I really like this type of museums where you can experience how everyday life used to be. The best was talking to the guides in the old houses and stores and hear them give life to the stories. I would have liked there to be more guides to get more meat on the bones as there weren't too much written information. Cute place but not a great place.

This is a worthy stop and see the old tall ships dating back 200 years. Also nice museums in the seaport all about ships and the way of life. There are things to do for kids also. I took my 7 year old daughter and we had a great time. Many picture taking opportunities. I first was planning the trip in February but I later changed my mind because of the weather. But this time it was not cold but we had rain. Nevertheless, we spent about 4 hours there but there is enough see and do for a whole day. I highly recommend this place for anybody who likes history. It is a beautiful place to be and always have memories of.

While staying in Hartford for an extended business trip, I drove to Mystic to spend the day. Although the day was rainy off and on, it was still a great visit. Don't let the negative reviews about Mystic and its ties to the movie Mystic Pizza. The seaport is lovely. Take a drive trough the side streets/neighborhoods and see New England living at some of its finest. Watch out for people on bikes and critters) I didn't really visit the shops because my mission was to check out the seaport and take pictures. Do stop in at Mystic Pizza if you have had enough seafood - awesome pizza.

We planned to spend the morning at the Seaport anad then go on to other Mystic adventures, but we ended up staying all day, and could have come back for more! My 8 year old daughter had a blast. We started by having a lesson in how to write with a quill pen, then we switched to using a nib with an inkwell. It was fun! We toured one museum, then headed over to the children's museum where she learned how to use semaphore to signal other ships, and played a game with a few other kids using the flags. After a half hour of playing dress-up in period clothing in a replica child-sized house, we moved onto the outdoor play area where the kids played sea captain and pirates on the toy ships.

Lunch was reasonable and there were lots of choices....$21 for three of us. We then toured the ship-building stations and watched a few videos about the history of the ships at the seaport. Next up was a short cruise around the harbor with explanations of the village and other vessels. We walked through the village, a series of transplanted but real new England buildings, preserved here and decked out in various styles: a school, a church, drug store, furrier, etc. fascinating. It was like walking though an episode of Little House On The Prairie. The kids were even catching minnows on the small beach. They also have one building with a miniature replica of Mystic, which goes from day to night and tells the history of the shipping industry in this area.

We ended the afternoon with a session of old-fashioned games for kids....walking on stilts, playing hoops, and catch with sticks and hoops (which has a name that I cannot remember.) There was so much more we could have done if we had more time. There are always exhibits going on, classes, boat-making workshops, great period-dressed people walking around to help explain anything. It was quite idyllic and my usually high-tech daughter had a wonderful day!