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TIME
Eastern Standard Time



NEIGHBORING STATES
New York
Massachusetts
Rhode Island



REGION
New England States







Connecticut: On the Family Fun Trail

Connecticut makes it easy to organize a getaway for kids. The Family Fun Trail, for example, ties together seven diverse museums that cover everything from children's arts and crafts and Connecticut's role in shaping America's artistic heritage, to the flora and fauna of New England to nuclear-powered submarines.

Parents seeking really unusual museum themes have a wealth of choices in Connecticut. How about two devoted to garbage and trash - with a "Trash-O-Saurus" in Stratford and a "Temple of Trash" in Hartford. For the "vintage" theme: antique carousels, trucks, trolleys and trains all have their own museums.

Don't forget the official museum of the California Raisin (housed with 80,000 items devoted to toys, comics and cartoons); a collection of over 2,000 puppets from around the world; and a museum that combines archaeology and the history of the Timex watch.

What would family time be without an amusement park or two? Like Connecticut's premier park, Lake Compounce in Bristol and Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury.

THE ELEGANT TOWNS OF MYSTIC COUNTRY

For centuries, artists seeking inspiration and sea captains and urban dwellers looking to escape the daily grind have found a place to recharge and explore in the scenic towns and villages of the Mystic Country region. MYSTIC HOTELS

Today, the region is more than picture-postcard towns, with graceful churches and white clapboard houses, leafy trees and village greens – it's a place to find exciting coastal and country adventures.

The Mystic Country destination stretches 40 miles through southeastern Connecticut and coastal Rhode Island – a convenient escape, located just two hours by car or train from both Boston and New York City, and easily accessible from Hartford and Providence airports. CONNECTICUT HOTELS

The heart of Mystic Country is the village known as Mystic. Just off Interstate 95, visitors will find everything from restaurants and hotels to outlet stores and renowned attractions such as the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, and Olde Mistick Village, a charming collection of contemporary and historic shops.

A short distance away is one of the area's most famous attractions, Mystic Seaport - The Museum of America and the Sea.

Mystic Seaport is a destination in and of itself, an entire 18th century seaside village, complete with the last wooden whale ship in the nation, Charles W. Morgan, and many other lovingly maintained sailing ships of varying descriptions, reflecting Mystic's historic role as a major shipbuilding and whaling center. Mystic Seaport also offers a children's museum and planetarium plus daily demonstrations and hands-on activities.

In historic downtown Mystic, visitors can shop, dine or browse a main street of galleries, eclectic boutiques, restaurants, and stores. Stroll with an ice cream cone or a nice cup of hot chocolate to see one of the oldest working bascule drawbridges in New England, which connects the Mystic Seaport side of town to the lively, colorful downtown section encompassing several blocks. The bridge rises every twenty to the hour during the summer to accommodate the endless stream of sailboats up from the Sound.

Mystic Country is filled with scenic and playful towns and villages like Chester which offers Victorian houses, antique shops, arts and crafts, and several highly regarded restaurants, all within a three-block walk. Nearby is Devil's Hopyard State Park, with its 860 acres of hiking trails, campgrounds, picnicking and cascading Chapman Falls.

Once a thriving center of the steamboat trade on the Connecticut River, East Haddam, a small, pretty town perched on the river has several attractions like the Goodspeed Opera House, a professional musical theatre built in 1876 set majestically on the bluff of the river.

Essex can be explored by train, boat and foot while New London's six square miles are filled with history, diversity, entertainment, notable restaurants and pubs, culture, museums, galleries, lodgings, stores, beaches, marinas, beautiful views and parks.

The largest of Mystic Country's scenic towns, Norwich is famed for its Memorial Rose Garden and Rose Festivals. The beautiful Norwich Rose Garden features 2,500 rose bushes in 120 varieties.

In addition to its tranquil beauty, the vibrant coastal village of Old Lyme has two claims to fame. Once the residence of choice for the region's wealthy sea captains, Old Lyme is full of magnificent 18th and 19th century homes. It also has a long tradition of being an artists' colony.

Situated where the Connecticut River joins the Long Island Sound, the picturesque town of Old Saybrook was settled in 1635 and offers splendid coastal views, especially towards Saybrook Point. This is a thriving center of Mystic Country' antique business.

Stonington is a place of gorgeous colonial houses and townhouses closely packed together, numerous antique shops, boutiques and fine restaurants.

Imagine seven miles of white sand and blue waters and you have Rhode Island's longest stretch of beach: the Misquamicut Beach area.

West of Misquamicut and tucked away on little Narragansett Bay, is Watch Hill Beach and the village of Watch Hill in Westerly, Rhode Island, which has been a bustling summer resort since the mid-1800's.

After Watch Hill, Westerly may seem like a big city. Founded in the 1660's, Westerly is on the banks of the Pawcatuck River at the Connecticut border and is renowned for its surrounding natural beauty, including salt ponds and tidal streams, dunes and beaches.

The National Trust for Historic Places cited Westerly as one of the ocean states' "best kept secrets with beautiful beaches, sprawling gabled Victorian cottages with vast green lawns and awe-inspiring ocean view... the town is the 'quintessential' New England beach town".

Among the must-sees are: Dunes Park Beach, Misquamicut State Beach and Wilcox Park.

CONNECTICUT HOTELS





PHOTO: Historic Ship Nautilus & Submarine Force Museum – Photo courtesy Eastern CT Regional Tourism District

ALL FEATURES

Alabama
Alabama Gulf Coast

Alaska
Cruising Southeast Alaska

Arizona
The Lure of The Grand Canyon
Tombstone

Arkansas
Arkansas: The Natural State

California
Alcatraz "The Rock": Just Visiting
A Sip of the California Delta
Fisherman's Wharf
Into the Blue of Lake Tahoe
Movie Magic in California
America's Food & Wine Capital
California Offers Cool Shopping
Sonoma Country
Have a Whale of a Good Time

Colorado
As Colorado As It Gets!

Connecticut
Mystic Country

DC Washington
Washington DC's Monuments

Delaware
Delaware: The First State

Florida
Florida's Dynamic Downtowns
Florida: Vacations for All Ages
Greater Ft. Lauderdale
Florida’s Gulf Island Coast
Miami Luxury Hotels for Kids Too
Orlando’ for Adults Too

Georgia
A Treasure on Georgia's Coast
Columbus: A Genteel Rivertown
Savannah: A Southern Belle

Hawaii
Hawaii's Big Island of Adventure
Kauai: Adventures in Paradise
The Many Faces of Maui
Oahu's 112 Miles of Beaches

Idaho
Boise - Worth a Trip

Illinois
Chicago: Your Kind a' Town
Get Your Kicks on Route 66

Indiana
Indiana’s National Treasures

Iowa
Iowa’s Rich Landscape

Kansas
The Kansas Cowboy Experience

Kentucky
Folk Arts and Crafts Capital

Louisiana
New Orleans Carnival
Baton Rouge

Maine
Outdoor Adventure in Maine
Maine "Must-See"

Maryland
Historic Annapolis
The Road Less Traveled

Massachusetts
A Massachusetts Getaway by the Sea

Michigan
Guide to Lansing's River Trail

Minnesota
Waterfalls Everywhere

Mississippi
Mississippi: Easy to Travel

Missouri
Route 66 Starts at St. Louis

Montana
Montana: Big Sky Country

Nebraska
Family and Frontier Fun

Nevada
Casino Getaways near Vegas
Nevada's Intriguing State Parks
Reno-Tahoe: Adventure Place

New Hampshire
Outdoor Adventure
Summertime in New Hampshire

New Jersey
The Beach at Atlantic City
New Jersey: Outdoor Adventures

New Mexico
Santa Fe: Chile Hot Art

New York
NYS Historical Amusement Parks
New York's Cultural Treasures
Nature’s Beauty at NYS Parks
Niagara Falls and Beyond

North Carolina
Heart of Motorsports

North Dakota
Legendary Adventure

Ohio
Ohio: A World of Discovery

Oklahoma
A Walk on the Wild Side

Oregon
More Trails than Roads

Pennsylvania
Quirky Pennsylvania
Scenic Pennsylvania Route 6

Rhode Island
A Tiny Gem

South Carolina
Myrtle Beach

South Dakota
The Great Faces of South Dakota

Tennessee
Each Region so Different
Tennessee For All Seasons

Texas
Texas: Arts and Culture
Beaches of Texas
On the Texas Forts Trail
Texas Ranch Round-up
Family Fun in Texas

Utah
Utah's Enduring Favorites

Vermont
Seasonal Vermont

Virginia
Virginia’s Historic Triangle

Washington
On the Water in Washington

West Virginia
Mountain State Heritage

Wisconsin
Explore Two Great Lakes

Wyoming
Better Than Your Dreams

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