Mystic is a small town in Connecticut by the water. It historically was a seaport that specialized in ship building. The name “Mystic” comes from the Pequot term “missi-tuk” which means a large river with waves.
We visited Mystic over the summer as part of our New England Road Trip. It was on our way from New Haven to New Port. We drove into town and grabbed coffee and some pastries at Sift Bake Shop. It was quite busy when we stopped by, so we ate outside and enjoyed the weather in the morning. You can also check out Vault Coffee Roasters, Mystic Coffee Roasters, the Lighthouse Bakery, or Deviant Donuts.
We then walked around town and toward the drawbridge. We were lucky enough to see it go up while we we were walking along the water. Downtown are quite a few shops including a book store, a few coffee shops, mens provisions, women’s clothing, and a knot work store. There’s also quite a few food options including British fare, a gastro pub, ice cream, the famous Mystic Pizza, and a taqueria.
If you want to spend more time in town, you can check out the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center and go on the 8 Miles of hiking trails. You can also check out the Mystic Seaport Museum or the Mystic Museum of Art or Olde Mistick Village. While we only spent a few hours there in the morning, you could make a full day or two of the things to do in the area.
