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BY BRENDAN SPIEGEL
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Nutmeg State hides some of the Northeast’s most
overlooked small towns, including this 350-year-old
seaside enclave. Although the shipbuilding industry
that once supported Mystic is a thing of the past,
there still are plenty of reasons to dock here, mostly
because much of the town feels hundreds of years
behind its neighbors—in a good way. Mystic Seaport
is a re-created 19th-century village featuring real historic buildings transported from around New England
and vintage vessels to tour—including the landmark
Charles W. Morgan, the world’s last wooden whaling
ship. More modern ships are on view over at the Mystic
Aquarium, which o;ers a firsthand look at high-tech
vessels used for deep-sea exploration, as well as plenty
of playful moments with African penguins, beluga
whales and sea lion pups.
During the holiday season, Lantern Light Tours leads
visitors on spooky walks through the seaport, organized
around performance vignettes set in Christmas 1876.
A few blocks away in Mystic’s historic downtown, you
can’t stay any closer to the water than the over-the-dock Steamboat Inn, where 11 guest rooms provide
panoramic views of the harbor. It’s an ideal spot to take
in Mystic’s uniquely nautical holiday festivities—Santa
arrives via tugboat and the holiday parade is a fleet of
ships decked out in Christmas lights.
Mystic Seaport, 888-973-2767, mysticseaport.org;
Mystic Aquarium, 860-572-5955, mysticaquarium.org;
Steamboat Inn, 860-536-8300, steamboatinnmystic.com
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mention traditional meals
such as boiled turkey soup
and figgy pudding.
That’s not to say there
isn’t any fun here. In fact,
Colonial Williamsburg
holidays are packed to
the brim with pomp and
circumstance. On the
first Sunday in December,
the Grand Illumination
revives a centuries-old
tradition by placing
candles in hundreds of
windows throughout the
300-acre historic area,
lighting up the entire
colony—with a little help
from a massive end-of-
night fireworks display.
Then, on Christmas Eve,
Williamsburg’s tree light-
ing is accompanied by the
firing of the Christmas
guns, an 18th-century
tradition that has soldiers
JEFFRE Y GREENBERG/VISIT WILLIAMSBURG.COM
sending a stream of mus-
ket fire across the sky.
Note that Colonial Wil-
liamsburg is at its busiest
throughout the holiday
season, so be sure to make
advance reservations for
lodging, dining and events
when visiting between
Thanksgiving and New
Year’s Day.
