acsproul

My husband and I will be vacationing in Mystic on Thurs. June 22nd and in Boston on that friday and sat. The only thing we have planned is the phillies/red sox game on friday night. We will be driving from NJ up the coast. Any suggestions on sights we should see on the way? Also, any suggestions on what to see in Mystic and Boston. We both love history, taking pictures, the beach, and eating. Also, has anyone been to the Stoneybrook Winery outside of Mystic? Is it far and is it worth it?

fuzzbo

You will have no trouble in Boston re: history, eating, and picture taking. You can walk all throughout the city and see quite a bit (there's a walking tour that you can do on your own - I forget the name, but there's a red line on the sidewalks that takes you throughout the city.) Dining in the north end is always good, especially if you like Italian - last place we went was a tiny place called Pomodoros and it was unbelievably good (we all got the Fra Diavlo.) On Newbury (sp?) Street we liked Sonsi for dining.

I live in CT and can't tell you much about Mystic. I've been to the aquarium and that's about it. The beaches we like are in Rhode Island, and while Newport might be out of the way, it can be a fun side trip.

Have fun!

amaclise

The Mystic Whaling museum is great. As for stops further up the coast. The beaches in RI are great. You could also drive over the Naragansett Bay Bridge to Naragansett Island. Or stop off in Newport and see the mansions.

If you are ambitious you could day trip Block Island, although that could be time consuming.

You could stop at Plymouth Rock or the base of Cape Cod.

Or just get to Boston early and spend more time there.

amaclise

Think it is actually called Mystic Seaport museum.

tovarich

Mystic seaport is really great.When we toured the 6 New England states in 2004 we had a tour of the Yale university with a last year student.Very interesting. Other points of interest along the way you'll be taking are Newport(the Breakers),we also stayed in Wood's hole(cape cod) and visited Nartha's vineyard- Then Plimoth plantation. In Boston the best thing to do is take the Old town trolley,you see all the interesting points and caqn get off/on the whole day plus you get a tour by boat of the harbor. Greetings from Belgium.Paul

Lena456

The Mystic Aquarium is a little small for my taste but it has some exhibits (like the Beluga whales) that I love. If you like aquariums I would go to Mystic plus the Boston Aquarium - I think they complement each other.

acsproul

Thanks for all of the tips so far, everyone! You have a lot of good suggestions. Newport sound very interesting. Also, we love Italian, so Pomodoros was a perfect suggestion. Thanks.

escargot

If I'm reading your initial post correctly, you only have one day in Mystic and 2 days in Boston, arriving in Boston on a Friday for the Sox game -
if you want to arrive in Boston in plenty of time to get settled at your hotel and have a bite before the game, just make sure you leave yourself enough time driving from Mystic to Boston on a Friday in June - traffic can be a bear.

On a good day, Mystic to Boston is somewhere between 1 1/2 - 2 hours. I would want to be in Boston by 2:30 b/c by 3pm the traffic can start backing up everywhere on a Friday.

In Boston, the 'red line' mentioned above is the Freedom Trail. you can look on the website
www.freedomtrail.org
and get an idea beforehand where it would take you - but if you like history /photos you will enjoy it - you can pick up guides/ private audio guides/ or go on a tour -

Look at the website and it will give you an idea of what and where it goes. The audio tour is great, you can stop when you want, rewind when you want, take a break when you want - and there are plenty of places along the way to take a break !

Another thing some people enjoy is the Duck Tours, which you can also check out online at
www.bostonducktours.com
and see if that might appeal to you or not. It gives you a good overview and people find it fun -

Many also enjoy the Skywalk at the Prudential Center - if it's a good day you can see far up into New Hampshire and way down to the Cape and they have an historical exhibit also with some o verview of Boston history.

The Skywalk is best of course on a clear day, either in the morning - or see the city at night.

You would have to decide how much you want to do in Boston, whether you head there from Mystic early so you have a good part of Friday (in which case you could do the Skywalk and Duck Tours and have time for a nice dinner before the game - and have Saturday for the Freedom Trail and the North End, -

another thing to consider is the waterfront area, if you want to see Boston from the harbor side, there are boats to George's Island (Fort Warren) and yo9u can check out those options on www.bostonharborcruises.com
and
www.bostonislands.com

So much of your itinerary will depend on exactly how much time do you plan on having in Boston?

In Mystic, I have enjoyed walking through the museum, harbor and downtown. If you want to see an aquarium I would pick one or the other, b/c in my opinion you don't have that much time in Boston and I'd hate to see you spend even 3 hours of it inside another aquarium.

You say you will be in Mystic on the 22nd - how long are you taking to get there? Some of the suggestions were great - the Vineyard, the Cape, Plymouth, Newport (where you could spend days between all the mansions, the waterfront, the shops, the beaches, the museums, the harbor cruises) - so it's a little tough to know if you want ideas for any of those places and restaurants - you could spend days in each area mentioned -

one thing is if you decide you somehow want to work a trip to one of the islands like Block or Martha's Vineyard, you need to check on ferry times and car reservations and availability and you would need at least , in my opinion, one day for Block and at least two for Martha's Vineyard to make a trip to either worthwhile.

escargot

sorry, that website is
www.thefreedomtrail.org

acsproul

Escargot - thanks so much for all of the great ideas and website links.

To answer your questions: Yes we will only be spending the 22nd in Mystic. We will leave Thursday early in the morning. We hope to arrive in Mystic in mid-afternoon. We will leave for Boston the next morning (probably mid-morning) after a little sight-seeing. 2:30 is exactly when we planned on being in Boston. Thanks so much about the traffic tips. I was a little concerned about it.

Also, the skywalk idea sounds great!!! No one has suggested that yet.

In Mystic, I think we may do the winery, and Newport and see what time we have left, if any. Thanks

escargot

If you decide to spend some time in Newport, and know how much time or things that interest you, could perhaps help you narrow that part down.
Historic mansion tour, Tennis Hall of Fame, wharf area, beaches, museums, shopping, dining, - parking, etc.