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Mystic - Part 1
...a State of Mind
Written by: Janet Pope
Nestled along a river in Connecticut is the small, but quaint
Our latest travel destination was to explore Mystic. In preparing for our trip, my husband, Donald and I checked our maps. To our surprise, we discovered that Mystic is neither a city, nor a town -- as one of our guides explained: "Mystic is a state of mind." One side of the Mystic River is the town of Groton, and the other is Stonington, but somehow the entire area is known as Mystic. We further learned that Mystic has its own zip code, fire district and historical district.
Well, with that mystery unsolved, we began the estimated 3-hour car ride from the New York Area. We left at 9 am, and we were pleasantly surprised at how smoothly we sailed to Mystic in 2 ½ hours during midweek.
Our first stop was lunch at Seamen's Inn, which is immediately before the entrance to Mystic Seaport. As expected, the menu was filled with tantalizing seafood specialties. Don and I both tried the creamy Lobster Bisque, which was chock full of lobster chunks. I followed the soup with a Caesar salad with grilled shrimp, while Don had the Jonah crab cake sandwich. Both were delicious, and we left the restaurant filled and ready to explore Mystic Seaport.
Unfortunately, we picked a day that was a record 99 degrees, so armed with water bottles, sunglasses and hats, we set off. Our tour guide was Sarah Fisher. Sarah gave us some glimpses of history as we took in the sights.
This area was the biggest area for shipbuilding in the United States in the 18th century. The land which Mystic Seaport sits on is the country's leading Maritime Museum, housing three distinct areas: a shipyard, exhibit galleries, and a 19th century village. Mystic Seaport's aim is to educate its guests not only in the unique history of shipbuilding, but the current trends in that area today. There are 3 ships to tour and one of them, the "Sabino" goes out on a cruise for an additional charge.
The summer is the seaport's busiest time of the year, each area filling with families. Spring brings an abundance of school groups, and with fall comes the foliage bus tours. Even December has its own attraction with Holiday Lantern Tours led by costumed guides.
Admission is currently $17, $9 for children, but that includes a "next day" admission for free. There is plenty to see here for all ages.
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"Charles W. Morgan" at Mystic Seaport | |
We toured the boat "Charles W. Morgan," which is the gem of the seaport's vast collection of over 500 vessels. The "Morgan" voyaged the world working for a very long period of time -- 80 years! Most whaling ships worked an average of 20 years before retiring. It was built in 1841, and acquired by the museum in 1941. During its long history, it sailed 37 separate voyages and survived 38 hurricanes. Restoring vessels this age is no easy task, and this restoration took 10 years.
Touring the boat is an education, and a sight to see. The five sets of sails on this ship are raised every day weather permitting.
Life aboard this vessel was often hard and cruel to its young sailors, who averaged 16 to 19 years old. Often they would be out to sea for 3 to 5 years -- Yes, I wrote YEARS. There was a crew of about 35 on a ship whose deck was only 100'. We climbed down to where the bunks were, and I knew immediately a sailor's life was not for me. As you could imagine, the quarters are cramped with most of the men bunked side by side, or head to toe. Our guide informed us that there was a 4% death rate due to illness or malnutrition, but I truly imagined the number would be even higher. Besides lacking privacy and diversion, the ship had no refrigeration, and so they often were without fresh fruit or vegetables.
Walking through the "town," we visited the cooperage (the barrel maker), the Press, the Hoop Shop, the ship chandler and more. All of the staff was very talented and knowledgeable.
Since the temperature continued to hover around 99 degrees, we checked out the large (and cool) gift shop before heading off. In what is considered to be downtown Mystic, nestled in the shore of the Mystic River, we found the Mystic Art Association. This organization, celebrating its 90th year, is an educational non-profit organization that rotates its collection every 6 weeks. In 1913, an artist colony developed in this area and currently there are over 1,200 artist members in this association.
The Mystic Art Association also has a strong thrust in education, and they often hold workshops and classes. Of particular interest to the traveler are the 1-day workshops for tourists, and the "drop and shop" program" where by parents can "drop" off their children for art classes while they "shop" and explore the quaint shops of Mystic. What a great idea!
We traveled to our Bed and Breakfast to check in and to cool off. We were staying at Stonecroft, which was advertised as an 1807 Country Inn. The main house was the original B & B and was a Sea Captain's Country Estate. Our room was in the Grange section, which is a fancy word for the Barn. The exterior of the building was the old barn but the inside was clean, modern and almost "brand-new finished." Our accommodations were lovely and included a full-sized Jacuzzi bathtub. Donald, being the history buff of the family, was a little disappointed that in renovating much of the old world charm had to be lost to modernization. I could almost see his point through the dim mist rising from the relaxing hot Jacuzzi, and I considered it for a very short time, while nestled in bed watching TV in air-conditioned comfort.
Refreshed, we headed back to Mystic for dinner. We dined at the "S & P Oyster Company," a great restaurant with a wonderful view of the waterfront. Here I discovered Rhode Island Clam Chowder, a clear broth filled with potatoes, onions and clams. It's a much lighter soup than New England or Manhattan clam chowders, but just as tasty.
For the main course, I had their Surf and Turf special that included steak and shrimp. Don tried the shrimp scampi, and we were both too full to even attempt dessert.
Thank goodness the humidity and the temperature lowered, and there was a wonderful breeze off the water. We ended our day in Mystic by browsing the cute shops along the main street. Donald found the buy of the evening in an Army and Navy store. He collects Scout memorabilia, and we stumbled upon old Cub Scout shorts for $2.50 each. He was now truly a "happy camper" and that left me free to look through the boutiques.
Tomorrow we head off to Foxwoods, so we needed to head back to our B & B to get a good night's sleep.
Read part 2 | Read part 3
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