Leaving New Haven after breakfast we headed to an adventurous day in Mystic and Stonington, Connecticut. Mystic is a village in Groton and Stonington, Connecticut; it has no independent government because it is not a municipality in the state of Connecticut. Historically, Mystic was a leading seaport of the area. Mystic is a delightful village to stroll around.
We wanted to stop in Adam Young's bakery, Sift. We had see him become the champion on Food Network's Spring Baking Championship show. The bakery is great but small. Only two tables with four chairs total inside the store. It was much too chilly to sit outside and eat, so we just salivated as we gasped at the showcases!
For all of those that remember the 1988 Julia Roberts movie, Mystic Pizza, we passed the actual Mystic Pizza where three teenage girls come of age while working at a pizza parlor in the Connecticut town of Mystic as the movie goes!
The Mystic River Bascule Bridge or the Mystic Drawbridge was built in 1922. The bridge opens, drawbridge-style, to let boats up and down the Mystic River. When it's closed, this is the main route to enter Main St. and beyond. The bridge is raised every hour at 40 minutes after the hour between 8:40 am and 6:40 pm. Being not familiar with the term, I had to look it up. A Bascule Bridge is one that can be raised or lowered using counterweights (bascule is the French word for seesaw). What makes the Mystic bridge even more interesting is the fact that the mechanism that's used to raise and lower the bridge is not enclosed, so you can see all the moving parts. We made our walk over and back before the opening of the bridge and those huge cement counterweights go into action!
We strolled the 3 blocks of main street Mystic to the bridge and enjoyed the views from Mystic River Park overlooking the river. The waterfront is beautiful the bridge is the entrance to the village of Mystic.
Our main focus of the day was to visit Mystic Seaport Village Museum located on 19 charming acres on the banks of Connecticut's Mystic River. The story of Mystic's nautical connection is told at Mystic Seaport, the nation's largest maritime museum which has preserved notably the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan. The village is located on the Mystic River, which flows into Long Island Sound, providing access to the sea. This seafaring village comprised up of dozens of real New England buildings staffed with historians, musicians, storytellers and craftspeople bring New England's and Mystic's seafaring past to life. The buildings aren’t replications but real trade shops and businesses from the 1800s that were transported to Mystic Seaport Museum from locations around New England. The village is made up of many bustling maritime trades, from shipsmiths and coopers to woodcarvers and riggers.
The Mystic Seaport Village Whaling Museum is very interesting and we all enjoyed it. There is so much information in this space that it would be pretty impossible to put it all into this blog. There were several sailing and whaling ship models throughout. The stories of the workings of the whaling ships dominate. What a fun learning experience!
We wanted to stop in Adam Young's bakery, Sift. We had see him become the champion on Food Network's Spring Baking Championship show. The bakery is great but small. Only two tables with four chairs total inside the store. It was much too chilly to sit outside and eat, so we just salivated as we gasped at the showcases!
For all of those that remember the 1988 Julia Roberts movie, Mystic Pizza, we passed the actual Mystic Pizza where three teenage girls come of age while working at a pizza parlor in the Connecticut town of Mystic as the movie goes!
The Mystic River Bascule Bridge or the Mystic Drawbridge was built in 1922. The bridge opens, drawbridge-style, to let boats up and down the Mystic River. When it's closed, this is the main route to enter Main St. and beyond. The bridge is raised every hour at 40 minutes after the hour between 8:40 am and 6:40 pm. Being not familiar with the term, I had to look it up. A Bascule Bridge is one that can be raised or lowered using counterweights (bascule is the French word for seesaw). What makes the Mystic bridge even more interesting is the fact that the mechanism that's used to raise and lower the bridge is not enclosed, so you can see all the moving parts. We made our walk over and back before the opening of the bridge and those huge cement counterweights go into action!
We strolled the 3 blocks of main street Mystic to the bridge and enjoyed the views from Mystic River Park overlooking the river. The waterfront is beautiful the bridge is the entrance to the village of Mystic.
Our main focus of the day was to visit Mystic Seaport Village Museum located on 19 charming acres on the banks of Connecticut's Mystic River. The story of Mystic's nautical connection is told at Mystic Seaport, the nation's largest maritime museum which has preserved notably the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan. The village is located on the Mystic River, which flows into Long Island Sound, providing access to the sea. This seafaring village comprised up of dozens of real New England buildings staffed with historians, musicians, storytellers and craftspeople bring New England's and Mystic's seafaring past to life. The buildings aren’t replications but real trade shops and businesses from the 1800s that were transported to Mystic Seaport Museum from locations around New England. The village is made up of many bustling maritime trades, from shipsmiths and coopers to woodcarvers and riggers.
The Mystic Seaport Village Whaling Museum is very interesting and we all enjoyed it. There is so much information in this space that it would be pretty impossible to put it all into this blog. There were several sailing and whaling ship models throughout. The stories of the workings of the whaling ships dominate. What a fun learning experience!
One of the first stops on our walk through the village was at the Charles W. Morgan restored Whaling Ship. It is beautiful and full of history. The Morgan remains the only surviving wooden sailing whaler. From the main deck looking up at the mast riggings and imagine the crazy ride that must have taken place at sea was enough to take our breath away!
We went below deck to see the officer quarters and the workers quarters. Quite a difference. The Captain really had luxury! There was always a Cooper on board making storage barrels. His job was one of the most important on board insuring a profitable trip once a whale was harpooned and slaughtered.
On deck and in charge!
On deck and in charge!
We left the Morgan and continued into the village to see the buildings and listen to many interesting stories and education from the reenactment players.
Some of the sites are Mystic Bank's stone building
Village Church, Mystic Seaport Village
Village Church, Mystic Seaport Village
Groceries and Hardware Store, Mystic Seaport Village
The Cooper Shop for making barrels
Print shop with typesetting
Druggist and Chemist Shop, Mystic Seaport Village
There is also a fabulous Figureheads and Shipcarvings building with wonderful displays. The most romantic and mysterious of all artifacts from the Age of Sail, these figureheads, billetheads and catheads also demonstrate the extraordinary skill of their craftsmen.
The ship carvers shop also has great workmanship skills displayed.
We made our way over to the shipyard of Mystic Seaport Village. In a huge tent that has been designed specifically for the occasion of a restoration project from Plymouth, sits the Mayflower II going through a total restoration. The restoration of the nearly 60-year-old wooden ship is being carried out over several years with the project scheduled for completion in 2019. The purpose is to prepare the ship for the 400th anniversary in 2020 of the Pilgrims’ arrival in 1620. The restoration company has allowed viewing from various places. The size and work are breath-taking.
The Cooper Shop for making barrels
Print shop with typesetting
Druggist and Chemist Shop, Mystic Seaport Village
There is also a fabulous Figureheads and Shipcarvings building with wonderful displays. The most romantic and mysterious of all artifacts from the Age of Sail, these figureheads, billetheads and catheads also demonstrate the extraordinary skill of their craftsmen.
The ship carvers shop also has great workmanship skills displayed.
We made our way over to the shipyard of Mystic Seaport Village. In a huge tent that has been designed specifically for the occasion of a restoration project from Plymouth, sits the Mayflower II going through a total restoration. The restoration of the nearly 60-year-old wooden ship is being carried out over several years with the project scheduled for completion in 2019. The purpose is to prepare the ship for the 400th anniversary in 2020 of the Pilgrims’ arrival in 1620. The restoration company has allowed viewing from various places. The size and work are breath-taking.
The Village and Museum have so much to offer and this has been a small part of what we experienced on our day of adventure. With most of the day spent here in Mystic Seaport Village, we continued on to Stonington. We stopped at Stonington Point which overlooks Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York. Stonington Point is on Fisher’s Island Sound and Little Narragansett Bay. The ocean is a beautiful sight from these shores.
The little village of Stonington should be all one-way streets being as narrow as they are! Most are, but the others we made it through. We found Noah's Restaurant on one of these narrow streets. Little did we know that whenever we told anyone where we ate, that they would say that we found the absolutely best restaurant in Stonington! This is where I had my whole-belly fried clams, a first for me, and unbeknown to me also, that these have the reputation as the best whole-belly clams that you can get!
Next, the Stonington Old Lighthouse! The building is notable among lighthouses of its period for its fanciful stonework, with ornamental cornices around the tower and weighty granite lintels above doorways and windows. When it was built in 1840 it had a nearly flat roof with simulated battlements, but it leaked so badly that two years later local craftsmen were called in to install the gabled roof it has today.
On our way to our Taber Inn and Suites for the night, we went through the small village of East Lyme and discovered the Niantic Bay Boardwalk. Niantic's Hole-in-the-Wall Beach marks one end of the new boardwalk (which evidently is now cement not wood!) and it extends all along Long Island Sound until it wraps around the point (beneath the road) and runs back along the Niantic River. We enjoyed walking the "boardwalk", being on the bay and walking through the park.
We found out that Stonington is known for the most luscious scallops and are widely known … Stonington Scallops! I was able to have an order for dinner … scrumptious! Another great day for the books! A few extra pictures plus all of these are in today's photo album.
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