On the drive home from a weekend in the Boston area, we decided to break up the trip and stop off in the town of Mystic, Connecticut. It was a warm fall day, and it gave us a chance to stretch our legs and walk around a little bit. We explored the small New England town. Although we really stayed on West Main Street, which was along the Mystic River itself, it was just enough of a stop for us to get out and break up our trip a little bit.

Seeing that it was a Sunday and a nice sunny day at that, there were a ton of people out and about. However, we were able to find parking in the large lot in the middle of town. Conveniently, since we had been driving for more than a couple of hours at that point, there were clean restrooms located right near the parking lot, a real bonus!

As we started to walk to the main street of the town, you could not help but realize the charm of the New England town immediately. The town is located just beside the Mystic River itself. Just as we were getting to Main Street, we realized toward one end the bridge was opening as a small boat was coming through. My son and I ran down to the bridge opening to watch as this old-fashioned bridge opened up. The traffic stopped, not only the cars on the street but the pedestrians on the sidewalk had a red arm come down on the sidewalk, stopping them from crossing as well. The bridge opened from the center and raised all the way up until both ends were standing straight up in the air. Then a small little fishing boat, with only one person on board continued down the river. All these cars and all the people on the street were stopped for the bridge to open up as this one little boat worked its way through the water and down the river. The hustle and bustle of the town then continued on.

Once we were allowed to cross, we walked to the other side, and there was a little visitor’s center there. There are a few benches out front as well. We crossed back over, and of course we had to stop at the local ice cream stop called Mystic Draw Bridge Ice Cream Shop, which I have to stay was very good. We then proceeded to go in and out of the different shops, one after the other, each unique to the area. One in particular that stood out to me was called Hang the Moon, a little gift shop. Their slogan is “Exceptional Gifts for Women Made by Exceptional Women.”

We did proceed to eat at the ever-famous Mystic Pizza restaurant, which the 1988 Classic film Mystic Pizza was based on. For those of you who don’t remember or, like me, remember the name but don’t actually remember watching it, the movie was about the lives of three young waitresses, two of whom are sisters, and their love lives. The movie was filmed all over the town of Mystic and in its neighboring towns. Actress Julia Roberts was one of the sisters.

We ate on the rooftop outside; the food was good; the service was great. The restaurant was packed. It was a fun little excursion on our road trip back home. Although we got home later then we had wanted, it was worth the stop.

— Eli R. Shapiro, director of sales