Mystic

Mystic is more than just Mystic Seaport and Foxwoods. Today we visited the Pequot Museum and Research Center. WE HAD AN UNBELIEVABLE TIME! It was opened in 1998, to educate the public about the Algonquin Tribe. I loved the quote under their title: "Our legacy is yours."

The facility houses 85,000 square feet of exhibit space representing Indigenous People from 20,000 years ago to the present. The Pequot Tribal Counsel examined their available land, and, with environmental sensitivity, cleared four acres in order to put together this museum. Throughout the building and the exhibition space, the architecture and decoration reflects people and land as a unified organism, each dependent on the other. There is also a 185' observation tower, which is not yet open, but will afford visitors a total look at the landscape of their property. This unique and invaluable museum is the result of a $200 million investment enabled by the Foxwoods Casino revenues. The tribal council felt strongly that it was important to preserve the history, legacy and life journey of the Mashantucket Pequot and other indigenous people.

The museum houses a research library opened to the public as a reference room. It also includes a children's library serving both children and educators, with a vast collection of children's material by or about Native Americans.

Pequot Museum and Research Center

Inside the museum were many displays, dioramas, art works, films and computer stations. Three of the areas I found of extreme interest. One was called the Witness Theater, which housed a 25-minute film on a Pequot who was witness to the massacre of 1637. There 600 Pequots were killed by a British led force composed of English soldiers and Mohawks. This movie, done so well, told the story through the eyes of a young Pequot boy. It was sadly moving, as you saw the events that led up to the massacre and the devastation as he watched all of his family and friends murdered around him. After they set fire to the Village and the smoke cleared, only a handful of Pequots had escaped harm. Some were given into slavery, others simply scattered through the area and were forbidden to live as a Pequot. Somehow this Pequot boy lived to be a witness, to tell his story and to perpetuate his customs and history. Today, there are 900 people recognized as members of the tribe. Many of them have returned to their Connecticut homeland from all corners of this country. The film was enlightening, and a part of our history that we hear so little about.

The second area of this museum that you cannot help but be impressed by is a 22,000 square foot recreation of a Pequot Village in the 1500s. This is a walk-through exhibit with life-like presentations and no signage. There is nothing to read throughout this display. Visitors are given a telephone-like listening device, and as you approach an area, a number on the floor will tell you what number to press on the keypad. A recording will then give you the narration on the event you see. Consequently, the entire half-acre is somewhat quiet despite its many visitors, as each one walks through and learns about some of the customs and traditions of the Pequot's of that time period. I noticed kids were not bothering their parents with questions as each one independently listened to their own-guided tour. Throughout this area, the sounds predominately heard were the sound the Pequot's would have heard -- river water running, birds whistling, leaves rustling and etc. It was a fascinating experience that could hold your interest for hours.

The third area we went through was the photo gallery that housed various large pictures of different current tribal members. Due to intermarriage through the years, the many faces of the Pequots were as varied as those you might encounter on an everyday subway ride in Manhattan. This area shattered any stereotype of Native American.

Our tour guide, Aaron, had so much to show us, but we were off to our next stop on the agenda -- the benefactor of the facility -- Foxwoods.

Bingo at Foxwoods

Our purpose here was not to "donate," but to get an overview of the hotel and casino. We met Arthur Hendrick, director of public relations, who gave us a tour. Foxwoods was opened in 1992, and it currently contains six casinos, 25 restaurants, and a bingo hall. The bingo hall is what got the whole thing rolling in 1986. In 1997, the Grand Pequot Tower opened to the public with 800 rooms and suites. The whole complex now contains 1,400 rooms and 10 conference centers, and is mostly filled to capacity every weekend. There is a 25,000 square foot Ballroom and seating for 1,500 in case you're wondering where to hold your next function.

After the hotel, we toured the casino and I admit my heart began to beat a little faster with all the sights and sounds of winners, or at least potential winners. There are 6,500 slot machines and over 300 tables, and each one seemed to call to me. Don, on the other hand, was more interested in the natural lighting permeating the rooms, something I remember not seeing in any Atlantic City Casino. Arthur told us that the Tribal Council wanted light to reflect in, and the natural surroundings to be part of the setting. If you look closely, you will notice a natural theme to the architecture, the carpets and the railings. Don noticed the leaves in the rug; I noticed a big winner at the Poker Slot Machine. (My favorite!)

Donald and Arthur were unrelenting and pressed forward much to my dismay. Foxwoods also has its abundance of entertainment and shops. B.B. King has both a dance club and a nightclub on the midway behind the Casino. There is also a 1,400 seat state-of-the-art theater that Frank Sinatra opened in 1993. They started with the best, and they continue to draw the best. This month Jay Leno will be there.

All right, I could take touring no more. I politely told Arthur that I felt itchy, and he understood. We had only a short time before our dinner reservation in order for me to "donate," and I did. I'm sorry to say that I proved to be a little unlucky that day, but I had fun trying.

Dinner at StoneCroft

That night, we had dinner reservations at our B & B, Stonecroft, and even though I did not want to tear myself away from the sound of clinking coins, I was so glad I did. Our dinner proved to be a meal truly fit for a queen. The chef at The Grange is Drew Egy, son of the innkeepers. We began our meal with an appetizer of profiterole of goat cheese and spinach in a roasted pepper sauce. I have the least adventurous palate between Donald and I, and goat cheese already did not appeal to me, but after one taste, I finished the dish.

Don went on to a mixed field green salad, while I had the basil and lemon-marinated baby tomatoes and mozzarella. Delicious! As a main dish, Don tried the five spice seared duck breast with black lentil and ginger confit pudding, asparagus and wild mushroom hash. All of this came in a tower effect looking more like a picture than a food to be consumed. Don had forgotten what the side dishes consisted of, but he ate them and said, " I have no idea what this is, but it's delicious." I was presented with my entree, the grilled pub style sirloin with roasted Idaho potatoes and garden vegetables that tasted as if they were just picked. Our waiter called them wickedly al dente.

We were smiling, but stuffed and were going to pass on dessert, until our waiter mentioned the homemade sorbets prepared by Talbot, the pastry chef. Talbot combines fruits with fresh herbs and though the mixture sounds strange; they produced a surprisingly tasty result. We had a sampler of ginger blueberry, strawberry with cantaloupe, green apple-basil, lemon with cardamom, and black cherry with tarragon. Don loved the green apple basil and asked if they sold it by the pint. (Unfortunately they don't.)

The restaurant was casual elegance at its best. Our meal took almost 2 ? hours. We went to our room, collapsed and relaxed as we ended a wonderful day in the state of mind called Mystic.

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