15 Romantic Things to Do In Mystic CT: Seaport And Beyond

WHY GO: Mystic Connecticut is probably the best known town in the State – by virtue of the living history Mystic Seaport Museum. And, of course, that maritime museum is worthy of a few hours or a day. But, there are so many other things to do in Mystic CT, a few miles from where the Mystic River meets Long Island Sound.

Over the last ten or so years, Mystic CT has risen to foodie prominence. In 2016, Sift Bake Shop, owned by Adam Young (who won Food Network’s Best Baker in America), opened to the delight of French pastry fanatics around the country. And just recently, The Shipwright’s Daughter garnered a coveted place on the New York Times 50 Best Restaurants in America list – the only restaurant in Connecticut with that distinction.

You’ll find more great dining, beluga whales, historic bridges, and quaint inns in this quite touristy town. For maximum romantic impact – come off-season (Spring and Fall) to beat the crowds.

(The Seaport is also where the Mayflower II was restored from 2016-2020, documented in this Mayflower II restoration piece).

Need more dreamy destination ideas in Connecticut? Check out our Best Romantic Getaways in CT post.

Things To Do In Mystic CT

TOUR: Mystic Seaport

Of the 2,700 commercial whaling ships that plied the seven seas in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, only one remains – not only in the United States, but in the whole wide world. The Charles W. Morgan. And it happens to reside right here.

Mystic Seaport is probably the most touristy attraction to ever grace the Getaway Mavens website, which is supposed to offer ideas about how to AVOID crowds. But in this case, why beat a dead horse? Or, how can you beat a dead horse? 

Or, what exactly IS a Dead Horse in the Seaport’s Dead Horse Ceremony? No, we’re not telling you here, but it is festive and fun and involves hoisting a canvas replica of a horse overboard to celebrate….something.

Stroll the 17 acres of Mystic Seaport, founded in 1929, and you might come across the engaging “Demonstration Squad” and Shanty singers who will do their best to drag you into their shticks.

Take a horse and carriage ride, amble around the boardwalks, bricks, cobblestones, and unpaved paths of Mystic CT, enjoy a beer at Spouter Tavern while listening to live jazz, take one or several boat tours, or just watch costumed interpreters at work.  

Check out what’s being restored at the duPont Preservation Shipyard – where all historic wooden boats end up for facelifts to full-on restoration. The Mayflower II spend a few years here before returning to Plymouth in 2020 (for the 400th anniversary of its namesake’s arrival there).

And Mystic Seaport’s pride and joy, the Charles W. Morgan, didn’t have to leave the premisis for her overhaul. Over 250 tons of government-protected Live Oak salvaged from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, along with other White Oak and Yellow Pine, were used to repair parts of the 113 ft. 165-year-old whaling ship. After being restored to sea-worthiness, the historic ship returned to the water in July, 2014. And after making her way around New England on its 38th voyage, is back to where she belongs.

The Thompson Exhibition Building, a huge futuristic boathouse-meets-space-shuttle-hangar, opened in 2015 at the North Entrance and hosts rotating exhibits in its soaring halls.

The standout contemporary architecture is reason enough to stop inside, though you can purchase Seaport tickets here as well. 

VISIT: Mystic Aquarium, Mystic CT

If you can’t resist the ghostly grace of rescued beluga whales, or the antics of African Penguins and Sea Lions, stop in at the Mystic Aquarium, where you can spend a day communing with seals, penguins, jellyfish, and other sea creatures in this beautifully well-rounded attraction that is so much more than an “aquarium.”

THRILL: Mystic Boat Adventures

You’re the captains of your own two-person watercraft (kind of like a paddleboat meets Segway meets jet-ski) on a 3-hour tour of the Mystic Waterfront through Mystic Boat Adventures. Built as catamarans, these small boats are as stable as can be, and fun to “drive.” It’s a unique and fun way to see Mystic – the way mariners, and romantics – do.

DO: Rent a Kayak or Paddle Board at Blue Heaven

There’s nothing more serene than paddling up the Mystic – past the Seaport and into a salt-marsh rimmed basin. It’s about a 6-mile round trip excursion, and the folks at Blue Heaven Kayak will fix you up with your preferred mode of water transport.

VISIT: Mystic Museum of Art

The Mystic Museum of Art might be small, but it packs a punch. See permanent and temporary exhibits in 4 galleries.

GO: Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center

If you’re in need of some forest bathing, or want your evening of birdwatching to end with wine, the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center satisfies. With over ten miles of trails on two adjoining sites (Coogan Farm and Denison Homestead), and fun programming for both families and adults, this woodland attraction can balance out all of those on-the-water activities.

SHOP: Historic Downtown Mystic CT

Shops change over quickly, so we don’t cover most on main street. But two have stood the test of time: Bank Square Books and Mystic Army Navy Store.

SHOP: Mystic Knotwork

Any kid who spends lots of time on boats will at some point or another purchase a Mystic Knotwork Original Handmade Sailor Bracelet, which he or she will wear for years until it’s so gunky, it must be removed. (Believe me. I know). But that’s not all that’s knotted in this 50+-year-old establishment. You’ll find placemats, key rings, jewelry, door mats, pet toys, and so much more. 

PHOTO OP: Mystic Bascule Bridge

Make sure to stroll over the bascule bridge in the downtown area, with its truck-sized cement counterweight poised overhead. Built in 1922, and rehabbed in 2013, it uses electric motors to drive huge wheels and “linkages” in its ingenious, pre-computer age, engineering.

SHOP/BITE: Sift Bake Shop

Forget Mystic Pizza, all visitors to this tourist town should head to the only Mystic bakery that counts: Sift. All I can say is Wow! You’ll hardly find another baked goods shop of this caliber outside of Paris. Owner/pastry chef par excellence, Adam Young, perfected the craft during his multi-year stint at the venerable revamped Ocean House Hotel in Watch Hill RI, and it is very apparent. Wow and wow again. Young also owns Mix Rooftop & Bar above Sift, and Young Buns Donuts in Mystic, as well as two other Sift Bake Shops in both Niantic CT and Watch Hill RI.

SHOP: Mystic River Chocolate Cafe

There’s a reason that chocolate is the confection of choice for Valentines Day. This new Mystic River Chocolate Cafe makes its own “Bean to Bar” Organic Craft Chocolate in Small Batches. So, it’s a perfect place to stop and shop with your S.O.  

SHOP/MOVIES: Olde Mistick Village

With establishments that include a movie cinema, Olde Mistick Village is a ye olde village like Jack Sparrow is a real pirate. But the open-air retail district (near Mystic Aquarium) is a nice diversion for shoppers: with the movie theater a great rainy day option.

Best Restaurants In and Near Mystic CT

EAT: The Shipwright’s Daughter, Mystic

By the look of things, the response to the New York Times 50 Best Restaurants in America 2024 List was instantaneous. Yes, The Shipwright’s Daughter had previously made waves in Mystic since its opening in 2020, and was already an impossible reservation.

But on September 24^th 2024 – two days after publication of The NYTimes piece – Shipwright’s was packed at 5pm. On a Wednesday night. Slammin’ during what’s usually a dead hour.

Executive Chef, David Standridge, who “embraces sustainability as a cornerstone principal,” and harvests ingredients from local waters and farms, heightens the dining experience with innovative combinations of tastes and textures, inserting fruits de mer wherever possible. So, you get starters like Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs with Clam Strips, and Monkfish Mortadella Toast. But there’s plenty for non-fish eaters to enjoy, including excellent vegan choices. Chef certainly has a way with regionally sourced mushrooms.

Me, I can attest to the epic Beef Strip Loin – sliced and juicy and more toothsome than most of the steakhouse steaks I’ve ever had. It comes with what has got to be the star of many a plate here – bars of thinly sliced, layered, and browned-to-crisp Potato Mille Feuille: a perfect ratio of crunch to creamy. Drool.

DRINK/EAT: The Port of Call Restaurant and Cocktail Bar

Esquire Magazine voted The Port of Call one of the Top 24 Bars In America – no small feat. This watering hole in Mystic CT calls itself a “nautical themed cocktail lounge and restaurant.” The vibe is what you’d imagine 1800’s mariners encountered after pulling into port and checking out the dockside bars – only here those explorers are hedge funders, bartenders are eager and knowledgeable enough to customize your favorite cocktails, and the world-fusion food is incredibly good.

EAT: Red 36

Red-36 (owned by the Bravo-Bravo group and named for the red channel buoy), is sensationally set right on the Mystic river in the shadow of the rotating railroad bridge. Singular location and great service are but two aspects of a successful restaurant: The food has to be good as well. And Red 36 delivers. Red-36 is located at Seaport Marine, within a few steps of visiting and seasonal boaters and just a few blocks from the center of town.

DRINK/EAT: Captain Daniel Packer Inne

Purportedly haunted restaurant and cellar tavern within a restored 1756 Sea Captain’s home, the Captain Daniel Packer Inne has been packing in old salts since 1983. If you’re looking for low-lit Colonial atmosphere and good food, this is your place. Ask to see a supply ledger dated June 1769, indicating that this place seemed to run on rum. And onions.

EAT: Oyster Club

Mystic’s “Sea and Farm to Table,” Oyster Club, adds to the non-franchise, foodie bent of Connecticut’s most touristy town. Oysters come from beds a few miles offshore, and foliage that ends up on your plate is foraged nearby. 

EAT: Pearl

Fans of Pizzetta, which formerly occupied this building, would never recognize this place.The interior of the new Pearl restaurant is vastly different than its hippy-dippy artsy origins. Now, dining areas are sleek and modern, with burnished wood floors and a neutral color palette. Food reviews are all over the place, but the staff is earnest and friendly, and menu items like traditional paella, lobster rigatoni, and local oysters indicate a Spanish-Italian-New England bent.

EAT/DRINK: Bank & Bridge Brewing

The new Bank & Bridge Brew Pub just opened a few days before 4th of July Weekend 2021. So, if you want to know how the beer, cider, wine and vittles are, wait awhile – or take a chance, visit, and try it out yourself.

EAT:  Bravo Bravo

Bravo Bravo brought cosmopolitan flare to this seaside tourist town.   Streamlined décor and excellent straightforward dishes draw big summertime crowds.  A go-to staple for locals.

EAT: Abbott’s Lobster In the Rough, Noank

Abbott’s is absolutely a tourist mecca. That’s because it’s been dishing out fresh steamed lobster at this riverfront location since 1947. A bit over 30 years ago, you could get a complete Lobster Meal (1 lb., corn, clams, coleslaw) for $9.95.

Now, without the corn and clams (but including chips and coleslaw), a 1 1/4 pounder it’s quite a bit more, and prices go up as the lobsters get heftier. But they are still reasonably priced, fresh and tasty, especially when eaten on a picnic table overlooking the boats on Mystic River. 

ICE CREAM: Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream

Cap off dinner with a perfectly cold and creamy home-churned scoop at Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream. It’s the most delicious way to end the day, and the location at the groaning edge of the drawbridge can’t be beat.

Best Places To Stay In Mystic CT

STAY: Whalers Inn

In 2011, Kim Kardashian stayed at in-town The Whaler’s Inn – Steamboat Inn’s sister property across the bridge, which was consequently completely booked for months. Since then, it’s been updated and expanded with several outbuildings: PLUS – the addition of hot new restaurant The Shipwright’s Daughter (see above).

The shipshape lobby is pleasing to the eye. And guest rooms, while not classicly luxurious, are upscale, fresh, and nautical-chic. In the afternoon, guests are welcome to amazing fresh baked cookies (baked at The Shipwright’s Daughter) along with coffee, tea, and water. In the morning, coffee in the lobby is complimentary for guests.

Best of all, the Whaler’s Inn is located in downtown Mystic – just a few steps from the Mystic Drawbridge and the rest of town.

STAY: Steamboat Inn, Mystic CT

Stay in the shadow of the mechanical wheels and huge cement counterbalance weights of the fascinating Route 1 bascule bridge – book one of eleven upscale rooms at the spectacularly located Steamboat Inn, perched on the most exciting and constricted section of the Mystic River. 

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