Mystic - The Don'ts of Visiting Mystic, Connecticut

[@woltersworld]

We have visited with the boys so many times. Can't wait to go back this summer to chill out.

[@hisexcellencytrump855]

A big don't! Don't think it's going to be a cheap daycation! Everything is expensive!

[@richboutot]

Mystic is an incredible place to both visit and live in. My family and I have been here for years and we love it. More so in the fall and winter time, because we can park. LOL

[@knp278]

As a former Mystic resident, there are a couple minor things I take issue with here. Chain hotels are everywhere. Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Place, Mystic Marriott, Comfort Inn, Days Inn, Econo Lodge, etc. are all within 5-15 minutes drive from downtown Mystic. Also, if you’re looking an alternative to Mystic Pizza, you go to the place whose tagline is literally “where the locals eat”, Angie’s. Voted Best Pizza Crust in Connecticut multiple times. For breakfast, yes Sift is great. But don’t sleep on Kitchen Little or Somewhere in Time. Both are amazing and worth the time

[@RichB-y8j]

Angie's is a filthy place. last time I was there the tables were not clean, the salt and pepper and red pepper flakes were gross like they haven't been cleaned in weeks and forget about the bathroom.

[@MrPickledede]

The donts of youtube: Don't dare miss a new Wolters World video!

[@lauren9487]

If you don't like seafood, Samurai Noodle Bar has the best Ramen, and Pizzetta has great gourmet pizza

[@danielcastillo4537]

I just came back from Mystic, Connecticut on a trip from San Antonio, Texas. This place is absolutely beautiful. Drove and saw these crazy homes and the people are absolutely friendly. They are curious about you just as much as you are about them. Make sure to hit up Beer'd Brewery at the Silo!

[@argonwheatbelly637]

Swirl is da bomb! Their lobster rolls are good, too. And you don't have to drive up to Ipswich for good whole-bellies. For those heading back to the highway, don't forget about the aquarium traffic, too. The real secret to Mystic is to relax.

[@dennisdoherty3221]

I live in Mystic (Stonington) and I approve of this list of don'ts in Mystic. Thank you.

[@dennisdoherty3221]

And he is not kidding that parking is a huge issue.

[@MysticKnotwork]

@@dennisdoherty3221 protip: go one street back. on the side road next to us, Stanton Street, there is usually a spot (there are 4 total) . Avoid the main road, just circulate around the Stonington side between the train station and drawbridge. We have almost 100,000 people visit for the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, and they find places to park (I have no idea how either)

[@dennisdoherty3221]

@@MysticKnotwork Our previous home was purchased by a friend and we park in their driveway but thanks for the tip.

[@richboutot]

Agreed

[@Dive_Team_12]

@@MysticKnotwork Sssshhhh! They are going to take my spot!!!!

[@deckenneth]

We moved to downtown Mystic 9 months ago and its phenomenal! Like living on vacation. And Rick knows his stuff about the do's and don'ts around here!

[@MysticKnotwork]

well done! first, it was cool to see our wreath on the drawbridge, and with the sign one top, that means you were here just this summer. It's 2022 now, and we are getting back to 'normal.' The Irish Parade is going on March 27. This is one of the years biggest events, and missing it for 2 years, I'm sure it will be huge. I also wanted to inform you that our cool toy store, Mystical Toys, closed this year with Frank's retirement. You hit it out of the park with your food suggestions, but for those of us NOT into seafood, Daniel Packer Inn has a great pub downstairs along with Friar Tuck and Harp and Hound as the other two downtown pubs. Engine Room has amazing burgers, and we have two world class Italian places. While known for seafood, there are dozens and dozens of choices for food within walking distance of our shop..

[@sodoffbaldrick3038]

The steamboat ride is on the Sabino, originally in service since 1908 as part of Casco Bay Lines out of Portland, Maine. My mom used to take it regularly well into the '50s. It always makes me happy to see it still having a life and bringing happiness to so many people. Thanks for what you do.

[@atravelpath]

We currently live in Mystic and we love it here. You are totally right about the gas prices, the Gulf off 184 is usually 10+ cents cheaper than off the highway and it’s only about a 5 minute drive from Old Mystic

[@Claudia-mw7pb]

Such a charming seafaring town. Love all your Mystic videos!!! ⛵️ 💙

[@lynnquillen4813]

My grandmother's schoolhouse is located here in Mystic Seaport, moved here from Griswold. She was a Miner (Minor), descendant of Thomas Minor, one of the founders of Stonington Borough.

[@wncjan]

Another great video,. I love Mystic Seaport and it's close to New London and the Orient Point ferry. And in an hour your'e on North Fork of Long Island and the great wineries 🍷🍷🍷

[@nancydulz1533]

Mystic is one of my favorite favorite places! So much to do and such a beautiful town. Sift is definitely worth it as well as Young Buns Donut Shop:) MystIck Village Shoppes is a great place to go shopping:) There is also a yearly 10k/half marathon race that starts at MystIck Villages and runs through the downtown - beautiful course:)

[@EsaLena1]

I was shocked a couple of weeks ago to see a Scandinavian gifts store there. Is there really a market for that there? There must be.

[@r.9700]

Please make a video about Rhode Island!

[@russgrebenc7923]

I worked an internship there back in the late 80’s. You’ve inspired me to return one of these days.

[@Savanah333]

We moved to Mystic (Stonington side) in 1980. Really love living here. One of our favorite restaurants in Red 36. They have the best calamari.

[@rachelbyrne8464]

You’re just fantastic. Watching all your videos. Dreaming up my next trip to the USA. Thanks from Australia.

[@mickmouse92]

Something about New England shoreline and harbors... a mix of nature and bold history.

[@999Patriots]

In Mystic: worst pizza, Mystic Pizza is essentially garlic-flavored cardboard. Best pizza: Angie's pizza where 27 meets Rte 1.

[@powerowl2120]

Right on dude Angie's is the spot

[@999Patriots]

@@powerowl2120 And Angie's for fried clams strips.:) Used to be a coffee place called Bess Eaton doughnuts. The best coffee. Now I guess you only have Dunkin' Dognuts coffee.

[@dennisdoherty3221]

Pizzetta is also awesome. Next door to Sift.

[@counterfit5]

@@999Patriots Bess Eaton still exists, barely. There's one or two in Westerly, and another in Wakefield

[@daviddesmond2143]

You have to go to New Haven CT for USA's best pizza

[@EscapingtheEmptyNest]

on our list for sure. thanks for the report, very much appreciated

[@mickywinters8451]

Just to add some to his cool video. I worked at the seaport back in the 80s :D. Lived here for 22 years growing up and now go back 3x a year and stay half the summer. Go to Mystic pizza. As of this spring they now have a roof top restaurant. Best pizza around though is in Groton at midway pizza. Angie’s pizza in stonington is just as good. A very nice restaurant on water is s& p oyster house at the bridge. Has 2 levels and can see water and boats just about any seat including the bar. If you want a very small intimate restaurant in mystic go to Anthony j’s. It’s as small as a 1-2 bedroom apartment. Very nice place! The owner lives upstairs on top of restaurant and has been in business since the 1980s. They cook some of the food on a hot rock and the bar literally has about 5 chairs. It’s tiny but a fun place. The tree house down the road is a cool place. It looks like a huge tree house restaurant. Has an outside upstairs area for the summer where you can see all of down town from it. Another place he didn’t mention is the Daniel packer inn in mystic. Place has been around since the 1800s. It’s like walking into someone’s basement downstairs.. Best happy hour around is at the old mystic village outside shops. Place is huge and a half day shopping area . There’s a place called the steak loft. It’s been around since the 1970s and feels like you’re in the 70s when u walk in. Live bands $3 beers $4 martinis and $4 apps. FYI. Mystic and whole area has happy hour daily. If you head over to westerly RI…a few miles away happy hour is banned in the whole entire state. Beaches: they suck in this area. Most are private. So you gotta go to ocean beach in new London. It’s on the ocean and a huge place. Has amusement rides and an arcade etc and mini golf. It’s about $22 a day to park your car and that’s for the whole family. If you want a really nice beach with waves and bars on the ocean then head to westerly RI. There’s a huge well known beach called miaquamicut beach. Most from CT go over the state line to go here. It’s about 25 mins from mystic and the same time to get to ocean beach in new London ct. one other place he didn’t mention is the popular mystic aquarium. It’s right down road from the seaport and across street from old mystic village outside shops and the steak loft happy hour place. Great video for a visitor though. There’s so many new places there now. FYI 6:21 he said the fisherman is in Groton. It’s actually in Noank CT aka Groton long point. It’s it’s own little $$ town between Mystic and Groton completely surrounded by water and even has their own 1 man police force for the 500 or so plus seasonal residents. Peace.

[@twogirlsabroad5173]

Ok never heard of this place before. I think you have now put it on our bucket list.

[@Striicky]

I've been a downtown Mystic local for four years now and he is spot on with everything. Sidenote: the best Pizza option in town is Mango's in Old Mistick Village, and the second best is Pizzetta right next to Sift, but Stonington Pizza Palace is definitely a solid choice. Enjoy your trips here, and please don't litter!

[@Alan-lv9rw]

My family vacations every summer on the Cape. But we’ve been to Mystic many times since 1966 and it’s always fun. Our last time there was in November 2022. The weather was warm and it was a great trip.

[@theusername07]

Give this man a TV show! 👏 🎉

[@2011leoc]

The food there is worth the money! Mystic is a special place in the world! Moved south a few years ago. I miss going there!

[@jquas1965]

I stayed at the Whalers Inn in March 2021. It was awesome.

[@albear972]

Oh man! I was thinking I was going to be so clever, thinking of a comment to put up before watching the whole clip. It was supposed to be, *"Don't be a super tourist and look for Mystic Pizza"*

[@MysticKnotwork]

it is funny how bad 'Mystic Pizza' was back in the 80's. I was forced into there to eat dinner with some tourists a few years ago and was impressed at how far they came. It's a rule for the locals to put down Mystic Pizza, and while still not my favorite, I was impressed by what they make NOW.. don't tell my teenage self, he'd never believe it...

[@janabromell3696]

Great video/Great information - thank you, I’m headed to Mystic next month 😊

[@IanF-FPV]

Much appreciated. Was there a few months ago and looking forward to checking out your suggestions.

[@puertoriconnect4611]

Great video! Any suggestions on where to take hikes?

[@maximusaugustus6823]

Peking Tokyo Restaurant in Mystic has great Sushi and other Asian fusion meals. I'm local we go there all the time.

[@jeffrey8294]

I myself live 2 mins from downtown mystic and I usually take a walk there every one in a while, one of my favorite thing to do is to actually kayak in the river past the drawbridge and railway tracks, plus there a bunch of nice greenery, restaurants, and gigantic boats that line the sides of the river further downstream of the drawbridge

[@adambloodworth6856]

Mystic Village is a cool place and also there is a cool shop called mine in mystic very cool

[@beachmom2001]

Love the Connecticut shore! There are some great little restaurants in Mystic

[@Darklg23]

Fortunately I got mystic in my backyard (not literally). I live 28 mins away

[@PABrewNews]

Mystic is definitely on my hit list this year. Cheers Mark

[@ravw309]

very helpful videos thank you

[@thullraven1]

I loved Mystic. I was up there for my sister's wedding in 2016.

[@sminthian]

I've been to Westerly many times. Taylor Swift owns a house there, and it's like Mystic but a lot quieter. And if you're there, make sure you go to The Cooked Goose. It's the best little restaurant in the area.

[@theoneandonlypinkypinky8245]

I am super allergic to shellfish but the rest i=of what you said is good.

[@midmichiganemdrailfan.4187]

Cool Drawbridge Amtrak Station & video.

[@darabu.julhaz6955]

Cool 👌

[@djathome6764]

very helpful!

[@richardchioccola5179]

Don't forget to bring lots, and LOTS of money. Side note:....EVERYTHING in Connecticut is taxed including food and groceries.

[@glenarseneau4796]

Stay at the Hilton next to the aquarium

[@bobbymanganaro]

Got to stay there back in elementary school for 2 or 3 days on I think the Charles Morgan or 1 of the old school whaling ships whatever the name was. The whole old school experience there at the shipyard was like stepping back in time for a 12 year old. But Even as an adult I would gladly pay to spend 3 days living that life and leaning it all again. Money well spent

[@richboutot]

My daughter works at the Fisherman. Good call on the food there.

[@RickJ04040]

Growing up in CT is still irks be that people don't stop at crosswalks in most places.

[@dunderhill]

Crazy - this is great, but I was amazed you barely mentioned the aquarium. It's one of the few aquariums in the country that has beluga whales!

[@ahmd5]

Lyme disease is named after Lyme Connecticut. So take your tick precautions seriously

[@WoltersWorldEats]

Not a joke! Those ticks are devilish.

[@GCJACK83]

Some don'ts: Don't pass up the aquarium, the seaport, or Mystic Village. The seaport is one of few places in the world actively maintaining old Tall Ships using the old methods and tools that ships like the Bark Eagle were constructed with. At any time, you can see old ships coming in for maintenance or heading back to their home nations and slips, with the most recent being a ship from Norway. The aquarium, aside from being highly educational, is also a veterinary hospital that handles a lot of cases of sick wild sea creatures every year. The aquarium has, among it's exhibits, penguins, seals, sea lions, beluga whales, sharks, snapping turtles, various fish, mollusks, bivalves, anemones, and a massive touch tank. Mystic Village is a collection of small shops and a perfect place to wander around or even walk your dog if Fido travels with you.

[@jonnythunder92]

I love how you talk about staying somewhere as a hub and then using public transport (trains, etc) to do day trips. Thats exactly what we have done for many trips. Love your vids.! Are you planning to visit Australia anytime (my country).?

[@Alan-lv9rw]

If you need a break from seafood, the Mystic Salad Co is fantastic.

[@donnamusselman8992]

He got a couple things wrong. There's plenty of hotel chains out by Old Mystic Village and Mystic Aquarium (also great attractions to visit that he didn't mention) right up Greenmanville where you get off 95.

[@lindakay9552]

My 8th great grandfather fought against the Pequot there and at fort Saybrook. He was one of the settlers of Norwich. Post and Gager Cemetery is between where his and Thomas Post's properties met. I'm descended from half of the other settlers of Norwich, (including Thomas Post.) through the female line. William Bradford is one of my 10th great grandfathers.

[@gerardlongobardi9210]

thanks for the video. i'am from new haven and like your videos. mystic pizza is nonthing like new haven pizza. and pepe's at mohegan sun isn't the same as pepe's new haven.

[@woltersworld]

yeah, i agree. We didn't get to get into new haven on our filming trip so i just had the one at the casino :( but it was still dang good!

[@dougsanteramo3008]

Thank you for covering this, I lived in Groton for a while and It took me back hearing about some of the restaurants. Tho I want to say their are tons of chain hotels in mystic (I worked at the mystic Marriott), both local and chains are good options depending on what you’d like. Also you can’t go to NYC in two hours, the mystic Amtrak station only has one or two trains a day so it’s very hard to get anything early in the morning, if you do want to do that go to the New London station about 10 mins away and it’ll like like 3 hours.😊

[@laurabrooks7253]

What about disability facilities?

[@SC047074]

Is Kitchen Little still there

[@FamilyonStandby]

We almost went there on our trip out east. Wanted to hit Mystic Pizza. But unfortunately it wasn't in the cards...

[@bizmen81]

Plus Groton Sub Museum!

[@sammymarrco2]

didnt know this place existed

[@MysticSeaportMuseum]

Thank you so much for all of the love!

[@injustifiiable]

From Connecticut. Can confirm 😂

[@cmonheywhatyeah]

is mystic okay for teens? specifically goth teens?

[@antonius_006]

👍

[@c103110a]

TOURISTS: Please DON'T Just walk across the street blindly - USE THE CROSSWALKS.

[@PeepGamePopoff]

Visited Connecticut every weekend for like 3 years when I was a teenager never once been here smh

[@woofdoogy]

Annie’s pizza? It’s Angies and locals will definitely not tell you that Stonington pizza palace is good

[@powerowl2120]

CT GOONS RISE UP!!!

[@DropYourFear]

It's funny you've traveled the world yet you find yourself coming back to little old CT

[@dougimmel]

Go slow and enjoy every little thing.

[@bradyjefson8957]

WALTER MY DAD'S CAR IS IN THIS VIDEO, SORRY FOR THE ALL CAPS I NEED EXPRESS THE EMOTION WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS

[@barb679]

I miss the original Sea Swirl... they were the BEST -

[@MysticKnotwork]

who owned it before Ryan?

[@Maniac536]

Wondering if one of the don’t is “Don’t dress like a pirate!”

[@kstephen126]

So basically what you are saying is Mystic pizza isn't that good lol..would have to agree btw

[@18Francisco93]

MEXICOOOOCITYY

[@elizabethlatorre5360]

Don't bother with mystic pizza. Was just there. Nothing special

[@iPilott]

I wonder what it was like for black people back then. Probably lovely

[@susankeene2785]

Don’t waste your time! Overrated and the aquarium is in poor condition!

[@joherickburgos5645]

Mystic is like a less gay cape cop with nothing to do and blandest of people boring asf go to cape cod

[@mr.d.572]

I'll take Mystic.

[@joherickburgos5645]

@@mr.d.572 go ahead it’s lame asf at least In the cape fresh caught seafood daily and some dope dispensaries charter fishing whale and seal watches

[@eatmyshorts1018]

I don't drive. Can I easily use public transportation to see all of these places? I was in Mystic once, but that was over 20 years ago. I might even have to use Airbnb to stay someplace nearby, but hopefully It'll be much more inexpensive. I suppose I can use a cab a few times, but I'll really have to be careful with what I spend. Thanks in advance! Very good video by the way!

[@bobburdick7212]

Super review... I Live in Westerly, grew up in Groton. One thing, though...stop telling everyone about Ford's, I want that place all to myself! (LOL)

[@karancon]

Mystic has a Hilton, Quality Inn, Holiday Inn express and others. Plenty of chains.

[@markwoodley712]

Drove along Hwy 1 years ago on our way to Newport RI and wished we could spend more time, but our schedule was all in Newport. Will have to go back again soon, thanks for sharing!

[@slemdlem]

We are in Mystic almost every weekend. We LOVE Stonington Pizza and they have the best gluten free pizza I’ve ever had.

[@theoneandonlypinkypinky8245]

bugs and TICKS YUCK

[@JonBrooks105]

I miss my apartment in the brick building by the drawbridge. It came with parking!

[@lostagain6518]

A little to uppity for me. Forty years ago it was oh so much more real. Sardines belong in a can.

[@ecurewitz]

Don’t go to New London. Just don’t. That place is sketchy

[@dougimmel]

Disagree. GREAT seafood place on the dock, Captain Scotts. Boom

[@millsykooksy4863]

I can't wait

[@jjranger5022]

Lived there for years and in north stonington and Groton , miss the food the most , stuck in Northern California and missing my old friends … the pizza I miss soooo much