City: Mystic, CT

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (860) 572-5302

Address: 75 Greenmanville Ave.

Insider Pick:

Description: This is one of Connecticut’s premier attractions, a re-creation of a whaling village that is pure recreation for all. Although you’ll probably just walk around staring at life in another century, don’t miss the educational reenactments throughout the day; they are what makes this place special. You can learn skills like rope making, printing, and oystering from experts dressed in period costume. Horse and buggy rides, sea chantey sing-alongs, tours of the tall ships, and the permanent Amistad exhibit are all ways to immerse yourself in the culture of the sea. There are lectures, concerts, and excursions, and there’s even a planetarium. The museum shop is huge, and full of treasures. If you’re here in New London County for a while, go to one of the living-history workshops or send your kids to the Mystic summer camps. In Oct and Dec the lamplight tours of the village are magical, and there are fun events throughout the year, like the marathon reading of Melville’s Moby Dick. The Seaport’s restaurant, the Spouter Tavern, is a great place to grab lunch while you’re walking around and taking it all in. Maybe it’s an obvious choice, but try the chowder. It tastes of history.