MYSTIC, Conn. -- There is a sort of magic in the air at this picturesque New England coastal town.

There are plenty of things to see and do in this movielike setting: Check out the Mystic Pizza of Julia Roberts movie fame, visit the sprawling Mystic Seaport for a hands-on look at what small whaling villages were like a century ago, take in the interesting $60 million aquarium, take a sailing trip on an authentic replica of an 81-foot three-mast schooner, etc.

Or, you can just leisurely throw a leg over a railing at the drawbridge in the center of the town's small shopping district, watching the passing parade of boats and people.

Though covering only about a 10-block square area, Mystic's business district offers plenty of ways to spend enjoyable hours. Little speciality shops and restaurants abound, with several fun-filled surprises around every corner.

Overlooking Mystic 's Bay is the historic Inn at Mystic, where movie stars Humphrey Bogart and Catherine Hepburn spent some honeymoon hours. The Inn is set on a beautifully landscaped 15-acre rocky hill and its huge front porch columns stand like guardian sentinels.

The Inn's restaurant has become a favorite dining-out site for the locals and tourists alike, with a variety of foods offered by an award-winning chef staff. The ambiance alone is worh a visit.

Mystic is also where the replicated freedom schooner Amistad was reborn and began a national exhibition tour about the same time the blockbuster movie of the same name hit the country's theaters.

There are several similarities between Mystic and Colonial Williamsburg, Va.

Both offer reconstructed historic structures presented in living-history settings providing fun and information (including horse carriage rides), though Mystic is much more compact with most attractions within easy walking distance.

The biggest attraction in Mystic is the Mystic Seaport, a 17-acre cornucopia of shops, churches, reenactors and tall ships that provide visitors realistic glimpses of what seacoast whaling village life was like more than 100 years ago.

Mystic Seaport was recreated in 1929 along the east side of the Mystic River.

If you like to check out old boats, the Mystic Seaport is your cup of tea, with about 500 ships, believed to be the largest collection of old boats and ships in the world.

For about 40 years (1680-1920) Mystic was the shipbuilding capital of the world. Remaining to this day is the huge barnline main shipbuilding building, now the locale for the largest working ship preservation and repair facility in the world.

As late as about 1960, some 20 whaling boats were based in Mystic, plying the waters regularly for giant underwater creatures.

A handful of tall ships and old boats are still tied up at the Mystic Seaport, offering tourists a chance to go on board for a full look (and even opportunities to join the sailor re-enactors in raising and lowering sails and hauling in ropes).

The Mystic area includes several other small villages along the coast, including Stonington, a scenic hamlet surrounded by dozens of beautiful homes and rockwall fences. The village was the scene of one of the significant battles in the War of 1812.

Some of the other area attractions include:

Canon Square, where the town's two primary roads - Water Street and Main Street - join; the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, The Essex Steam Train and Riverboat Ride; the Historic Ship Nautilus and the Submarine Force Museum; Goodspeed Opera House, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, Olde Mistick Village, Raspberry Junction (a series of interesting shops in Stonington), the Garde Arts Center, the Goodspeed At Chester Theatre, Connecticut College, the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, U.S. Coast Guard Band.

Boats are available for fishing and recreation trips (including a cruise on the windjammer Mystic Whaler) and ample golf courses, state and local parks and tennis courts are nearby.

Mystic has long been a favorite locale for East Coast city brethren looking for a place to kick back and enjoy themselves in a gorgeous seacoast setting, but much of the rest of America -- indeed, the world -- has been discovering the fascination of Mystic in the last few years.

Contacts:
www.innatmystic.com
www.mycoast.com
www.mysticseaport.org

This story was published on 25 Aug 2002.