Connecticut - Mystic/Eastern

Ten Great Things To Do in Mystic/Eastern Connecticut

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Luck, Be a Lady Tonight

This region of Connecticut is home to not one but two massive casinos owned and operated by Native American tribes: Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, operated by the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, and the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, operated by the Mohegan tribe. Gamblers can look forward to thousands of slot machines and hundreds of table games, but that is only part of the story. The rest includes fine dining, shopping, golf, live entertainment, professional sports, and plenty of excitement.

Paintings Lighter Than Air

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Nicknamed the Home of American Impressionism, the Florence Griswold Museum, along the Lieutenant River in Old Lyme, exhibits colorful, lighter-than-air paintings from the Impressionist period. The museum includes a shop with the finest selection of art books on the Connecticut shoreline as well as posters, postcards, and notecards displaying some of the best-loved images in American art. Phone: 860-434-5542.

Artistic Ceramics in a Victorian Setting

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In Chester, 19th-century shops huddle the town's curved Main Street like a collection of gingerbread houses, home to art galleries, elegant shops and boutiques. One such shop, the aptly named Ceramica, peddles Renaissance-inspired Italian majolica ceramics, hand-painted by artisans in Tuscany and Umbria and amounting to an extraordinary collection of tableware and decorative accessories. Find the perfect Italian ceramic kitchen accessories, like canister sets, clocks, biscotti jars, salt and pepper sets, garlic pots, butter dishes. Other wonderful products include vases, lamps, wall plates, umbrella stands and more. Phone: 800-270-0900. In addition to the main shop in Chester, there are affiliate locations at 981 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford and at 9 Ferry Wharf in Jamestown, Rhode Island.

Atelier Is Open to Art Lovers

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Gilbert V. Boro is a sculptor, architect, educator, and international design consultant. He welcomes the public to visit him and watch him work at his Studio 80 + Sculpture Grounds on Lyme Street in Old Lyme. Born in New York City, Boro and has been involved in the arts since his boyhood. He has received two traveling fellowships and had numerous visiting teaching positions and has invested much of his time in nonprofit arts groups. Studio 80 is open to the public by appointment. Come and see the artist at work in his 3,500-square-foot custom-designed studio on four acres next to the Lieutenant River. Large and small scale works are on display. The Sculpture Grounds are open to the public Monday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 860-304-3359.

Beauty, History of Connecticut River
on Display at This Museum

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If you are drawn to the Connecticut River by the beauty of its unspoiled marshlands, the Connecticut River Museum on Main Street in Essex offers an exceptional vantage point in any season. From its docks you can see bald eagles, migratory birds, and a wide variety of waterfowl. The tidal wetlands that surround the Connecticut River Museum are an environmental treasure. If you are intrigued by the rich history of the River and its peoples, there is no better starting point than the museum’s galleries. Designed to appeal to children as well as adults, the family-friendly exhibits are filled with art and artifacts that link the river’s stories to our lives today. From dinosaurs to Dutch explorers, from native American canoes to the first American submarine, there is something here to capture every visitor’s interest. Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 860-767-8269.

Borough of Dreams

New England is not short of beautiful villages, but Stonington Borough, on a small peninsula in the Fisher’s Island Sound, is special. A walk through its tight streets is a joy by itself. Colonial-era houses rich with fine architectural details and dripping with flowers from window boxes are packed cheek-to-cheek along Water and Main streets, where you can find many intriguing antique shops. A handful of well-used fishing boats cluster at the town docks, which thrum with music and flags and cheer during the annual Blessing of the Fleet. All you need here is the power to stroll, gaze, and enjoy.

Bright Copper Kettles and Warm Woolen Mittens

People who love to shop for unusual and artistic things of lasting beauty have crossed the finish line when they get to Olde Mistick Village in Mystic. The replica of a 19th-century New England village is packed with interesting stores: children’s clothing, kites, jewelry, fine cookware, Native American arts, Oriental ceramics, silver, wine, angels and pajamas. The village also offers lots of special and fun public events with an eye to the delights of each season.

Buffalo Do Roam at This Expansive Playground

You don’t need to mosey out to the Dakotas to enjoy the sight of free-roaming buffalo. Creamery Brook Bison Farm in Brooklyn offers guided walking tours where visitors may observe groups of animals, make ice cream and butter, or eat lunch at a picnic area. There is also a 40-minute wagon ride through a working dairy farm and out to the fields to where the buffalo live. Watch the buffalo cows and calves come to the wagon for a snack of hay and grain. Other fun for families includes a farmyard petting area, a stand serving gourmet ice cream, and a gift shop. Call ahead for public hours. Phone: 860-779-0837.

They Call It the Silent Service

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There’s no getting around it: submarines are eerie and, to many of us, fascinating. At the USS Nautilus & Submarine Force Museum on Crystal Lake Road in Groton visitors can board the world's first nuclear-powered submarine and peer into the lives of the men who sail the ocean depths in their "sharks of steel." The museum recounts the development of the silent service from Bushnell's Turtle, used in the Revolutionary War, to modern submarines. Working periscopes, mini-theaters, gift shop. Hours of operation vary by season. Phone: 800-343-0079

Trail of Art Museums Traverses Connecticut

Here is a project that can keep you busy year-round: explore the 15 world-class museums and historic sites that comprise the Connecticut Art Trail. The trail meanders among historic sites, bucolic farms, art studios and former artists' boarding houses to grand and modern art museums in vibrant downtowns. Discover diverse, quality collections rich in history and heritage, including European masterpieces, American Impressionism, ancient art and contemporary culture. The trail includes a feature called Trail Getaways that presents recommended itineraries, organized by region, along with helpful suggestions for nearby places to visit and to dine.

The entire trail includes, in the Fairfield region, the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, the Bush-Holley Historic Site in Cos Cob/Greenwich, the Weir Farm National Historic Site in Wilton/Ridgefield, and the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk. In the Greater New Haven region: the Yale Center for British Art and the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven. In the Litchfield region, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield and Mattatuck Museum Arts and History Center in Waterbury. In the Mystic region, the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, the Slater Memorial Museum in Norwich, the William Benton Museum of Art in Mansfield/Storrs, the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, and the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain. In the Hartford / Central region, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford.

Farm Makes Wishes Come True

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Buttonwood Farm on Shetucket Turnpike in Griswold began as a dairy operation a little more than 30 years ago, and its history has continued to evolve. Which brings us, without further delay, to the farm’s home-made ice cream, served daily from noon or 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. from a modest storefront on the farm that often has lots of eager customers waiting at the “order” window. The waffle cones are made from scratch on the farm, too. Then, in 2003, the farmers planted an acre of sunflowers, which became an enormous attraction for flower lovers and photographers. This led to the farm’s “Sunflowers for Wishes” program. The farm gives a bouquet of sunflowers to anyone who asks in exchanger for a $5 donation, which does directly of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Sunflowers are sold July 19 to 27. How does that sound for a fine day on the farm? Open through October 31. Phone: 860-376-4081.

First Nations

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center, which is the world's largest Native American museum, offers experiences for young and old, from life-size dioramas that transport visitors into the past to changing exhibits and live performances of contemporary arts. Four acres of permanent exhibits depict 18,000 years of Native and natural history, while two libraries offer materials on the histories and cultures of all Native peoples of the continent.