The Best Places to Visit in Mystic, Connecticut

Wondering what some of the best places to visit in Mystic, Connecticut are? Read about my weekend in Mystic to get some ideas for fun activities that the whole family can enjoy.

Note: You may notice that many photos of my son are not of his face, and that his back is turned to the camera. I’m trying to be very purposeful with how I use his photos, and responsible when considering his future digital footprint. He is too young to give his consent or opinions on being featured on a public forum, and until he is, I try to limit his photos. I also try very hard not to post photos of crowds, as there might be children in the crowd, and I want to give the same respect to other parents and families. Thank you for understanding!

For exactly one year of my life, I lived in Connecticut while attending college.

I wound up transferring schools, but in my one year there, I fell in love with a town in particular – Mystic.

The film Mystic Pizza, which was Julia Roberts breakout role, put the sleepy seaside village on the map for travelers. (More on that later.) Whenever friends or family would come visit, we would take the drive from New Britain to Mystic, and walk around the picturesque streets and look out over the water.

Now, years later, and with some money in my pocket, I was finally able to see some real sights in Mystic, and enjoy it with my little family.

Mystic Aquarium.

During typical times, Mystic Aquarium has a ton to offer for guests of all ages. I’m always impressed by the number of opportunities to get up close and personal with sea life. For a hefty price tag, you can paint with sea lions and personally meet and take a photo with an African penguin. With COVID still active, this was the closest anyone could get to the animals. I don’t know how much they paid this whale, but everyone was delighted that he swam back and forth so close to the viewing station.

The aquarium hosts the usual array of starfish, stingrays, jellies, and multi-colored invertebrates. But our son, now a toddler, has really no interest in those things. (That’s OK, we only paid money to come here HA). However, their animatronic dinosaur exhibit was top notch! He was mesmerized by the T-Rex in particular, and I’m not going to lie..so were we. The sounds and movements were impressive, if only a tad alarming.

Unfortunately, I have to call the aquarium out.

I was under the impression that we would have been allowed to sample some of the fish, as many looked delicious. To hear that this was frowned upon was a disappointment.

I’m kidding. But in all seriousness, the aquarium’s following of safe COVID procedures fell short. Yes, there is “timed entry” but what is the point when throngs of people are allowed in and are standing on top of one another in enclosed spaces? I didn’t take any photos of the crowds because I don’t really believe in posting pics of children, no matter how innocuous, but trust me, it was PACKED. We felt uneasy, unsafe, and left early, missing most of the exhibits. The over-crowded spaces made guests irritable, edgy, and the aquarium felt like a potential powder keg. The dinosaur exhibit was significantly less crowded. We maybe saw ten other people inside.

Mystic Pizza.

The year is 1988. I’m not born yet. I like to point that out to show how youthful I am. The film “Mystic Pizza” airs and America falls in love with the coming of age, rom-com tale featuring three young women who work at a small pizza shop called Mystic Pizza. America also falls in love with Julia Roberts.

Mystic Pizza is certainly one of the essential places to visit in Mystic, Connecticut. While the film mostly takes place outside the shop, and features a different interior, you can still visit and order some pizza with secret sauce and pick up merchandise. I bought a pizza cutter so that when people see that it says, “Mystic Pizza” they’ll ask about it and I can tell them about my trip. Does anyone else do that? The consistency of the ‘za is nice, it’s a mix between a New York thick crust and a Chicago deep dish. Weird, but it almost has a “fluffy” or airy consistency, which makes it frighteningly easy to eat an entire pie by yourself. It’s not dripping with oil, but has the right amount of toppings.

Make sure you order the pineapple and ham (Hawaiian) pizza. *Loses many followers*

Mystic Seaport Museum

I’ve been around the world. I’ve seen a ton of museums. I’m telling you, THIS museum is the move. If you’re low on time, this should be high on your list of places to visit in Mystic, Connecticut. It gets my highest praise in terms of value. Here’s why:

• Children under four are FREE. Most places have a cut off age of two.
• Adults are $26.00 per ticket, however, you get a free book. Not a pamphlet, an actual book that is nice enough to display on a coffee table included with your purchase.
• You get free admission within seven days if you want to visit again. Let’s say one of the kids is having a melt down and you have to leave, you can simply come back the next day and try again!
• Boat rides (guided and row your own) and demonstrations are included with the price of your ticket

Come on! That is a fucking steal!

The Mystic Seaport Museum is more than just a bargain, it’s genuinely interesting. Personally, as a history nerd and someone with an imagination the size of the Grand Canyon, I could have spent the entire day here.

I’ve been really into Outlander lately, and so often TV and books inform my travels.

While Outlander is set in Scotland, the time period of the show is just about the same as the museum.

You can view and climb aboard a variety of boats from the 1700s and 1800s, including a pirate ship. In addition, guests can visit the seaport village which is an AMAZING recreation of what a real seaport village would have looked like in the 18th and 19th centuries. Watch merchants and business owners practice their craft, and pop into little buildings to see what banks and school supply stores would have looked like.

This museum is incredible because it’s a living open air museum. You’re not just looking at exhibits, you are walking among history. It’s so easy to imagine that you have been transported back in time as you mosey around with your family or friends and spend the day. Don’t worry, the Schaefer Tavern has you covered with frozen drinks (with GOOD alcohol) and beer for when your kids start to act like a freaking fool. You can walk around with your drinks, too.

Lobster Rolls

Situated right on the water, the perfect cuisine to eat throughout your stay is obviously seafood. You’ll certainly have your pick of lobster rolls in the town, as they’re sold nearly everywhere. Sea Swirl had a fantastic one that comes both hot or cold, and has clarified butter served on the side.

Most lobster roll shacks try to skimp on the meat. But not this place. Definitely get your money’s worth of fresh lobster, plenty of mayo, and the crunchiness of the celery WOO CHILD. Do it.

Olde Mistick Village.

This much adored village is home to over 60 shops, all of which are unique. I dare you to try to spend less than a half day here! Here are my favorites:

Bleu Squid Bakery.

I would start your day here with a breakfast sandwich, iced coffee, and a cupcake. The cupcakes are infamous, available in dozens of flavors, and have won the title of “Connecticut’s Best” cupcakes. You can’t go wrong with the egg, ham, caramelized onion, and goat cheese sandwich, it’s an elevated take on an old classic. Be warned that the wait can be pretty lengthy, so make plans on getting here early.

Sticky Situations.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know that honey came in more than one flavor (honey flavor.) Take your pick from tangy raspberry to the more spicy chipotle honey. The variety is impressive. Don’t forget to sample the maple syrups straight from the tap.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

I’m a sucker for olive oil tastings, it’s in my culture. Typically, you receive little pieces of bread to try each oil or vinegar with, but because of COVID you just get to take shots instead which was…different. I loved that each oil was super concentrated and true to its label, but not overpowering. The top contenders for oil were French Lavender, Garlicky Tomato, Meyer Lemon, and Margarita Avocado Oil. The last one sounds odd, but the flavor was true to its name. It legitimately had the zest and sting of a margarita.

If you cook a lot, you know that a Meyer lemon has a very different taste from a regular one. To have captured that in the oil was remarkable to me. (One day you’re partying with friends, the next day you’re discussing the differences in lemons on a public forum. Jeez.) Wondering what to put your oil on? Don’t worry, they sell pasta as well (naturally).

Becca Rose.

Hands down the most relaxing and best selling store in the village. Do I have a graduate degree? Yes. Do I have a healthy level of love for mysticism and the cosmos? Definitely. We bought sage here to cleanse our son’s room before he was born, and the staff was really awesome in teaching us how to use it. Stop in here for some good vibes!

Honorary Mention: Deviant Donuts.

I didn’t get to make it here, but I really wanted to try these donuts. The line was soooo freaking long. With a toddler in tow, I knew spending most of our time waiting in line was a bad move. The shop does a different theme each week, and the week we visited was 80s week! You can place your order 48 hours in advance and pick up almost immediately on your day to arrive.

Alice in the Village.

Alice in Wonderland is one of my idiosyncratic, obsessive interests. If there is an Alice in Wonderland themed ANYTHING, without a doubt I will find it when I travel. This tea shop and bakery blew me away. From the color changing, butterfly, cotton candy tea to the bajillion macarons that I ordered, everything was brilliant. Additionally, the store sells Alice merchandise, most of which I’ve never seen elsewhere. The room off to the left hosts tea parties. But if you’re in a rush you can put in a to-go order for a tea tray of treats in advance, and pick them up when they are available.

Pop on the Block.

You all know that I obsess over popcorn. I can’t imagine life without popcorn. Pop on the Block, listen to me…is the BEST popcorn store on the planet. Period. You will not find more awesome flavors anywhere, in addition to some really outlandish ones. Dill pickle, banana, and buttery ranch are just a few outliers. The owner gives out free samples, so be on the lookout for those before you purchase. However, you really can’t go wrong. I bought a bunch, from the salty to the sweet, to the absolutely bizarre, and I didn’t have a single bad flavor.

Bestemors.

So many travelers are obsessed with Scandinavia, and I’m one of them. So far I’ve only been to Oslo, but I love the Scandies none the less. Bestemors is a shop dedicated entirely to Scandinavian products, and I could have spent two hours getting lost in all of them. Ornaments? Yes. Baby clothes? Yes. Swedish dish clothes? Yes. Books for Babies about Vikings? Yep. SCANDINAVIAN FOODS AND TREATS!? YESSSSSSSS. The best part…they do rune readings! If you’re a passionate Viking celebrant as I am, you must do this.

Irish Eyes.

An entire store dedicated to clothes, signs, jewelry, and souvenirs from the Emerald isle. So if you have an incredibly Gaelic name, and have never found a key chain in Walmart with your name written on it, you will for sure find one here. In addition the soft, traditional music playing in the background is not a bad touch.

I will write this on every travel with family post that I create: Do not be discouraged if your children have you moving slowly, or if you don’t “accomplish a lot.” Enjoy your time together, and don’t have unreasonable expectations. For two hours at the Mystic Seaport Museum, our son ONLY wanted to push his stroller, despite so much cool shit being around us. He would throw a fit when we would try to persuade him to see something else at times. It happens!

On a family vacation, everyone gets a say in an activity. Even if some family members merely want to push their stroller into crowds of oncoming people 🙂

Summer is not over yet! There’s plenty of weekends left to pack up your family and head to Mystic, Connecticut. Even when the summer does end, Mystic is still a lovely place to visit all throughout the fall!