so close to New York and all the cities of southern New England. You have to be selective, because some of the cities on Long Island Sound were among the first in New England to take up manufacturing as America's Industrial Revolution swept through old ports in the 19th century. Later, closely packed summer camps and cottages filled other sections of the shore. But wonderfully preserved towns and historic inns await to delight you after a day beside the sea, and candlelit dinners in quiet restaurants will erase the stress of a noisy work week. It's still easy to find a great weekend retreat in these havens along the Connecticut shore.

Western Long IslandSound

Where to Stay

Westport

The Inn at National Hall

2 Post Road W, Westport, CT 06880

800/628-4255 or 203/221-1352, fax 203/221-0276

E-mail nathall@ibm.net

Web site www.integra.fr/relaischateaux/nationalhall

15 rooms. $$-$$$$

From the moment you enter this 1873 restored red brick building you'll feel welcomed. Step into the trompe l'oeil library elevator and emerge into the reception room where the smiling concierge waits. The drawing room has high ceilings and handpainted maps illustrating exotic places to visit. Cozy loveseats by the fire are just the place for a chat. The board room has a marvelous crystal chandelier from the Savoy Hotel in London.

Each of the guest rooms is decorated differently and many are nothing short of exotic. Four-poster beds are handsome, with canopies or corollas, and some have staircases leading up two stories to the bedroom from a sitting room below. Each room or suite has antiques, books, decorative pieces, exquisite fabrics, paintings and a chandelier. Handpainted murals and trompe l'oeil whimsies startle and delight guests. We were especially taken by a monkey playing games with a mirror in one bathroom. Another has gold leaf stenciling of horses around the wall.

We spotted two trompe l'oeil gold-framed notes hanging from blue ribbons: Feb. 13th, 1923

Dearheart,

I have just arrived in Westport this a.m.

Must rendezvous same time, same place.

Still yours,

HW

and

Dear friend,

Any chance of meeting at the Saugatuck Bridge tomorrow 12 noon?

Hopefully yours,

HW

Where to Eat

Norwalk

Silvermine Tavern

194 Perry Ave. Norwalk, CT 06850

203/847-4558

The 1700s Silvermine is known for its great Sunday brunch, featuring tables laden with more dishes than most people have room to try. Their honey buns are so good that people return with those in mind time after time. Drive out for lunch and dine on the deck and terrace near the duck pond and waterfall. Don't forget to greet Miss Abigail, a mannequin who stands by the bar. In earlier days she was the only woman permitted by Connecticut law to stand within three feet of a bar.

Silvermine

Westport

The Inn at National Hall

2 Post Road W, Westport, CT 06880

800/628-4255 or 203/221-1352

The Restaurant at National Hall, on the first floor of the Inn, offers appetizers such as seafood bisque with fennel essence and shrimp raviolis or seared sashimi-style tuna with spiced crust, radish, salad, wasabi and scallion oil. Entrées include pan-seared Maine salmon with tiny lentil and savoy compote, in Pinot Noir shallot sauce, and carved roast saddle of Summerfield Farm organic lamb with barley chick pea purée. The dessert when we visited was chocolate marquise with pistachio sauce - delectable.

What to Do

Norwalk

Maritime Center at Norwalk

10 North Water Street, South Norwalk, CT

203/852-0700

If you love interactive exhibits, this is a great place to spend some time, and you can learn how to design your own boat by computer. The aquarium has a large tank with lots of sea life, including sharks. Vessels on display include Tango, a small pedal boat that Dwight Collins piloted across the Atlantic for 40 days in 1992.

Maritime Center

Westport

The Nature Center for Environmental Activities

Woodside Lane, Westport, CT

203/227-7253

This center has displays of local birds, animals and flowers that you can see up close. Outside, the 61 acres offer trails in all directions. Wadsworth Trail focuses on ferns and wildflowers and Swamp Loop is also a good place to see wildflowers.

Connecticut River Basin

Where to Stay

Westbrook

Water's Edge Inn

1525 Boston Post Road, Westbrook, CT 06498

800/222-5901 or 203/399-5901, fax 203/399-6172

75 rooms. $$-$$$

This resort has been restored and townhouse units added. Originally Bill Hahn's Hotel, it was a vacation retreat by the sea. Future Broadway stars like Woody Allen, Art Carney and Barbra Streisand entertained here before they were known.

Water's Edge Inn

The Inn offers a Romance by the Sea package, with chilled champagne in a deluxe room for two, a candlelight dinner, entertainment and dancing. The Sunday brunch or breakfast in bed aren't hard to take. The inn is also a conference center, but couples can find plenty of places to be alone.

Old Lyme

Bee and Thistle Inn

100 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371 800/622-4946, 860/434-1667, fax 860/434-3402 11 rooms, 1 cottage. $-$$

This 1756 colonial home is set on five acres of landscaped gardens. The living room has hanging plants, wing chairs, glass bottles on the window sill, and a fireplace. Take a peek into the two side porches where meals are served. Baskets galore cover the ceiling and flowers grace each table. Bedrooms contain four-poster beds, antiques, quilts, fishnet canopies and chintz fabrics. Floral wallpaper and a hat hanging on a door add nice touches. If you'd like a river view ask for a room at the back of the house.

Bee and Thistle 

Old Lyme Inn

85 Lyme St., Old Lyme, CT 06371 800/434-5352 or 860/434-2600, fax 860/434-5352 E-mail olinn@aol.com 13 rooms. $-$$

This 1850 inn was restored in 1976. There's a Victorian bar that contains beveled mirrors and a long bar from a tavern in Pittsburgh. The Empire room has a Victorian chandelier and original paintings by art students from the Florence Griswold Museum. We were especially taken by a large painting of Winslow Homer's Breezing Up in a dining room.

A private alcove dining room has been the scene of many proposals. Set aside for privacy that is rare in any restaurant, it is a perfect place for once-in-a-lifetime conversations. It is also reserved by many couples for special anniversaries and birthdays.

Guest rooms are decorated with Victorian antiques, including love seats and Victorian side chairs along with marble-topped coffee tables. The bridal suite has a four-poster canopied bed, Victorian sofa, and antique chests with marble tops. If you want to stay here, better hurry up. The inn is currently for sale.

Old Lyme Inn

Old Saybrook

Saybrook Point Inn

2 Bridge St., Old Saybrook, CT 06475 860 /395-2000, fax 860-388-1504 67 rooms. $$-$$$

The location for this modern resort at the point where the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound meet is very pleasant. A marina is right outside the door so you can watch boat activity from the rooms on the front. The designer created a European-style inn with Italian marble floors and palladian windows. Guest rooms are large and filled with all kinds of amenities. Some have working fireplaces and sitting areas. Italian tile is handsome in the bathrooms. There's a spa in the resort and you can request spa menus.

Saybrook Point Inn

A Valentine's Day package includes sparkling wine upon arrival, accomodations, dinner for two in the Terra Mar Grille, use of pool and fitness facilities, jacuzzi and steam room, turn down service with heart-shaped chocolates and a continental breakfast.

Essex

The Griswold Inn

36 Main Street, Essex, CT 06426 860/767-1776, fax 860/767-0481 27 rooms. $-$$

The Gris has been around a long time - since 1776, in fact. Essex is a fine 18th-century village and the Griswold Inn sits right in the center of it. The decor is eclectic with collections of riverboat paintings and pieces in the steamboat room, books and a mural of old Essex in the library, and a 55-piece musket collection in the gun room. The covered bridge room is just that, a covered bridge moved from a river in New Hampshire.

Griswold Inn 

Guest rooms are varied, with authentic 1776-style rooms in the main inn, some with fireplaces and four-poster beds. The Garden Suite is handsome, with barnwood, a red brick fireplace, wet bar, plaid sofa and a claw-foot tub upstairs.

The most romantic is the Fenwick Suite, which has a king-sized bed, pine armoire, fireplace, memorabilia of the New York Yacht Club, prints of Mystic and a trompe l'oeil bookcase in the bathroom.

Chester

Inn at Chester

318 Main St., Chester, CT 06412 800/949-STAY or 860/526-9541, fax 860/526-4387 E-mail innkeeper@innatchester.com 44 rooms. $-$$

A 1776 farmhouse was the beginning of this inn; now it is a modern inn awash with antiques and innovative decorating. A large 1880s German polyphone music box sits in one of the halls and it is a beauty with a carved burlwood case. You can find any number of private spots for a chat in the lounges and there are several dining rooms, all decorated differently. 

Ask about the ghost in the private dining room.

For a romantic stroll take a walking trail around the 12 acres. There's a pond with ducks and sugar maples for color in the fall.

Ask about the Recipe for Romance package, which includes a five-course gourmet dinner, champagne, a Kama Sutra kit and candles. The brochure says, If you can't find the time at home find the Inn at Chester. Let us do all the shopping, cooking and cleaning. Let us remember the champagne and the dinner reservation. You just get here.

Guest rooms are attractive, with antiques, Eldred Wheeler beds, wing chairs, quilts, Chippendale furniture, lacy four-posters, country woven bedspreads and stenciling on the walls.

Two shops on Main Street in Chester

Where to Eat

Westbrook

Water's Edge Inn

1525 Boston Post Road, Westbrook, CT 06498 800/222-5901 or 203/399-5901

The Sunday Buffet Brunch is highly acclaimed, as are those on Father's Day, Mother's Day and Thanksgiving Day. We had a delicious lunch and wished we could stay for dinner in order to try special entrées such as baked stuffed shrimp with crabmeat and fines herbes stuffing or baked salmon Baton Rouge with pecan persillade & grainy Pommery mustard. Desserts include cheesecake with raspberry or strawberry sauce or French chocolate Chambord cake. And the ocean view through large windows is one to remember.

Water's Edge Inn

Old Lyme

Bee & Thistle Inn

100 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371 800/622-4946, 860/434-1667

You may be lucky enough to be entertained during dinner by a harpist, guitar player, or singer. Entrées include a great peanut trout with curried mango butter or a knot of salmon, which is a strip of salmon fillet tied into a knot and served with a green onion sauce. Rack of lamb is also a favorite. Sunday brunch is served. Afternoon tea is served Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The menu includes finger sandwiches, scones with preserves and whipped cream, tea bread, a dessert selection of the day and a choice of tea.

The Chestnut Grille at the Bee and Thistle 

Old Lyme Inn

85 Lyme St., Old Lyme, CT 06371 800/434-5352 or 860/434-2600

Entrées for lunch and Sunday Brunch include petite filet mignon and eggs, pecan Belgian waffles with fresh fruit and Old Lyme Inn pasta. Dinner appetizers include smoked Irish salmon, New England crab cakes, wild game brochette (skewered quail, venison and wild boar), and game bird sausage duet. We picked veal medallions sautéed with white wine, lemon and black caviar served with buckwheat blinis and asparagus flan, and planked trout coated with a pecan-honey crust roasted on a cherrywood plank with maple yams. Both were memorable.

Old Lime Inn

Old Saybrook

Saybrook Point Inn

2 Bridge St., Old Saybrook, CT 06475 860/395-2000

Terra Mar Grille here offers seafood entrées such as sautéed shrimp as well as rack of lamb or Long Island duckling. On New Year's Eve a four-course dinner includes specialties such as roasted tenderloin of beef coated with Dijon mustard and black trumpet mushrooms or maple-cured loin of venison. Mother's Day and Easter brunches are also popular.

Essex

The Griswold Inn

36 Main Street, Essex, CT 06426 860/767-1776

The Sunday Hunt Breakfast was started by the British during the War of 1812 and it's still available. Dinners can begin with escargot, vegetarian egg rolls with two sauces or The Griswold Inn's famous 1776 sausage sampler. Entrées include steamed rainbow trout, carpetbagger steak (seven-oz filet mignon stuffed with fried oysters, served with Béarnaise sauce), aged prime rib of beef with freshly grated horseradish, or risotto croquettes with an asiago cream sauce.

Chester

Inn at Chester

318 Main St., Chester, CT 06412 800/949-STAY or 860/526-9541

The Post and Beam restaurant here serves New American cuisine, offering homemade breads and pastries that are fresh every day. Appetizers include wild mushroom sauté, with shiitake, oyster and portobello mushrooms in a thyme-scented cream sauce over puff pastry; smoked salmon roulades filled with pumpernickel, capers & red onions, joined by an herb vinaigrette; or warm duck salad, a confit of duck on a bed of mesclun with pomme frites in a raspberry walnut vinaigrette. For an entrée you might choose Thai shrimp with pineapple mango chutney, smoked sea scallops and littleneck clams over cappellini in a tomato-saffron sauce or rack of lamb. Sunday brunch is very popular.

What to Do

Old Lyme

Florence Griswold Museum

96 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 860/434-5542

Florence Griswold took artists in as summer boarders and some of them left their artwork on walls and doors. Woodrow Wilson used to come as a guest. Exhibits in the museum today include decorative arts and paintings of the Old Lyme art colony.

Florence Griswold Museum

Branford

One interesting excursion takes you west a bit; if you have time try to drive on US 1 rather than the turnpike and enjoy some very attractive shore towns. You can take boat trips on several vessels from Branford to the Thimble Islands, an archipelago of 365 islands off the coast between Branford and Guilford. Call for information about Sea Mist at 203/488-8905 or Volsunga IV at 203/488-9978 or 481-3345.

Two of the Thimble Islands

Essex

Connecticut River Museum

Main Street, Essex, CT 860/767-8269

This museum has a wealth of marine exhibits, including our favorite, a replica and diagrams of David Bushnell's one-man 18th-century submarine called the Turtle. It looks like the shells of two turtles and one wonders how claustrophobic it might have felt inside. Both George Washington and Benjamin Franklin approved his plans. Bushnell's goal was to destroy the HMS Eagle, but he was not successful. Displays include shipbuilding, relics from sunken vessels, ship models and many paintings. Check out the boathouse to see a collection of boats.

Valley Railroad

Railroad Avenue, Essex, CT 860/767-0103

If you're a train aficionado take the 12-mile trip through the Connecticut River Valley. You can connect with a boat to cruise back on the river if you wish.

Haddam

Gillette Castle State Park

River Road, East Haddam, CT 860/526-2336

William Gillette, an actor and playwright, loved playing Sherlock Holmes. His medieval-style castle took five years to build and each room is unique. Inside, there's an art gallery and displays of theater memorabilia. He loved heavy oak furniture and one piece, the dining room table, runs on a track on the dining room floor. Walking trails lead into the woods and intersect with an old railroad track that he built for his guests.

Mystic

Where to Stay

The Old Mystic Inn

52 Main St., Old Mystic, CT 06372 860/572-9422, fax 860/572-8150 8 rooms. $-$$

Dating from 1794 and once the Old Mystic Book Shop, specializing in antique books and maps, this inn has character. The common rooms are comfortable and encourage guests to sit down for a chat or a read. A carriage house was added in 1988 to provide more guest rooms. Guest rooms are attractively decorated with four-poster beds, fishnet canopies, quilts, stenciling on the walls, wing chairs and antiques. Prints, paintings, dolls and teddy bears add to the decor.

Painting of the Old Mystic Inn 

The Inn at Mystic

US 1 and Ct 27, Mystic, CT 06355 800/237-2415 or 860/536-9604, fax 860/536-7563 E-mail jdyer@innatmystic.com Web site www.innatmystic.com 67 rooms. $-$$$

If you'd like to stay in the place where Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall spent their honeymoon, head for the Inn at Mystic. The 1904 Georgian colonial mansion and gatehouse still have gardens around them. An expansion added more rooms in a motor inn unit. When you enter the mansion you'll want to stay. It is handsome, with oriental carpets, blue tiles around the fireplace, white-on-white embossed wallpaper, an antique piano and five guest rooms.Some have water views, canopy beds, an armoire or a Japanese soaking tub. The gatehouse rooms offer fireplaces, jacuzzis, and skylights; one is the honeymoon suite.

The Inn at Mystic

Where to Eat

The Inn at Mystic US 1 and Ct 27, Mystic, CT 06355 800/237-2415 or 860/536-9604 The Flood Tide Restaurant is a popular place for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Paintings and marine memorabilia are attractively displayed. Piano music is a nice accompaniment to your meal. The Sunday Brunch attracts guests from near and far.

What to Do

Mystic Seaport Museum

75 Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic, CT 860/572-0711

Mystic is a charming village that has capitalized on its maritime past. During the 19th century clipper ships were built in shipyards along the river, and today you can relive the past at Mystic Seaport. One of us used to spend every January there with college students, living on board the Joseph Conrad and using the marvelous research facilities of the museum and library. The students attended lectures given by Seaport staff, worked on individual research projects, and served as apprentices in one of the museum's departments, such as boat building or sailmaking. You can easily spend a full day wandering around the streets, dipping in and out of buildings. Demonstrations are held so you can watch interpreters making woven goods, barrels, sails, rope and marine ironwork. Someone is usually cooking over an open hearth in one of the houses. You might be around when some crew members climb up the rigging of the Conrad or the whaleship Morgan to set or furl sails, while others on deck sing chanteys as they haul on halyards or brails.

Antique wooden whaling ship at Mystic Seaport 

Mystic Marinelife Aquarium

55 Coogan Blvd., Mystic, CT 06355 860/572-5955

The Marine Theater is the place to watch beluga whales and dolphins go through their paces. Seal Island houses seals and Steller's sea lions in an outdoor naturalistic