TravelTherese

I’m traveling to Mystic next weekend, driving from LGA. If anyone has recommendations for good sightseeing along the way, please share! I love lighthouses and historic homes/buildings. I’m finding a lot of places are not open this time of year.

Recommendations for cute towns and delicious bakeries would also be sincerely appreciated.

Thanks!

Madam397

I don't know that I would call it cute but there is of course much to see and do on the campus of Yale, in New Haven, along with famous pizza places.Mystic itself is very charming and further north into Rhode Island you have Providence which does offer historic architecture around the campus of both Brown University and RISD. The RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) museum is very strong. Lots of good Italian restaurants and bakeries in Federal Hill

TravelTherese

Thank you, Madam.

Fra_Diavolo

As you probably know Mystic is a village partly in Groton and partly in Stonington. Slightly east of Mystic lies Stonington Borough, which has many 19th and some 18th century houses, well maintained. You'd probably enjoy a walk there. There's also a small historic lighthouse museum down near the beach.

Madison Ct might make a pleasant stop along the way, though it's only thirty or forty minutes from Mystic. Very good independent bookstore R. Julia https://www.rjjulia.com. There's also a good seafood joint (landlocked, unfortunately) a little out of town. Lenny and Joe's Fish Tale. https://www.ljfishtale.com

Fra_Diavolo

As you probably know Mystic is a village partly in Groton and partly in Stonington. Slightly east of Mystic lies Stonington Borough, which has many 19th and some 18th century houses, well maintained. You'd probably enjoy a walk there. There's also a small historic lighthouse museum down near the beach.

Madison Ct might make a pleasant stop along the way, though it's only thirty or forty minutes from Mystic. Very good independent bookstore R. Julia https://www.rjjulia.com. There's also a good seafood joint (landlocked, unfortunately) a little out of town. Lenny and Joe's Fish Tale. https://www.ljfishtale.com

Fra_Diavolo

As you probably know Mystic is a village partly in Groton and partly in Stonington. Slightly east of Mystic lies Stonington Borough, which has many 19th and some 18th century houses, well maintained. You'd probably enjoy a walk there. There's also a small historic lighthouse museum down near the beach.

Madison Ct might make a pleasant stop along the way, though it's only thirty or forty minutes from Mystic. Very good independent bookstore R. Julia https://www.rjjulia.com. There's also a good seafood joint (landlocked, unfortunately) a little out of town. Lenny and Joe's Fish Tale. https://www.ljfishtale.com

Fra_Diavolo

Sorry for the duplicate posts!

TravelTherese

Thank you, Fra Diavolo!

Vttraveler

Guilford is a town on your route with a large green and many historic houses and a municipal park along Long Island Sound I think most of the museums are probably closed for the year.

TravelTherese

That does look like a nice town. Thank you, Vttraveler!

Vttraveler

The only places we have eaten in Guilford are The Place, a good outdoor seafood BBQ restaurant that is closed for the season and The Shoreline Diner &Vegetarian Enclave. The latter was good, obviously not fancy, with lots of choices on the menu. It is on the Boston Post Road (Rte 1) so not right in the historic center of the town.

williamscb13

I think Greenwich and Westport are cute towns closer to LaGuardia than Mystic. Madison is also cute.

mjs

It’s been many decades since I lived in Connecticut but I enjoyed the area north of New Haven starting in Branford through Guilford and Madison. If you like great pizza Pepes on Wooster street in New Haven is a quick detour off 95.

TravelTherese

I’m definitely spending some time in Greenwich to admire beautiful homes. Madison is on my radar too. Looks like it has some good bakeries too,
I do love pizza, so I’ll look up Pepe’s. Thank you for the suggestions!

Vttraveler

TravelTherese--if you do stop in Greenwich and the weather is nice, I highly recommend driving around Greenwich Point in Old Greenwich. It's a beautiful park/beach area on Long Island Sound.
The Bush Holley House in the Cos Cob area is an interesting museum.

TravelTherese

Just circling back to report I had a great long weekend in Mystic CT and all the suggestions were appreciated. Vttraveller, I loved old Greenwich and Greenwich Point Park is beautiful and relaxing. That park is a real treasure fur the people who live in that area and utilize it for recreation, I also visited Guilford, Madison, Stonington, Lighthouse Point Park, Avery Point and Fort Griswold, Westerly, Watch Hill. There are so many wonderful sights, I want to return to spend more time in CT.

TravelTherese

Fra Diavolo, I forgot to mention the RJ Julia bookstore was fantastic! It rates as one of my favorite bookstores ever! I’m glad you mentioned it.

Fra_Diavolo

Glad the trip worked out and that you enjoyed browsing in R J Julia! Thanks for reporting back.

Vttraveler

TravelTherese-- Thanks for checking back and reporting on what you saw. I am glad that you enjoyed Greenwich Point. I feel I was very fortunate to grow up in Old Greenwich and could spend so much time there. Greenwich also has some other beaches including two on islands off of Greenwich Harbor that you reach by a seasonal ferry boat.
I have been happy living in VT but still miss the coast.