We spent the weekend at Inn at Mystic and stayed in The Gate House:

http://www.innatmystic.com/inn/publish/gatehouse.shtml

These are the accomodation that Bogey and Bacall stayed in during their honeymoon.

The Seaport and Aquarium, pizza and gambling are the main "attractions" though it is lovely just to be on the water and enjoy.

Flood Tide restaurant at the Inn had excellent breakfast and brunch on Sunday.

Deb

If you need to take a plane I think time would best be spent to fly to Providence RI with a long weekend in Newport -- Mystic could be visited for a day trip. Mystic is a pretty little town but Newport has much much more to offer.

Mystic is a cute little town with a qute extensive seaport museum including several sailing ships. There is also a modet aquarium.

Agree that a day there is enough unless you're going primarily for kids.

About how long are the drives between Providence (and should we spend time there?), Newport and Mystic?

It would probably take you about 2 1/2 hours to get to mystic from NYC if you wanted to do the trip that way. I agree that newport is a must see for several days if you are so inclined. Mystic is nice- but i think 2 days would serve you well there. IMO the best restaurant in Mystic is Bravo Bravo.

Connecticut - remove the last "t".

Thank you all very much (and for the spelling tip, too). Connecticut.

I think this will be a nice little trip to plan for next spring. Yay!

It's about 45 minutes to an hour from Providence to Mystic. About the same to Newport, and about an hour between Newport and Mystic.

Providence has some attractions -- restaurants, a couple of interesting neighborhoods, Brown University, municipal activities on the river -- but the real draw for tourists is Newport. (Actually, the *real* real draw is family vacations on the beaches, but that's not what you're looking for.)

Mystic is a good destination for a day, as said. Maybe more if you are very interested in ships and the sea. The Seaport is the best maritime museum in the country. If you like gambling or glitz and entertainment, the casinos are about twenty minutes away. If you like beaches, there are some good ones on the RI shore about fifteen minutes away.

My wife & I went there on our honeymoon...32 years ago this Labor Day, and enjoyed it. Enough to do to stay busy...and still can crash N' burn. You can hit the casino, take a boat ride and enjoy the local seafood. Make sure you eat at Custy's!

We recently spent three nights in Newport and made a daytrip to Mystic. We were pretty disappointed in Mystic-we stayed about two hours-didn't even stay for lunch. We liked Newport much better-to each his own.

We've ysed Mystic and Newport as stopover points on our back from Cape Cod. Agree that there's more to see in Newport - the mansions are HUGE and the Cliff Walk is very nice.

My kids and sister LOVE Mystic Pizza. I don't think it's that great, but maybe you can decide for yourself and let us know what you think!

The Amtrak train I was on to Boston made a stop in Mystic, CT. I wanted to get off the train and explore! What a beautiful area.

In addition to all the above, Mystic is not actually a "town", it is a village, half of which is in the town of Stonington and half is in the town of Groton. The draw bridge in the center marks the town line. If you decide to go there, do drive over to Stonington Burough and drive to the end of water street. The view of Fisher's Island sound is very nice and there is a neat small museum in the lighthouse there. Check out the 17 th and 18 th century homes in the village.

There also are sail boat that take people on cruises of the area. The seaport has a steam boat that does a short trip up and down the river, sometimes with a small jazz band.

If you come by train, I would suggest that you get off in New London and rent a car so that you can explore the area. Amtrack does stop in Mystic but the service is very limited and using cabs to get around would get expensive.

There is a museum at the submarine base which features the Nautalis, first sub to go under the pole.

In the past, the Aquarium, which is excellent, and the Seaport have had combination tickets which save a little money.

If you like to hike, there is a trail at the "Peace Sanctuary" on the Groton side of the river, park on River Road, between Mystic and Old Mystic. There is also good hiking in Bluff Point State Park in Groton, follow the signs from route 1.

This is great information. I'm thinking about a long weekend trip there next October.

Any input on wineries in the area? I saw some listed on the Mystic website. Also, any suggestion of day spas?

Mystic was one of the places we chose for a third weekend in Sept friends getaway weekend a few years ago. I had previously visited with my husband and at that time explored the aquarium and the Seaport. Fortunately our visit coincided with a wild mushroom festival at a tiny nature museum a short distance away. We enjoyed this a lot. I don't know if they have continued this because it wasn't that large but almost overwhelmed with people. The other highlight IMO of our weekend was visiting the Native American museum near Foxwoods Casino. It was very interesting. Our trip planner also included a visit to a small carousel museum on our way to Mystic.
I agree Newport has more to offer. There's also some small, pretty towns in RI to explore. Providence has some great restaurants also the Italian neighborhood on Federal Hill. So I would choose RI in general over Mystic.

My brother lives in Stonington, so when my nephew was married we thought it'd be a perfect place to spend some time. Although it's pretty, it's also limited in things to do we felt. A day was ample!

Newport, on the other hand, we've been to 5 or 6 times over the years. The "cottages" (think Great Gatsby) are Wonderful, goddesstogo. You would really enjoy them. There are several good restaurants as well. Take a look at Castle Hill http://www.castlehillinn.com/. We eat there each trip and have decided we'll treat ourselves and stay next time, although we can stay free at the Newport Hyatt. They have some beach cottages that look wonderful for a special treat getaway, and after a rough year, I think you qualify for Special Treat Getaways, goddess!!

We fly into Providence and from there, it's an easy drive to Newport.

I was excited to see the Block Island Ferry at the New London stop. Block Island is a well known place to watch fall bird migration. It's something I hope to do one day,


http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-block-island-national-wildlife-refuges-sidwcmdev_068706.html

IMHO Mystic Seaport is one of those places that you think you should really like, but don't...an hour or two at the Seaport is enough. The Aquarium is not on par with other aquariums I've seen. But, if you are into researching your family and have ancestors from New England they have a great genealogical library.

Wow, I haven't seen this thread in ages. We never did get around to going but it's still in the back of my mind.

Oh my goodness! I didn't notice how old this was. LOL

Block Island is supposed to be neat, AnnMarie...according to the same brother and nephew who sail there from Mystic. I've heard of Block Island forever, growing up in New England and weather forecasts being given from xxx to Block Island, but have never been there. So many places...maybe someday there will be time too! ....

I noticed the thread was old, but for anyone going, it is still useful. We used to live in Groton as well as Newport. Love the area!!!!! Mystic doesn't take too long to do itself, but allowing time for the surrounding area is good. If I had to choose between staying in/around Mystic vs staying in Newport, I would opt for Newport. But if one can fit in a night in Mystic, even better. Fall in that area is stunning.

OO, I must have been living under a rock in my prior life here--I feel as though a whole new world has opened before me.

There are wineries in the area and some of the local package stores and eateries feature their wines. To find some go to www.ctvisit.com and type in wine trails. This site also gives special events, museums, lodging, other points of interest etc.

If you were to click on my screen name you can see my trip report from our Oct 08 visit to New England that included Newport and Mystic. Happy Travels!

Mystic is a great place for an overnight stay on your way to/from Providence, Newport, or even the CT casinos.

The Captain Daniel Parker Inn is an atmospheric place to have a drink, even if you don't decide to have dinner. Their martinis are served in a stainless steel martini glass which helps the vodka to stay cold longer. This could never be a bad thing.

Jonathan Edwards winery is nearby making Napa Valley wines. That's a nice place to spend a few hours too.