Mystic Connecticut

Mystic Connecticut 

I curled up on my couch for day 1,789 of quarantine with my homemade tacos and decided to check out the 80s cult classic “Mystic Pizza,” with Julia Roberts.  I loved it, the plot, the acting and mostly the setting which was a quiet town called Mystic.  
As someone who, along with many others, has only bounced around the NYC boroughs for the last  year, I was in desperate need of a change of scenery, and a place called "Mystic" seemed like the perfect spot for a little adventure. 
About a 2 hour drive from NYC, its ideal for a day trip to check out all the shops, bakeries, restaurants and more.  I ordered my everything bagel with cream cheese before departing from the Bronx and merged onto I95 north for a road trip!

First stop: Olde Mistick Village  ​

This outdoor shopping center is designed to look like a 1720s style colonial village.  It’s got a duck pond, gazebos, a movie theater and a lot of fun different shops/cafes to visit.
Here are some highlights!

The General Store

The second you walk in you are hit with the intoxicating scent of hot roasted sugar almonds, cashews and pecans. This is an eclectic store where you can find sauces, jams, pasta, fudge, cheeses and also books, cat toys, and little souvenirs.  

Kitch

Fun kitchen goods, a hot sauce bar and Bloody Mary samples!

Extra Virgin & Sticky situations

Dozens of delicious olive oils and vinegars that you can sample. Plus pure and raw honeys and jams from different hives in the USA.

About an 8 minute drive from Olde Mistick Village is downtown Mystick that you definitely do not want to miss! Here’s a list of places I visited, start at Mystic Pizza and work your way down the whole street.

Mystic Pizza

If you are a fan of the movie Mystic Pizza this is a fun photo op and a chance to grab “a slice of heaven.” The pizza isn’t award winning but as an actress and a foodie this was just too fun for me to miss!

Young Buns 

Fluffy out of this world doughnuts in lots of different flavors. It was so hard for me to choose because they all looked incredible and I still needed room for all the rest of Mystic’s goodies! I ended up choosing the “Mystic Creme,” and an assortment of little donut holes.  All amazing!

The Candy Shop

I am a grown woman but when I walked into this store I actually squealed. It’s full of old fashioned candy that I haven’t seen in years. Pop rocks, fruit stripe gum even candy buttons on the sheet.  I immediately bought $20 worth of sugar with 0 regrets. 

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Mystic Drawbridge Ice cream ​

Enjoy a delicious sugar cone topped with your choice of 10 original flavors like lemon chocolate kiss, or seaport salty swirl, and enjoy the view as you cross the drawbridge. This ice cream was so fresh and creamy, of course I had to get double scoops of the mint chocolate.

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Those were some of my highlights but there’s still more to explore.  About a 5-7 minute drive is the Mystic Seaport and the Aquarium.  There’s also several restaurants in the area as well as hotels.  You can go for a day trip, or stay the weekend, but either way, it’s a town worth checking out!