Photo Project: 50 States

Mystic, Connecticut: More Than A Famous Pizza Shop

Sunset along the Mystic River in Mystic, Connecticut

I’m not sure what attracted me to Mystic, Connecticut.  It wasn’t ‘Mystic Pizza,’ the pizza shop made famous by the movie by the same name.  I haven’t seen the movie, although I was familiar with the name.  No, it had something to do with something I had once read or heard about ‘Mystic Seaport.’  And we found it to be an excellent home base for our short but busy exploration of Connecticut.

The Mystic River Highway Bridge over the Mystic River in Mystic, Connecticut. The Steamboat Inn on the left side of the photo is where we stayed.
The Mystic River Highway Bridge over the Mystic River in Mystic, Connecticut
View of The Steamboat Inn along the river in Mystic, Connecticut

Mystic Seaport is the name of the Mystic Maritime Center, which bills itself as “the nation’s leading maritime museum.”  I’ll write about our visit to the museum in a separate post, so for now I’ll just talk about the town of Mystic itself.

The Mystic River Highway Bridge over the Mystic River in Mystic, Connecticut
Morning in Mystic, Connecticut

The town of Mystic itself proved to be a quaint, albeit busy, seaside town.  The Mystic River flows through the town, and there is a drawbridge on Main Street that opens once per hour to let sailboats and other larger vessels pass through.

Morning along the river in Mystic, Connecticut
Morning along the river in Mystic, Connecticut

We stayed at the Steamboat Inn, a small B&B right next to the river and the drawbridge, and it was the perfect location to explore the town while still making it easy to get out of town to see other places.  I loved being able to walk out the door and photograph in the early morning, while Kathy caught a few extra Zs in our room.  I’d get back in time for coffee and breakfast before starting off on whatever we had planned for the day.

Sunset along the Mystic River in Mystic, Connecticut
Morning along the river in Mystic, Connecticut

We’re not big shoppers, so a few hours wandering around the town on afternoon was all the time we needed.  We did buy ice cream, and yes, I did take a few obligatory photos of Mystic Pizza.  There were several good restaurants within walking distance, including one we visited twice.  S&P Restaurant & Oyster Bar impressed us so much on the first visit that we went back a second time.  Fresh fish, excellent service and a decent wine selection is what we look for, especially at the coast, whether it is the northeast or the southeast.  It fit the bill nicely for us.

Morning along the river in Mystic, Connecticut
Replica village at Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut

In addition to the Maritime Museum, we ventured over to Groton, on the Thames River, to visit the USS Nautilus.  The Nautilus was the first nuclear powered submarine and, among other feats, was the first to complete an underwater crossing of the North Pole.  I remembered reading about the sub as a kid, and at one time seem to recall having a toy or plastic model.  That was a long time ago!  Photos from that visit and from the Maritime Museum are included in the gallery 2021-09 New England Part II on my Adobe Portfolio page.

Mystic Pizza, restaurant made famous by a movie in Mystic, Connecticut