Great Barrington MA to Mystic CT

WHAT WE DID

From Great Barrington we continued south on 7 and 63 to Litchfield then east on 4 to Hartford.  In Hartford, again pandering to my inner reader, we stopped at Mark Twain House and Harriet Beecher Stowe House.  After Hartford we headed towards the coast via I-91 then 9.  We made a minor detour in to Essex, then on to Mystic Via I-95.

The original plan had been to stop for a late lunch at the Griswold Inn in Essex but if I had paid attention to my travel plan I would have seen a major flaw!  It was Sunday and Essex was overrun with daytrippers.  Enjoying the charm was hampered by lots of traffic and no parking.  We didn’t stay long (maybe it was a case of lowered frustration levels after the previous drive).

Instead of exploring the coast between Old Lyme and Mystic, we decided to head straight to Mystic for lunch.  We could not check in to The Whalers Inn so we went the Mystic Seaport.  This worked well for us.  We ate at Latitude 41 and then walked it off in the seaport museum.  A most enjoyable afternoon.

The Whalers Inn was a good choice.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it (but not the surly bar staff in Bravo Bravo).  The management had been particularly good in letting me cancel and then remake my booking when they introduced a November special that changed the cost of the room from $161 to $99.  The Whalers is really well located for walking into town across the bridge.  It is quiet and the room and bed were comfortable.

That night we ate at the Riverwalk Restaurant, chosen mainly because it was raining, we didn’t need a booking and there was easy parking.  My Portuguese cod was delicious, DH’s pasta dish far less so.

http://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/

http://www.marktwainhouse.org/

www.whalersinnmystic.com

http://www.mysticseaport.org/

http://www.coastalgourmetct.com/latitude41/

http://www.mysticriverwalk.com/

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

Don’t arrive in Essex tired and hungry at lunchtime on a busy Sunday!  And I had been looking forward to lunch at The Griswold Inn!!

But not much else! 

We met a bit of traffic towards Hartford, but I imagine it would have been much worse if it hadn’t been a Sunday morning.  We missed out on a bit of coastal exploration, but that may have been a good thing as those communities were still recovering from Sandy (some were still without power).

http://www.griswoldinn.com