Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we visit Mystic, Connecticut! It’s a beautiful seaside town that is well worth coming to. As you know, here at Wolters World, we like to prepare travelers with the good, and the bad, of visiting a new travel destination. So these are the five things you’ll love, and the five things you’ll hate when you visit Mystic Connecticut.
Hate #1: Getting to Mystic Connecticut
If you are driving to Mystic, especially from the south, it can be annoying. I-95 can experience lengthy delays, especially around New York. Once you’re stuck in traffic, there’s pretty much nothing you can do. The best thing you can do is to plan your route to avoid New York, or at least avoid rush hour traffic.
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Hate #2: Summer Tourist Season
Mystic is really a summer destination and it can feel crowded with tourists. A lot of New Yorkers keep a summer home here, so they tend to flood the town with visitors, too. Mystic hotels and parking can be hard to come by, and sometimes you may need to make restaurant reservations as they fill up, too. The town seems to handle the crowds very well, though, so it’s not a huge issue, just something to keep in mind when choosing your dates.
Hate #3: Prices in Mystic
It’s expensive to visit Mystic. Expect east coast, high season prices. Mystic hotels, restaurants, gas stations, tours, and attractions are all a bit inflated in Mystic. It’s not as expensive as Boston or New York, but Mystic is definitely not a budget destination. It is possible to find affordable accommodation in Mystic, but the more reasonable hotels sell out quickly in the summer.
Hate #4: Tourist Traffic
Most people who visit Mystic will come by car, so along with all of the tourists in summer, there is also a lot of traffic. And they are mostly New York drivers. Even on the sidewalks, you run into traffic jams because people just stop paying attention and will block up the sidewalk or roads.
Hate #5: Mystic Winter
Mystic has six to eight months of winter, which is why the majority of tourists come to Mystic in the summer. It’s beautiful in the winter, but very cold and a lot of businesses just close for the winter. A lot of the best things to do in Mystic are outdoors, so it really is best to visit in the summer, or the shoulder seasons of late spring and early fall.
Love #1: Mystic Seaport
The Mystic Seaport is a 19-acre maritime museum. They have whaling ships, schooners, steamboat rides and a drawbridge you can go out on. There are over one million artifacts of maritime history. The interpreters and docents are super knowledgable and informative. The museum also has lots of fun kid activities, like model shipbuilding. This is actually the #1 tourist sight in Connecticut, so it’s one of the best things to do in Mystic CT.
Love #2: Downtown Mystic & Stonington
Another of the best things to do in Mystic CT, and nearby Stonington, is to wander the downtown streets. Each town is a picture-perfect East Coast seaside village. It’s everything you expect in a small Connecticut town. There are quaint shops and local restaurants to check out, so make sure you leave time to just wander around.
Love #3: Food in Mystic
The food in Mystic is amazing, especially the seafood. You can get fresh seafood pretty much right out of the sea. If you don’t like seafood, there is other good stuff to eat in Mystic. One of the most popular Mystic restaurants is the Engine Room, which is known for its great burgers. You will probably want to check out Mystic Pizza if you’ve seen the movie, but the locals will tell you to go to the Stonington Pizza Palace instead. We enjoyed both! Drawbridge Ice Cream is another must-try spot in Mystic. There’s actually great beer in Mystic, too. At the Velvet Mill, try the Beer’d Brewing Company. They have great beer, and it makes a good souvenir to bring back home with you.
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Love #4: People in Mystic
For as many tourists as they have come through Mystic, the people are still super friendly and helpful. I met one traveler who was offered a ride by a friendly local when he was out wandering the streets. You may have heard of the New England shield that locals put up, and it may be hard to really get to know the locals and become friends with them, but on the surface, they are very friendly and not hostile like some seasonal tourist towns can be.
Love #5: The Sea
Being on the ocean is such a great experience. You can take a steamboat tour at the Mystic Seaport, you can take sailing lessons or charter a fishing trip. Even if you stay on dry land, soaking in the sea breeze and listening to the crashing waves is a treat. Life in Mystic revolves around the sea, so you can expect to spend a lot of time in or around the sea.
Overall, Mystic is a really fantastic place, and we even extended our visit an extra day because we were enjoying it so much. The “hates” are really just things to have a heads up on rather than a reason not to visit Mystic. Want more tips for planning a US vacation? Check out these other blog posts: