SPECIAL TRAVEL SECTION - Vitality Magazine Cape Cod
SPECIAL TRAVEL SECTION - Vitality Magazine Cape Cod
SPECIAL TRAVEL SECTION - Vitality Magazine Cape Cod
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<strong>SPECIAL</strong> <strong>TRAVEL</strong> <strong>SECTION</strong><br />
If you’ve ever stopped at the Mystic,<br />
Connecticut exit off I-95 to get gas or<br />
food near Exit 90, or if you’ve just looked<br />
down from the Interstate and seen the<br />
signage on the southeast side of the<br />
intersection of I-95 and Rt. 27 from the<br />
highway, you may be under the mistaken<br />
impression that "Mystic Village" (a<br />
shopping center) and the Mystic<br />
Aquarium, (which you can see from the<br />
Interstate), are the only main attractions<br />
in Mystic. Such is not the case.<br />
Over the years, the signage as you get<br />
off Interstate 95 and head south on Rt. 27<br />
has indeed caused confusion. To<br />
overcome the confusion, here are the key<br />
points of interest in Mystic in a nutshell:<br />
· The Mystic Aquarium (next to I-<br />
95)<br />
· Mystic Village (the Shopping<br />
Center next to I-95)<br />
· Mystic Seaport: The Museum of<br />
America & The Sea (a 17-acre trip into<br />
PAGE 24, VITALITY, July 2004<br />
history--sort of Mystic’s answer to<br />
Plymouth Plantation).<br />
· Downtown Mystic (which offers<br />
shopping and restaurants, a historic<br />
drawbridge, and gorgeous scenery).<br />
ATTRACTIONS IN THE MYSTIC<br />
AREA:<br />
Mystic Seaport: The Museum of<br />
America & The Sea: This recreated 19thcentury<br />
seafaring village is made up of<br />
dozens of real New England buildings<br />
staffed with historians, musicians,<br />
storytellers and craftspeople who bring<br />
The misleading sign that greets drivers coming off I-95.<br />
From the deck of the Charles W. Morgan,<br />
a view of the Joseph Conrad.<br />
our seafaring past to life, from<br />
shipsmiths and coopers, to woodcarvers<br />
and chanteymen.<br />
The Seaport started back in 1929<br />
when an industrialist, a lawyer and a<br />
physician formed the Marine Historical<br />
Association--forefunner to today’s<br />
Mystic Seaport. Their mission was to<br />
"create a dynamic educational<br />
institution that would preserve<br />
America’s maritime culture, and turn<br />
the achievements of the past era into an<br />
inspirational force for the future."<br />
Mystic Seaport has three main<br />
areas: the Shipyard, the Village and<br />
Exhibit Galleries:<br />
The “Shipyard” is a remarkable<br />
place, mainly because the art of wooden<br />
shipbuilding is largely a lost art. It<br />
includes a 1920 sawmill, a spar lathe that<br />
can turn a 100’ log, and exhibits on<br />
shipbuilding and marine engines. You<br />
can also see where the recreated Amistad<br />
was constructed in 1998. (Also in the<br />
film "Amistad", Mystic Seaport<br />
represented New Haven Harbor of<br />
1839.)<br />
The recreated 19th century<br />
“Village” is where you can board the tall<br />
ships, including: the Charles W.<br />
Morgan, the Emma C. Berry, the Sabino<br />
and the L.A. Dunton. You’ll also enjoy<br />
the shops and talking to tradesmen like<br />
the cooper and the blacksmith.<br />
The "Exhibit Galleries" are brimming<br />
with permanent and changing<br />
exhibits offering glimpses into other eras<br />
and cultures, including the acclaimed<br />
Voyages: Stories of America and the Sea,<br />
restored vessels, figureheads, ship<br />
carvings and vintage photography. The<br />
new exhibit “Sea Dogs” celebrates canine<br />
participation in the maritime world.<br />
While in the Exhibit Galleries, try<br />
the nearby Seaman's Inn for lunch or<br />
dinner. It's typical New England fare and<br />
the dress is casual. Open 7 days. (860-<br />
572-5303).<br />
Mystic Seaport is open every day of<br />
the year except Christmas. Adult<br />
admission to the 17-acre facility is $17<br />
and is good for two consecutive days.<br />
(www.visitmysticseaport.com)<br />
The Mystic Aquarium was opened in<br />
1973 in Stonington, Connecticut. In 1999,<br />
it reopened, having united with Dr.<br />
Robert Ballard’s Institute for Exploration.<br />
The merging of the two and the<br />
expansion of the 18-acre facility was at a<br />
cost of $52 million. It has 36 exhibits<br />
containing 200 plus species and 4,400<br />
specimens.<br />
You know this Aquarium is going to<br />
be different the minute you walk up to the<br />
entry pavilion designed by worldrenowned<br />
architect Cesar Pelli. It is<br />
reminiscent of 19th-century garden<br />
pavilions.<br />
Inside the Aquarium, there’s a<br />
30,000-gallon coral reef exhibit with<br />
above and below-water viewing.<br />
The California Coast exhibit is a<br />
5,000-gallon Western habitat allowing<br />
visitors to feel a part of the exhibit.<br />
Pribilof Islands exhibit features<br />
Steller sea lions, the largest of all sea<br />
lions, and northern fur seals.<br />
Lions of the Sea is a fast-paced, fun<br />
show that has people and sea lions<br />
working together.<br />
Also at the Aquarium, folks of every<br />
age group enjoy getting very close to the<br />
Beluga whale or the penguins. The<br />
Aquarium’s new Immersion Project<br />
allows you to travel to the depths of<br />
America’s National Marine Sanctuaries.<br />
Deep sea cameras, a remotely-operated<br />
vehicle and a live video, fed to their<br />
interactive theater let you explore the<br />
seas. There’s also the ever-popular Sea<br />
Lion Show. (www.mysticaquarium.org)<br />
Institute for Exploration has<br />
exhibits highlighting Dr. Ballard’s<br />
current and ongoing research projects<br />
including Challenge of the Deep, which<br />
explains the technology he utilizes for<br />
deep ocean explorations, such as the one<br />
that located Titanic; “PT 109 Courage<br />
Under Fire”, which explains the finding<br />
of JFK’s PT109, which was sunk by a<br />
Japanese destroyer, and “Noah’s Flood<br />
and Ancient Shipwreck,” which to date<br />
has discovered an ancient Phoenician<br />
wreck.<br />
The newest exhibits include Return to<br />
Titanic, which includes an 18’ scale<br />
replica of the Titanic, and “Salvage<br />
Ancient Seas.“ (www.ife.org)<br />
A couple of minute's drive from<br />
Mystic you'll find Stonington's Old<br />
Lighthouse Museum, which commemorates<br />
the first government lighthouse in<br />
Connecticut, built in 1823. The original<br />
30’ tower was once a beacon for ships<br />
approaching Stonington’s habor from<br />
L.I. Sound. It remained active until 1840.<br />
Located at DuBois Beach, in Stonington,<br />
it is open 10-5 daily during July and<br />
Blacksmithing at Mystic Seaport<br />
August and closed Mondays the other<br />
months. (860-535-1440)<br />
The 16-room Captain Nathaniel B.<br />
Palmer House is a national historic<br />
landmark. (Nathaniel Palmer is credited<br />
with the discovery of Antarctica and also<br />
The ship’s bow figurehead collection at<br />
the Exhibit Galleries, Mystic Seaport<br />
A 19th century conveyance at visiting Mystic Seaport
<strong>SPECIAL</strong> <strong>TRAVEL</strong> <strong>SECTION</strong><br />
The quaint, very pubby lounge at the Seaman’s Inn at Mystic Seaport<br />
Stonington’s Old Lighthouse Museum<br />
being instrumental in the building of the<br />
fastest and largest clipper ships.) Built in<br />
1852 by two brothers--Captains Nathaniel<br />
Brown Palmer and Alexander<br />
Smith Palmer, the house is located at the<br />
upper end of Stonington Harbor. Once<br />
threatened by demolition, the home was<br />
purchased by the Stonington Historical<br />
Society in 1994 and is now preserved. The<br />
house is open 10-4 daily except Mondays.<br />
For more information, call 860-535-8445.<br />
Another interesting activity located<br />
near Foxwoods (only 7 miles from<br />
Mystic), is the Mashantucket Pequot<br />
Museum & Research Center--the largest<br />
native American research center in<br />
America. Don’t be fooled by this<br />
museum’s prison-like exterior, (which<br />
belies its well-designed and very<br />
interesting interior). The 85,000-squarefoot<br />
museum relates the Pequot’s<br />
journey beginning with the last Ice Age<br />
through present day. One film that<br />
visiters should not miss is ”Federal<br />
Recognition”, which tells the story of how<br />
the Tribe received Federal recognition as<br />
a tribe. It’s a fascinating story.<br />
There are other films and videos<br />
throughout the museum, plus dioramas<br />
that are meticulously done. There is also<br />
an actual archeological dig a few hundred<br />
yards from the museum that you can ask<br />
Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House<br />
day 9-5, except on some holidays.<br />
Admission is $15 or $13 for seniors. The<br />
museum has an excellent cafeteria that<br />
serves lunch. For more information<br />
about the Museum, call 800-411-9671<br />
(www.pequotmuseum.org)<br />
Where to stay?<br />
While dozens of hotels have sprung<br />
up in the area in recent years, the nicest<br />
place to stay in Mystic is still the 67-room<br />
Inn At Mystic. It’s right downtown at the<br />
corner of Rt. 27 and Rt. 1. Looking at this<br />
elevated property from street level on<br />
Route 1, the size of the Inn is deceiving.<br />
Actually, the several buildings on the<br />
property cover 15 acres. It's easy to<br />
understand why the grounds were used<br />
centuries ago by native Indians due to its<br />
elevated position (a natural fortification)<br />
overlooking the Mystic waterfront.<br />
One of the Inn’s buildings is the<br />
colonial revival Haley Mansion, built in<br />
1904. And although all of the Inn’s rooms<br />
are tasteful and squeeky clean, a room in<br />
the mansion is a wonderful experience.<br />
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall<br />
stayed in this lovely home on their<br />
honeymoon. Rooms are decorated with<br />
period furnishings, a queen-sized bed,<br />
The lounge at the Flood Tide Restaurant<br />
The Inn At Mystic’s pool area and Flood Tide Restaurant<br />
prepared table side. They also have<br />
several unique entrees prepared by Chef<br />
Bob Tripp in a wood-fired grill, oven and<br />
rotisserie. And there are a number of<br />
sauteed specialties on the menu as well.<br />
A pianist plays nightly on the weekends.<br />
Breakfast and lunch is served daily as well<br />
One of many dioramas at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center<br />
to see. Wear some appropriate shoes,<br />
however.<br />
The Pequot Museum is open every<br />
whirlpool and done in designer fabrics.<br />
These rooms overlook an orchard on one<br />
side, with formal gardens and a pond with<br />
a waterfall on the other side.<br />
Also interesting are the rooms in the<br />
Gate House, which contain period<br />
antiques, English paneling and fireplaces<br />
with imported mantels.<br />
The Inn contains one of the nicest<br />
restaurants in town: the Flood Tide<br />
Restaurant. It’s one of the few places left<br />
where you can still get a Caesar’s salad<br />
The “Mansion” at the Inn At Mystic<br />
as Afternoon tea--served from 4-5 pm.<br />
When booking your room, be sure to<br />
ask about the many interesting special<br />
packages offered by the Inn At Mystic.<br />
The most unique includes a tour of the<br />
Newport mansions in a Rolls Royce.<br />
There’s a Haley Mansion Anniversary<br />
Package that’s very romantic. Other<br />
plans include meals and other options.<br />
(860-536-9604 www.innatmystic.com)<br />
Mystic is exit 90 off I-95 and is a little<br />
over 2 hours drive from <strong>Cape</strong> <strong>Cod</strong>.<br />
There’s plenty to do there. And don’t<br />
leave without letting yourself get lost on<br />
the side streets of Mystic, Stonington and<br />
Noank. These are charming residential<br />
neighborhoods with historic home<br />
architecture. Also, be sure to take River<br />
Road, which goes around the “Mystic<br />
River.”<br />
And thanks for traveling.<br />
A Beluga Whale at Mystic Aquarium<br />
The Mystic Aquarium entry pavillion designed by architect Cesar Pelli<br />
‘TELL ‘EM<br />
YOU READ IT<br />
IN VITALITY<br />
PAGE 25, VITALITY, July 2004