Visit Mystic Connecticut in the Winter

If you live in the NY/NJ/CT area, Mystic is not far and it's a nice winter vacation for adults and kids. Just zip up 95 north and you're there. Signs on 95 show you exactly where to exit. Stop along the way at a visitors center and collect free maps, the most useful being the small tourist map of Mystic sites. Or visit the Mystic Depot Welcome Center housed in a historic building at 2 Roosevelt Ave-open Monday to Sunday 10-4. Make sure to bring VERY warm clothing and coats, you don't want to miss out on the outdoor sights because you're cold.

We live in NJ and the trip takes us 2-2.5 hours. We have a dog so we stay at the centrally located Econo Lodge which allows pets for about a $10 surcharge. The address is 251 Greenmanville Ave, it's right off 95 and across the street from "Old Mistick Village". Right next door is the Howard Johnson at 253 Greenville Ave, which is more expensive and does not allow pets. If you don't have pets there are lots of choices for hotels, but if you want to keep the expense down then choose the Ecolo Lodge. Don't expect anything fancy, it's your basic bare essentials hotel, but we find it comfortable. There are usually another families there braving the cold.

A more upscale accomodation is the Inn at Mystic. Here you can stay in a room with a fireplace, the "Main Building" being the best rooms for families. There are many more hotels/inns just look at the Mystic website.

First thing we usually do is go to Old Mystick Village, which is a very quaint "village" of shops. These shops are really nice, and you can get a lot of souvenirs,clothing, toys, hippie stuff, military, pet items, and specialty foods like FUDGE. There are a couple stores that specialize in fudge and you never saw so many types. There's also the New England type items, such as maple syrup, local honey, chowder, etc. There's a cute duckpond and little brooks around with bridges. There is a movie theater too, but we've never been there since we don't go to Mystic to see movies.

Next stop can be the aquarium which is very close and can be seen from the village. Have your ticket validated and you can return to visit for the next 2 days free. If you have $150 to spare you can do the Beluga Encounter program in which you go wade in the water with the Belugas. You can read more about that on the website. They also have a Penguin Encounter program.

If your kids like hands on experiences, they can touch rays in the Ray Touch Pool. If you're worried about germs, Purell dispensers are at hand. Kids love this pool, it's really amazing to be able to touch rays which I imagine can only be done in Florida. The indoor exhibit building is amazing, so make sure to allow time for that too. Check out the website for lots more info on this fascinating aquarium.

Another main attraction that absolutely must be visited is the Mystic Seaport museum which is a huge outdoor museum of ships, a recreated 19th century village, and various exhibits. You can also see the Preservation Shipyard where antique ships are restored using traditional hand tools. Not every village building and ship is open in the winter but there's still plenty to see and there are no crowds. The ships are fascinating, and on each ship you are guided by a tour guide who knows everything you could possibly imagine about the ship and the it's whaling history. In fact, there are guides in every building too, such as the Blacksmith and the General Store. Children will enjoy the Children's Museum at the Seaport as well as the Planetarium. You can spend hours wandering the seaport taking in all the history and beauty.

Don't forget to visit historic Downtown Mystic. You can download a walking tour guide at Mystic's Chamber of Commerce excellent website. The website has other excellent information as well as another useful download, The Mystic Discovery guide.

All over Mystic you'll see lakes, inlets, and gorgeous beach areas. Drive around and check out the scenery, take a walk on the beach, enjoy the slower pace of life in this historic town by the sea.