There is no better coasting than along the south shore of
Connecticut where visitors will find something for everyone: beaches, islands,
forts, museums, romantic getaways, great scenery, and chocolate. To travel west
following roads that hug the shore as much as possible is to follow history as
it moved westward.
Mystic and more
In Mystic, on Connecticut’s easternmost
shoreline, explore the states’ early days with a visit to the Mashantucket
Pequot Museum, near Foxwoods Casino. The fascinating, multi-media presentation
depicts American Indian life from pre-Columbian times to the present including a
walk through the ice age and a typical Native American Village.
Enter the 19th Century at Mystic
Seaport, a recreated seafarer village. Wander through the living-history village
– visit shops, climb aboard a ship, and feel at one with the sailing and whaling
days. Don’t miss the museum with the collection of antique figureheads. Check
out the beluga whales at the nearby Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration,
which was developed in consultation with Dr. Robert Ballard, the oceanographer
who found the Titanic. Boating enthusiasts can step into the 20th century with a
tour of the USS Nautilus & Submarine Force Museum in nearby Groton. Stay and
dine at historic Mystic Inn with great views of the water.
New London to New Haven
Diversions on the drive from New
London to New Haven include forts, arts, and parks. Just west of Mystic, at the
mouth of the Thames River, the coast was of strategic and economic importance.
Visit Fort Trumbull State Park, one of a group of 42 forts constructed to
protect the United States from attacks from the sea. Visit the museum, explore
the fort with its unusual architecture, and stroll along the river walk. Gaze at
the river and try to envision what it was like during the 1850s when over 50
whaling ships would have been in port. Have lunch at Captain Scott’s on Shaw’s
Cove before continuing along the Route 156 to Old Lyme. At one time Old Lyme was
home to 60 sea captains, now the bucolic village is a center of American
Impressionism with the Florence Griswold Museum the pearl. Feel the quiet of the
early days with a stay at historic Old Lyme Inn.
Continue west on historic US 1, once the
Boston Post Road, to Hammonasset Park, Connecticut’s largest waterfront park
with a two-mile sandy beach. Learn about the unique habitat at the Meigs Point
Nature Center, fly a kite with other enthusiasts, walk the trail, or just hang
out at the beach. Not-to-be-missed is Stony Creek where Capt. Bob takes people
on a fun, informative boat tour of the Thimble Islands. The picturesque islands
were once the haunts of Captain Kidd, home to Tom Thumb, Taft’s summer White
House, and where today it is the perfect place to kayak, swim, and relax.
New Haven
The diversity of the coastal area continues
in New Haven with a slave ship, a university, and hamburgers. The slave ship,
the Amistad, is usually berthed at Long Wharf adding another page in
Connecticut’s coastal history. In 1839 Africans bound for slavery led by Joseph
Cinque took over the vessel, ended up in New Haven, and found freedom.
Today New Haven is best known as home to
Yale University. Feel the spirit of Yale with a walk through The Green, stop to
listen to the carillon bells, and take time to relax on a tree-shaded park
bench. Not-to-be-missed is the free walking tour of the Yale campus to learn the
lore and history that took place in and around the ivy-covered buildings.
Admire the Matisse and Monet works of art at the Yale University Art Gallery,
the oldest university museum in the Western Hemisphere and at the Beinecke Rare
Books and Manuscript Library see a Gutenberg Bible. Head to Louis’ Lunch for a
hamburger at the place that invented hamburgers over 100 years ago. Continue
East on Route 162 to Bradley Point with a three-mile beach on Long Island
Sound. A great place to walk and just gaze out at Long Island Sound while
contemplating all that has taken place along the Connecticut coast.
Garbage, Barnum, Stingrays, and Chocolate
Every community that grew up along
Connecticut’s shore of Long Island has something special to explore and
experience. Meet “Trash-O-Saurus” at the Garbage Museum in Stratford, a fun
place to learn the Five Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle, recycle, rethink) and view a
recycling plant from an enclosed skywalk. Trash will never look the same again.
In Bridgeport visit the P. T. Barnum Museum
home of the world-famous circus impresario. Learn about Tom Thumb, view his tiny
carriages, and some of the attractions that amazed people from all over
including an ancient mummy. Then head to the Captain’s Cove at Black Rock
Harbor for a lunch of fresh fish by the harbor. Make time for a boat cruise and
shopping at the colorful stalls along the waterfront. Stop at Sherwood Island
State Park, Connecticut’s first state park to learn about the salt marsh habitat
or watch the model airplane enthusiasts fly their planes.
At the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk learn
more about the coast of Connecticut and Long Island Sound. It is a great place
to get answers for all those questions that popped up during the drive. There
are educational cruises, stingrays to pet, and seals to be fed. End “Coasting
in Connecticut” on a sweet note with a visit Chocopologie on South Main Street
in Norwalk. It is the perfect place to get a bite to eat and get a behind the
scenes look at the old fashion process of making chocolates. The chocolatier,
Fritz Knipschildt, has created a delectable variety of gourmet chocolates and
chocolate items. Relax over lunch and think about how coasting along the
Connecticut shore is like a box of chocolates – there is variety, surprises, and
both are sure to delight
everyone.
TM
In Mystic, on Connecticut’s easternmost
shoreline, explore the states’ early days with a visit to the Mashantucket
Pequot Museum, near Foxwoods Casino. The fascinating, multi-media presentation
depicts American Indian life from pre-Columbian times to the present including a
walk through the ice age and a typical Native American Village. 
Enter the 19th Century at Mystic
Seaport, a recreated seafarer village. Wander through the living-history village
– visit shops, climb aboard a ship, and feel at one with the sailing and whaling
days. Don’t miss the museum with the collection of antique figureheads. Check
out the beluga whales at the nearby Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration,
which was developed in consultation with Dr. Robert Ballard, the oceanographer
who found the Titanic. Boating enthusiasts can step into the 20th century with a
tour of the USS Nautilus & Submarine Force Museum in nearby Groton. Stay and
dine at historic Mystic Inn with great views of the water.
Diversions on the drive from New
London to New Haven include forts, arts, and parks. Just west of Mystic, at the
mouth of the Thames River, the coast was of strategic and economic importance.
Visit Fort Trumbull State Park, one of a group of 42 forts constructed to
protect the United States from attacks from the sea. Visit the museum, explore
the fort with its unusual architecture, and stroll along the river walk. Gaze at
the river and try to envision what it was like during the 1850s when over 50
whaling ships would have been in port. Have lunch at Captain Scott’s on Shaw’s
Cove before continuing along the Route 156 to Old Lyme. At one time Old Lyme was
home to 60 sea captains, now the bucolic village is a center of American
Impressionism with the Florence Griswold Museum the pearl. Feel the quiet of the
early days with a stay at historic Old Lyme Inn. 
Continue west on historic US 1, once the
Boston Post Road, to Hammonasset Park, Connecticut’s largest waterfront park
with a two-mile sandy beach. Learn about the unique habitat at the Meigs Point
Nature Center, fly a kite with other enthusiasts, walk the trail, or just hang
out at the beach. Not-to-be-missed is Stony Creek where Capt. Bob takes people
on a fun, informative boat tour of the Thimble Islands. The picturesque islands
were once the haunts of Captain Kidd, home to Tom Thumb, Taft’s summer White
House, and where today it is the perfect place to kayak, swim, and relax.
The diversity of the coastal area continues
in New Haven with a slave ship, a university, and hamburgers. The slave ship,
the Amistad, is usually berthed at Long Wharf adding another page in
Connecticut’s coastal history. In 1839 Africans bound for slavery led by Joseph
Cinque took over the vessel, ended up in New Haven, and found freedom. 
Today New Haven is best known as home to
Yale University. Feel the spirit of Yale with a walk through The Green, stop to
listen to the carillon bells, and take time to relax on a tree-shaded park
bench. Not-to-be-missed is the free walking tour of the Yale campus to learn the
lore and history that took place in and around the ivy-covered buildings.
Admire the Matisse and Monet works of art at the Yale University Art Gallery,
the oldest university museum in the Western Hemisphere and at the Beinecke Rare
Books and Manuscript Library see a Gutenberg Bible. Head to Louis’ Lunch for a
hamburger at the place that invented hamburgers over 100 years ago. Continue
East on Route 162 to Bradley Point with a three-mile beach on Long Island
Sound. A great place to walk and just gaze out at Long Island Sound while
contemplating all that has taken place along the Connecticut coast.
Every community that grew up along
Connecticut’s shore of Long Island has something special to explore and
experience. Meet “Trash-O-Saurus” at the Garbage Museum in Stratford, a fun
place to learn the Five Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle, recycle, rethink) and view a
recycling plant from an enclosed skywalk. Trash will never look the same again.
In Bridgeport visit the P. T. Barnum Museum
home of the world-famous circus impresario. Learn about Tom Thumb, view his tiny
carriages, and some of the attractions that amazed people from all over
including an ancient mummy. Then head to the Captain’s Cove at Black Rock
Harbor for a lunch of fresh fish by the harbor. Make time for a boat cruise and
shopping at the colorful stalls along the waterfront. Stop at Sherwood Island
State Park, Connecticut’s first state park to learn about the salt marsh habitat
or watch the model airplane enthusiasts fly their planes. 
At the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk learn
more about the coast of Connecticut and Long Island Sound. It is a great place
to get answers for all those questions that popped up during the drive. There
are educational cruises, stingrays to pet, and seals to be fed. End “Coasting
in Connecticut” on a sweet note with a visit Chocopologie on South Main Street
in Norwalk. It is the perfect place to get a bite to eat and get a behind the
scenes look at the old fashion process of making chocolates. The chocolatier,
Fritz Knipschildt, has created a delectable variety of gourmet chocolates and
chocolate items. Relax over lunch and think about how coasting along the
Connecticut shore is like a box of chocolates – there is variety, surprises, and
both are sure to delight
everyone.