Family Adventure to New England: Connecticut!

Final entry of some of our favorite highlights from our 8 day/7 night adventure to all six states in New England… Connecticut!  Aside from well known colleges, I wasn’t sure what to take the family to see in Connecticut.  Sure, we had Mystic on the map for MOMMY (because let’s be honest, Mystic Pizza is one of the best classic 80’s movies), but how was I going to make Connecticut memorable for my Quad Squad????  And then it appeared…. as creepy as ever, on my Pinterest feed was a post about things to do in Connecticut!  Is anyone else as creeped out by things like that as I am?  Anywho, it happened, and I’m sooooo glad it did!  The Mystic Seaport Museum was on the list!  How incredibly perfect!!!!

Mystic, CT is a bumping town, seriously.  Maybe the movie put it on the map, I don’t know, but for what it’s worth, it’s absolutely worth visiting- for a vacation in and of itself, even!  There is SO much to do!  And the hotel clerk was telling me that every weekend there are different events in town.  As she said, “There’s so much going on that I can’t keep up!”

When we woke up on Sunday, we headed to the Mystic Seaport Museum, which I am thrilled to say opens at 9am daily!  My guys are early risers, and I love it when establishments appreciate the need to start the day!

We first visited the Charles W. Morgan, which is the last wooden whaleship in the WORLD.  It’s a gorgeous vessel.  When we approached, there was a crew on the mast singing and messing with the sail.  It was quite the scene!  We felt transported back in time to this working ship.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Seaport Village.  It’s one thing to constantly TELL kids today that “back in the day…” but it’s something else to EXPERIENCE it!  Words can’t quite describe how satisfying it was as a parent to see the ah-ha moment happen when my kids said “wait, so THIS is how they went to school?” or “THESE were there only toys?”  I especially loved showing them the ‘modern’ 19th-century washing machine.  HA!

We visited the Toy Boat Building and paid the $5 per child to build their own boat.  Everyone is given the same hull and explained the process— pick your own pieces, design it however you’d like, use anything in the room (stickers, stamps, markers, string, paper, wooden pieces, hot glue gun) and have fun!  This took almost an hour for my crafty crew and it was SO INCREDIBLY worth doing!  It was a wonderful souvenir that I know they’ll cherish for a while.

The museum is in no way a conventional museum, it’s a LIVING PLACE!  It’s like stepping back in time while also entering the best sort of classroom.  For my children, it was an incredible learning experience.  We all appreciated the information exposure for all ages and abilities.  And my whale-loving group left with so much passion to keep whales safe after visiting the new exhibit “Voyaging in the Wake of Whalers“.  We will for sure NEVER forget this visit!

When visiting, we recommend the following:

1- Give yourself several hours, at least 4, so that you don’t feel rushed and can fully experience all 19-acres the museum has to offer.

2- Visit again.  The exhibits change and there’s always more to see and do. We truly can’t wait to return!

3- There is so much around the museum, break for food and then return to the fun!

4- Plan for the weather.  So much of the museum is outdoors.

5- Strollers and wheelchairs move along fine on the grainy/sandy gravel paths and indoors.

6- The map is colorful and clear, take one!  But have the link on your phone handy, or ask a staff member, if you aren’t sure what the exhibits on the map entail as there aren’t descriptions on the paper map (I’m certain it would be a waste of money and resources to reprint a map every time exhibits change, it’s no bother to do a little footwork here).

7- Be sure to check the calendar in advance to see what activities are taking place on the day of your arrival.  Maximize your time there!

8- Keep it clean.  I didn’t see many trashcans around the facility, yet it was impeccably clean.  I hope all visitors respect this beautiful place along the peaceful and historically significant Mystic River.

HAVE FUN!

Disclaimer:  In exchange for my honest review, Mystic Seaport Museum provided my family with complimentary entrance to their museum.  All opinions are my own.