It isn't every day that we get to take closer look at ships from a bygone era or learn about maritime history from experts. That's what you'll find (and more) at Mystic Seaport. We'd heard mixed reviews from people we knew about how much there is to do, so we scheduled three to four hours on our Mystic Vacation and didn't expect much. Boy, did we have our expectations blown out of the water!

My husband and I wished that we could have spent the entire day exploring the many, many buildings and ships at the Seaport. After seeing two museums, the planetarium, the Captain's Quarters, two ships, a free water taxi ride, and the Art Gallery (with a stop for lunch), we didn't even scratch the surface of all that was there. If we hadn't needed to get on the road I would have stayed much longer! The volunteers were all friendly and happy to answer any questions you might have or just talk about interesting tidbits about the exhibits.

Lunch at the Whaler's Inn was pricey but the food was delicious (we can reccommend the shrimp roll and the chicken salad) and provided a much needed break from all the walking. The outdoor seating gives a gorgeous view of the Charles W. Morgan and the Seaport.

My favorite thing was the art gallery. As a fan of O'brien's nautical novels, I was thrilled to see the original art from several of the book covers. Since I couldn't afford an original, I bought a print. Very nice!

If you're planning to go to both the seaport and the aquarium, I suggest looking into the Mystic Pass. You get admission to both attractions, a free drink at each, a t-shirt (one style, but it's nice), plus a discount card for local shops, hotels, and restaurants.

Not everyone is going to love Mystic Seaport as much as we did, but most everyone will find something to pique their interest, even if it is to boggle at the cramped quarters on the ships.