Free
Bluff Point State Park
A wooded point with a walking loop and a sandy spit on the sound.
Southeastern Connecticut
Mystic
A shipbuilding village on the Mystic River: a big maritime museum with the last wooden whaling ship, an aquarium with beluga whales, a drawbridge that lifts for boats and the old harbour of Stonington nearby.
Photo: Mystic Seaport Museum, jaypofromvox, CC BY 2.0
Mystic built ships for centuries along the Mystic River. Mystic Seaport Museum recreates a 19th-century coastal village around historic ships, including the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world.
Downtown, the 1922 bascule bridge lifts for boat traffic. Nearby Stonington Borough is a small harbour village with a lighthouse museum.
Outdoors and nature
Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.
Free
Haley Farm State Park
Old farm fields and stone walls by the water, connected to Bluff Point.
Cheap
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center
Trails through woods and meadows, with a small natural history museum.
Sights and attractions
Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.
Free
Mystic River Bascule Bridge
A 1922 drawbridge in the centre of town that lifts for boats.
Free
Downtown Mystic
Shops and restaurants along the river on both sides of the bridge.
Cheap
Old Lighthouse Museum
An 1840 stone lighthouse with local history, in Stonington Borough.
Paid
Mystic Seaport Museum
A recreated maritime village and historic ships, including the Charles W. Morgan.
Paid
Mashantucket Pequot Museum
A large museum of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation's history and culture.
Markets, shops and festivals
Main streets, markets and the dates worth planning around.
Book a tour or activity
Cruises, tours and experiences people book here. Each one goes to the operator's official page, and you can still add it to your trip.
Schooner Argia sails
Public sails on a schooner from downtown Mystic.
Season Sails roughly May–mid-Oct (check before you go).
Also bookable, listed above
These are in the lists above, so we don't repeat them here.
- Mystic Seaport Museum Tickets
Part of our Mystic and Newport guides.
Make it a weekend
Why stay the night
- The Seaport and the Aquarium each take most of a day.
- Have dinner downtown by the bridge.
- Stonington and the beaches make a slow second day.
Nearby and worth the drive
Newport, RIabout 50 min · Guide ↗
Mansions and the Cliff Walk.
New Londonabout 15 min
Ferries to Long Island and Block Island.
Ready-made trips with Mystic
Good to know
- Tourism: gomystic.org.
- We list only places we can check against an official source. Hours, seasons and prices change, so confirm before you go.
Photos on this page
Photo: Mystic Seaport Museum, jaypofromvox, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Mystic Aquarium, David Shankbone, Public domain
Photo: Mystic River Bascule Bridge, Juliancolton, Public domain
Photo: Downtown Mystic on the river, Juliancolton, Public domain