[kimrocktherealtor]

Hey guys,
My husbands birthday is next weekend so I decided to surprise him w a mini vacation to drive up to CT and explore. I've only ever been to the casinos, no where else. We were thinking of staying in either the Mystic area, New London, or I did find another cute vacation rental in Dayville (but Dayville seems kind of far from everything?) ... We will want to spend part of one day in the casinos of course, but we also love good food, wineries and history. So we want to be somewhere central to that stuff. Do you guys feel Dayville is out of the way? Is it a good area? Or should we stick to the places we found in New London instead? Our other thought was going to Newport RI and then doing a day trip to CT one of the days. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks! Ideally we just want to stay somewhere that you would consider central and easy to get around from (we will have a car though). Also suggestions on places to check out would be appreciated as well.

[SLippi]

I think Dayville would probably be out of the way. Mystic would be better for a weekend getaway since there's more to do. I'm not sure if they have anything this time of year but CT has wine trails throughout the state and you can do traveling tours/wine tastings.

The Mashantucket Pequots (the tribe that runs Foxwoods) have a museum about their history.

Mystic has the aquarium, seaport, the first nuclear sub, and a nice downtown area. A lot of the food around here will be seafood related but there are steak houses/pizza places (like mystic pizza)/etc.

Bluff Point State Park is pretty nice if you want to spend an hour or so relaxing on a beach and a mini-hike. I’ve been to a few of the state parks and they all were nice. Gillette Castle is a nice trip and has a museum about his life inside (never did the tour). Ft Griswold may interest you (never been) it’s the site of a Revolutionary War Massacre. Ft Trumbull may interest you as well but I believe it may be closed this time of year. No matter what I’d say the parks require decent weather. Hartford also has a decent amount of history related museums/attractions.

I never really liked Foxwoods and Mohegan closed the restaurant I liked so I’ve lost some interest there as well even though they do still have good dining options. But there are always things to do at them. Unfortunately Mohegan’s having a wine/food tasting this week which doesn’t help you but maybe Foxwoods would have something similar next week.

[SIZE=3]Newport is nice and has plenty to see/do but some places will likely be closed this time of year. I went a few years ago with the ex around this time of year, we beat the busy season but some of the “must do” places were closed. We were lucky that we went on a weekend that was in the 70s so we really enjoyed our trip.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Hopefully this gives you a starting point. If you can think of anything more specific you’d like to do or know let us know.[/SIZE]

[GrotonMan]

I do think Dayville would be kind of out of the way for the things that you are looking for. Along the coast from New London to even Westerly RI would be more central to what you are looking for.


Mystic is not a city in and of itself, it is a subdivision of both Groton and Stonington on either side of the Mystic River and does have quite a nice downtown area. I would say check out New London and Groton for slightly less expensive vacation rentals. You can find some stuff in really nice neighborhoods of Groton close to Mystic for significantly less than if you are actually in the boundaries of Mystic. Stonington and particularly Stonington Borough will probably be pretty expensive, but they will also be very nice if money isn't high on your list of things to leave with lol.


The Newport idea is also great. Newport is a beautiful city with myriad historical sites. Touring the mansions is a great activity and will easily take an entire day for a couple of them, more if you decide to go back.

Here in CT there are the Mystic Aquarium, Mystic Seaport, Olde Mystic Village, and Downtown Mystic. Across town on the western side of Groton is the USS Nautilus and Submarine Force Museum, Fort Griswold State Park Museum and Monument(monument not open yet, and I don't think the museum is yet either), Shennecossett Golf Course, and the historic Eastern Point District including the University of Connecticut Avery Point campus with the Branford House and Project Oceanology[they offer different cruises from seal watches to interesting oceanographic cruises]. There is also Bluff Point State Park, Haley Farm State Park, athletic fields [if you want to spend some family time playing a sport], and some orchards in the central portion of the town. That is all in just Groton, there are a plethora of things to do in New London, Stonington, Waterford, East Lyme/Niantic, Ledyard, Norwich, and Pawcatuck/Westerly. Southeastern Connecticut is full of great things to do if you take the time to figure out where you want to go and actually do it. Without leaving Groton and Mystic you could easily spend several days just beginning to experience some of the things we have here and learning so much about the history and workings of America and its relationship with the sea. I hope you enjoy your short stay in the area as much as I have enjoyed my prolonged stay! If you have any more questions please feel free to ask!

Grotonman

[kimrocktherealtor]

Thanks guys - I have decided 100% on staying in CT vs RI .. So now I just have to narrow down where to stay. I have found a few inexpensive things in New London and am leaning towards going with those. Is that a nice/safe area?

[GrotonMan]

Where in New London are your options?

[kimrocktherealtor]

I don't have the addresses, I will ask for them.. But here are the listings if you can figure it out by them:
https://www.itravex.com/list/42612
and
https://www.itravex.com/list/14878

[GrotonMan]

I just looked over those listings, I found a map where the first one is and that neighborhood is very nice. I am not 100% certain of the exact location of the second one, but I'm pretty sure it is actually closer to the water than the first one, which puts it in a very nice neighborhood as well.

[mels]

That area has had major flooding recently, make sure you call before you go anywhere and find out about road closures, flood damage, etc

[Lowerdeck]

Dayville is a little over a half hour from the casinos, 45 minutes from New London, a little more to Mystic and Westerly. If you wanted something a little more centralized, Dayville isn't it. It's nice, quiet, and out of the way. But you'd end up having to go 395 back and forth a minimum of 30 miles each way.

[kimrocktherealtor]

I just had one good option come up in Newport RI .. it's very nice and inexpensive so now I am deciding between the 2 new london homes vs the Newport home. It's listing is: https://www.itravex.com/list/50342

Grotonman (or anyone else who wishes to help): Would you say this is worth going to due to the price being half of the New London ones, or do you feel strongly that it's out of the way and things will be closed vs more things to do in New London area? I plan on making a decision within the next day or two. Thanks!!! You guys have been SO helpful!