Mystic, CT | Imamother

amother

Fri, Jul 28 2023, 2:05 pm

I remember going to Mystic Seaport in CT as a youngster. I wonder if there's what to do there for 3 days for a family trip? Ages 9-15

amother

Mistyrose

Fri, Jul 28 2023, 2:11 pm

I personally found it incredibly boring and the aquarium was shockingly expensive so we passed on it. We stayed for 2 hours and it was more than enough

icedcoffee

Fri, Jul 28 2023, 2:41 pm

I had such fond memories going as a child so I recently went back with my husband. We had a great time - one day at the aquarium / old village, evening walking around all the cute shops downtown, and then next day at the seaport. I'd say you could have two packed days or three lighter days. People seem to either really like Mystic or not, though, so maybe it depends on what your family typically enjoys.

amother

Snapdragon

Fri, Jul 28 2023, 3:22 pm

I found it quite boring, I wouldn't go with kids.

doctorima

Fri, Jul 28 2023, 3:53 pm

We were also underwhelmed, had surprisingly not been there before, so stopped there several years on a family trip coming back from Newport and was quite unimpressed.

amother

Leaf

Fri, Jul 28 2023, 4:28 pm

PSA: Mystic Seaport takes any state EBT cards for free admission, and the aquarium takes Connecticut EBT cards for either free or discounted admission, not sure which.

amother

Silver

Fri, Jul 28 2023, 5:30 pm

I thought that the aquarium was boring but the old seaport was amazing. We all loved it. (We are into history and Revolutionary War time period). Also I missed the USS Nautilus that is nearby but it is also up our alley (nuclear submarine). And you can get kosher food in Stamford which is like an hour west. Also I think that IT - a climbing place - is on the highway between Stamford and Mystic. (That being said, it’s a one night trip. Not a ton to do around there).

amother

SandyBrown

Sat, Jul 29 2023, 9:54 pm

We did a trip to Mystic a couple of years ago. We found an Airbnb nearby and used that as our base to explore the region. We love aquariums, so of course we did that. We did the Seaport as well, but our younger kids were rather bored except for the boat ride we took. We also went to the Connecticut Science Museum in Hartford on a rainy day and everyone enjoyed that. We also liked the Submarine Force Museum. There's plenty in the area to keep busy for 3-4 days.