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Mystic, Connecticut: 600 Ships and a Village Split in Two

Mystic, Connecticut

Pictures from Mystic

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Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport Mystic River bascule drawbridge Beluga whale at Mystic Aquarium

Mystic takes its name from the Pequot "missi-tuk," a river whose waters are driven into waves by tide and wind — fitting for a village built entirely around water. A census-designated place straddling Groton and Stonington along the Mystic River estuary, Mystic became one of New England's great shipbuilding seaports: beginning in 1784, its yards launched more than 600 vessels over roughly 135 years. During the Civil War, the Maxson, Fish & Company shipyard built the USS Galena in under five months, launching it on February 14, 1862, as the U.S. Navy's first seagoing ironclad. The whaling ship Charles W. Morgan, built in 1841, arrived at Mystic in 1941 after 37 voyages and eighty years at sea; it remains Mystic Seaport Museum's centerpiece. Downtown, the bascule drawbridge that opened over the Mystic River on July 19, 1922, still divides the village's two towns with every raised span.

  1. A recreated 19th-century maritime village around the whaleship Charles W. Morgan.

  2. Beluga whales, African penguins, and sea lions.

  3. An open-air shopping green styled after a circa-1720 village.

  4. The 1922 bascule bridge dividing Mystic's Groton and Stonington halves.

  5. Farm-to-table seafood with a riverside Treehouse bar.

  6. French-focused in-house bakery and coffee bar.

  7. The pizza parlor that inspired the 1988 Julia Roberts film.

  8. A multi-building historic inn downtown on the river.

  9. An eleven-room wharfside inn with river views.

A shipbuilding village split between two towns

Mystic takes its name from the Pequot "missi-tuk," a river whose waters are driven into waves by tide and wind — fitting for a village built entirely around water. A census-designated place straddling Groton and Stonington along the Mystic River estuary, Mystic became one of New England's great shipbuilding seaports: beginning in 1784, its yards launched more than 600 vessels over roughly 135 years. During the Civil War, the Maxson, Fish & Company shipyard built the USS Galena in under five months, launching it on February 14, 1862, as the U.S. Navy's first seagoing ironclad. The whaling ship Charles W. Morgan, built in 1841, arrived at Mystic in 1941 after 37 voyages and eighty years at sea; it remains Mystic Seaport Museum's centerpiece. Downtown, the bascule drawbridge that opened over the Mystic River on July 19, 1922, still divides the village's two towns with every raised span.

Getting there

Drivers reach Mystic via I-95 Exit 90, then follow CT Route 27 south about a mile into the village; US Route 1 also runs through downtown. Train travelers use Amtrak's Northeast Regional, which stops three to five times daily in each direction at Mystic station (2 Roosevelt Avenue) — Acela passes through without stopping, and there is no Metro-North or Shore Line East commuter service this far east.

Seaport, aquarium, and a pizza parlor

Mystic Seaport Museum recreates a nineteenth-century maritime village around the Charles W. Morgan, with free parking at both entrances and grounds open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mystic Aquarium, a nonprofit known for its beluga whales, African penguins, and sea lions, recently welcomed beluga Nunavik and celebrated its first northern fur seal pup birth in 20 years. Olde Mistick Village, an open-air shopping and dining green styled after a circa-1720 New England village, adds duck ponds and a multi-theater cinema. And on West Main Street, the pizza parlor that inspired screenwriter Amy Holden Jones's 1988 film "Mystic Pizza," starring a then-unknown Julia Roberts, is still serving.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Mystic?
Drivers take I-95 to Exit 90, then CT Route 27 south about a mile into the village (US Route 1 also runs through downtown). By train, Amtrak Northeast Regional serves Mystic station (2 Roosevelt Avenue) three to five times daily each direction; Acela does not stop, and there is no Metro-North or Shore Line East service this far east.
Is there parking at Mystic Seaport Museum?
Yes — free parking is available at both the North and South entrance lots, and grounds are open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with the grounds themselves staying open until 6 p.m.).
Where was the movie Mystic Pizza filmed?
The downtown pizza parlor at 56 West Main Street inspired screenwriter Amy Holden Jones to write the 1988 film "Mystic Pizza," starring a then-unknown Julia Roberts. The restaurant is still open daily.
Does Amtrak stop in Mystic?
Yes — Amtrak's Northeast Regional stops at Mystic station three to five times daily in each direction. Acela passes through without stopping, and there is no Shore Line East or Metro-North commuter service.
Is Mystic its own town?
No — Mystic is a census-designated village straddling the towns of Groton and Stonington along the Mystic River estuary, not an incorporated town of its own.
When did the Mystic River drawbridge open?
The bascule drawbridge over the Mystic River opened on July 19, 1922, replacing an earlier 1904 bridge. Two 230-ton concrete counterweights raise its 85-foot span.

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