Tour 3 Classic Connecticut seacoast villages

In our humble opinion the coolest historic tour of Connecticut coastal towns would be in the southeast corner near the Rhode Island border.  The journey from the tiny historic village of Noank, through Mystic to Stonington (borough) is about 7 miles by land.  In a small skiff with an outboard you could easily visit all 3 in an afternoon and stop for oysters at each place.

The historic districts of these towns are small but vibrant, and while each swells with visitors in summer, their total populations are under 1,000…maybe slightly more for Mystic.  All three have spectacular scenic views of the jagged rocky coastline, and they’re a classic boat lovers paradise.

Stonington and Noank are each on tongue-like peninsulas that extend southward into the somewhat protected Fishers Island sound.  Mystic surrounds a rocky estuary that locals call “the river”.   All three areas were Pequot Indian outposts until English colonization in the mid 1600’s, and all three have fascinating maritime histories that are long gone, but woven into the local culture.

All 3 villages have experienced the tension of transformation from maritime working towns to summer destination spots…..and they’ve weathered that change well.

In each town, you can still strongly sense the past if you are willing to get up early, get off the beaten path, try a few dead end streets and learn from the locals.  Their proximity to New York and Boston has assured a sprinkling of modern sophistication to the restaurants and galleries, while at the same time not overwhelming the small town essences of these places.  At Mystic Revealed we’ve crafted unique afternoon walking tours of these special gems, come take a look!

For a unique walking tour, food tour, historic tour or guided tour of Mystic, Stonington or Noank, please contact [email protected] the founder of Mystic Revealed.