Coasting in Connecticut
Surprises Along the Shore
by Sandra and John Scott
Mystic and more
In Mystic, on Connecticut’s easternmost shoreline, explore the states’ early days with a visit to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum, near Foxwoods Casino. The fascinating, multi-media presentation depicts American Indian life from pre-Columbian times to the present including a walk through the ice age and a typical Native American Village.
Enter the 19th Century at Mystic Seaport, a recreated seafarer village. Wander through the living-history village – visit shops, climb aboard a ship, and feel at one with the sailing and whaling days. Don’t miss the museum with the collection of antique figureheads. Check out the beluga whales at the nearby Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, which was developed in consultation with Dr. Robert Ballard, the oceanographer who found the sunken Titanic. Boating enthusiasts can step into the 20th century with a tour of the USS Nautilus & Submarine Force Museum in nearby Groton. Stay and dine at historic Mystic Inn with great views of the water.
New London to New Haven
Diversions on the drive from New London to New Haven include forts, arts, and parks. Just west of Mystic, at the mouth of the Thames River, the coast was of strategic and economic importance. Visit Fort Trumbull State Park, one of a group of 42 forts constructed to protect the United States from attacks from the sea. Visit the museum, explore the fort with its unusual architecture, and stroll along the river walk. Gaze at the river and try to envision what it was like during the 1850s when over 50 whaling ships would have been in port. Have lunch at Captain Scott’s on Shaw’s Cove before continuing along the Route 156 to Old Lyme. At one time Old Lyme was home to 60 sea captains, now the bucolic village is a center of American Impressionism with the Florence Griswold Museum the pearl. Feel the quiet of the early days with a stay at historic Old Lyme Inn.
Continue west on historic US 1, once the Boston Post Road, to Hammonasset Park, Connecticut’s largest waterfront park with a two-mile sandy beach. Learn about the unique habitat the Meigs Point Nature Center, fly a kite with other enthusiasts, walk the trail, or just hang out at the beach. Not-to-be-missed is Stony Creek where Capt. Bob takes people on a fun, informative trip boat tour of the Thimble Islands. The picturesque islands were once the haunts of Captain Kidd, home to Tom Thumb, Taft’s summer White House, and where today it is the perfect place to kayak, swim, and boat.New Haven
The diversity of the coast continues with a slave ship, a university, and hamburgers. The slave ship, the Amistad, is usually berthed at Long Wharf adding another page in Connecticut’s coastal history. In 1839 Africans bound for slavery led by Joseph Cinque took over the vessel, ended up in New Haven, and found freedom.
Today New Haven is best known as home to Yale University. Feel the spirit of the New Haven and Yale with a walk through The Green, stop by one of the churches, and take time to relax on a tree-shaded park bench. Not-to-be-missed is the free walking tour of the Yale campus to learn the lore and history that took place in and around the ivy-covered buildings. Admire the Matisse and Monet works of art at the Yale University Art Gallery, the oldest university museum in the Western Hemisphere and at the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Library see a Gutenberg Bible. Head to Louis’ Lunch for a hamburger at the place that invented hamburgers over 100 years ago. Continue East on Route 162 to Bradley Point with a three-mile beach on Long Island Sound. A great place to walk and just gaze out at Long Island Sound while contemplating all that has taken place along the Connecticut coast.
Garbage, Barnum, Stingrays, and ChocolateEvery community that grew up along Connecticut’s shore of Long Island has something special to explore and experience. Meet “Trash-O-Saurus” at the Garbage Museum in Stratford, a fun place to learn the Five Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle, recycle, rethink) and view a recycling plant from an enclosed skywalk. Trash will never look the same again.
In Bridgeport visit the Barnum Museum home of the world-famous circus impresario of the 19th century. Learn about Tom Thumb, view his tiny carriages, and some of the attractions that amazed people from all over including an ancient mummy. Then head to the Captain’s Cove Seaport at historic Black Rock Harbor for a lunch of fresh fish by the harbor. Make time for a boat cruise, shopping at the colorful stalls along the waterfront. Stop at Sherwood Island State Park, Connecticut’s first state park to learn about the salt marsh habitat or watch the model airplane enthusiasts fly their planes.
At the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk learn more about the coast of Connecticut and Long Island Sound. It is a great place to get answers for all those questions that popped up during the drive. There are educational cruises, stingrays to pet, and seals to be fed. End “Coasting in Connecticut” on a sweet note visit Chocopologie on South Main Street in Norwalk. It is the perfect place to get a bite to eat and get a behind the scenes look at the old fashion process of making chocolates. The chocolatier, Fritz Knipschildt, has created a delectable variety of gourmet chocolates and chocolate items. Relax over lunch and think about how coasting along the Connecticut shore is like a box of chocolates – there is variety, surprises, and designed to delight everyone.Article and photography by Sandra and John Scott
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