help plan our 4 day trip to CT

My wife and I will be spending our 30th aniv. in CT sept 5-9. I would lke your help on where to best spend our time.

We%26#39;re a pretty young 50%26#39;ish ;-) and would enjoy sightseeing, quaint towns and some amount of tourist traps. Enjoy looking for art bargins and eating local %26#39;value%26#39; food.

From my reading, places like Mystic, Essex, Stonington sound great. Also thinking a venture over to Newport, RI should be done. I have considered New Haven as well.

I know we can%26#39;t see it all and would enjoy quality time over being rushed. We never been to this part of the US and want to experience the local varitey.

We would not be opposed to changing hotels during our stay.

Because of hotel points I will be looking to stay at a holiday inn chain. The hotel will only be a place to get rest as we%26#39;ll be touring all day. These are my primary choices -

SOUTH KINGSTOWN (NEWPORT AREA) Holiday Inn

BRANFORD-NEW HAVEN Holiday Inn Express

MYSTIC Holiday Inn Express

FAIRHAVEN-NEW BEDFORD Holiday Inn Express

This looks like a great area to see and we look forward to the trip.

help plan our 4 day trip to CT

I just stayed at the South Kingston HI last weekend - great place, clean, comfy, easy access off of Rt 1 - Close enough for day trips to Newport, Misquamicutt, Watch Hill (oldest brass ring carousel here, neat place!), Providence, Mystic - With only 4 days to spend, I would leave New Haven out of this loop - you will find enough to see in that area of RI, and you can hit Mystic, the Native American Museum in Ledyard, the Casinos - I think you should split between South Kingston and Mystic for your stay.

help plan our 4 day trip to CT

Hi- I agree with suz. Leave New Haven out of this loop. There is construction going on the road and bridge going to new Haven, especially in the Branford, east Haven area.

Newport and Mystic will give you plenty to do. We also love wandering the main st. in Essex and seeing a performance at Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam.

(www.goodspeed.org/) ( not opera, but early 1920 musicals)

Lots of good restaurants too.

have fun.

Sorry about late response and thanks for the info. These are some great tips and just what we need.

We%26#39;ll stay in the mystic and newport area as you have suggested, two nights each.

Can you give me some local restaurants that shouldn%26#39;t be missed? Seafood is a favorite and would enjoy trying local specialties.

What are the best places to sit out on the beach?

What can we do if it%26#39;s raining?:

What are some of the must see tourist points?

I%26#39;ve read about mansion garden tours on this weekend, what about that?

Newport RI there is lots to do inside if it is raining. Definitely tour some of the Newport Mansions. My favorites are The Breakers, Rosecliff, Marble House but any of them are interesting to see. The Breakers has some of the longest lines so go here earlier in the day. Touring more than 3 in one day is too much so pick 1-3 to tour. Rainy day ideas: Newport Art Museum, Tennis Hall of Fame, shops near the waterfront, you can tour the Touro Synagog (one of the oldest in the US) for free.

Newport RI has lots of good restaurants too. For Italian, try Puerinis or Sardellas (http://www.sardellas.com/) on Memorial Blvd. next door to each other. Sardellas has a nicer atmosphere. Weekends it is harder to get in places though so may need reservations.

Most of the mansions have parking but for the rest of Newport, leave your car at the Newport Visitor center and get maps etc. there. Then you can walk around shore area of Newport easily. The driving is hectic and the parking is limited so you don%26#39;t want to drive too much if you can avoid it. There are boats that tour the harbor near the Visitor center if you are interested in this.

About the Newport Secret Garden tour -- it is excellent! Great way to see behind some of the private mansions in Newport and see some lovely gardens. The mansions open to the public also have some nice gardens especially the Elms and Hunder House. Your time frame overlaps the Fall secret garden tour. See this website for details:

http://www.secretgardentours.org/

On the day of the tour you can buy tickets at the Newport Visitor center or in advance at the web site.

I know a few have said skip New Haven and it%26#39;s definitely different from the Newport/Mystic feel but I think it%26#39;s a great stop for a morning or afternoon, I don%26#39;t think it really requires an overnight though. A walk through Yale, or a guided tour is actually quite nice, plus school will have just started so the campus will be very active. Also, if you%26#39;re looking for cheap eats New Haven has two of my favorite options in CT in Louis%26#39; Lunch and Pepe%26#39;s Pizza. Louis%26#39; Lunch is one of just a handful of places, maybe 4 around the country that has a legitimate claim for having invented the hamburger. It%26#39;s a nice little bit of history if you%26#39;re into that sort of thing. Also, Pepe%26#39;s Pizza is a fantastic stop, has been featured on the Food Channel several times and is well worth the wait if there%26#39;s a line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis%26#39;_Lunch

鈥ikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Pepe_Pizzeria_Napo鈥?/a>

Great additional info-

I think we take a scenic route from Bradley Airport to Mystic and stop in East Haddam and Essex. (suggested roads would be good) .

Anyone have comments on the Essex Steam Train. Worhwhile, Great or Cheesy? Is there a ferry across the conn river?

We arrive at noon on wednesday and looking for a good plan for that first day which will end in Mystic.

Happy 30th anniversary and welcome (in advance) to the Land of Steady Habits!

Here are some suggestions for you:

TAKE A BOAT RIDE IN ESSEX

I just went to Essex a couple of weekends ago and had intended to take a boat cruise on ';River Quest'; up the Connecticut River. Unfortunately, it was too windy that day, but hopefully the weather will be on your side. It%26#39;s been beautiful so far this week:

www.ctriverexpeditions.org/excursion_day.asp

I hope to make this trip myself very soon as you%26#39;re supposed to be able to see lots of birds as well as our picturesque scenery. I%26#39;d vote for a boat trip over the train as it%26#39;s so gorgeous this time of year, why not be outside on the water? :)

GOOD EATS IN ESSEX

Finally got to visit the Wine Bar at The Griswold Inn (aka ';The Gris';)...sampled a variety of ';small plates'; which were quite special and delicious with ';wine flights'; to compare/contrast which ones paired best with each dish. If that%26#39;s not your style, there are plenty of more casual, but tasty options to choose from at ';The Taproom'; at ';The Gris'; itself.

http://www.griswoldinn.com/Pages/winebar.html

NEWPORT TIPS

I agree with the other post about Sardella%26#39;s...I haven%26#39;t been in years, but still remember it very fondly as the food excellent.

My favorite mansion is not the mansion itself, but the garden outside called ';Green Animals';...

tickets.newportmansions.org/mansion.aspx鈥?/a>

The topiary animals are very unique and make for lots of fun photo opps!

BACK IN CT--STONINGTON/NORTH STONINGTON

If you%26#39;re into wine at all, check out Stonington Vineyards and Jonathan Edwards.

http://ctwine.com/stonington.html

http://ctwine.com/edwards.html

Both places are lovely and what%26#39;s not to love about a little wine on vaca?! There are wineries to be found in RI, too, if that%26#39;s to your liking.

MYSTIC, CT

Love The Voodoo Grill for a jerk chicken sandwich. You might, too:

http://thevoodoogrill.com/

Any questions about this info, or other things you might do, please let me know. I hope the sun shines on you next week as you visit our neck of the woods.

Best wishes on your 30th anniversary!

In Mystic, head to Sea Swirl clam shack on Rte 1 in Mystic and have anything seafoody. Go to Mystic Seaport and just walk around and take everything in. Plan to spend about 3 hours. Just before sundown, drive to Stonington borough to the Point (just ask locals for Stonington Point) and watch the sun go down at the Point, or have a drink at Skippers Dock near the point (the Point has great views of the water, Skippers Dock has views of the marina). In my opinion, do not eat at Skippers Dock. Proceed back up the road a 5 min walk to Water Street Cafe, a wonderful restaurant. This afternoon will cost you $40 to enter Mystic Seaport, $20 for lunch at Sea Swirl, $15 for drink at Skippers Dock, $80 for dinner. Worth it, believe me.

In Mystic, head to Sea Swirl clam shack on Rte 1 in Mystic and have anything seafoody. Go to Mystic Seaport and just walk around and take everything in. Plan to spend about 3 hours. Just before sundown, drive to Stonington borough to the Point (just ask locals for Stonington Point) and watch the sun go down at the Point, or have a drink at Skippers Dock near the point (the Point has great views of the water, Skippers Dock has views of the marina). In my opinion, do not eat at Skippers Dock. Proceed back up the road a 5 min walk to Water Street Cafe, a wonderful restaurant. This afternoon will cost you $40 to enter Mystic Seaport, $20 for lunch at Sea Swirl, $15 for drink at Skippers Dock, $80 for dinner. Worth it, believe me.