Coastal getaways
BEACH TOWNS MAKE FOR A GREAT VACATION
Most of us — 95 percent of Connecticut residents — live within 50 miles of the breezy shores of the Long Island Sound, so it’s just a short drive to one of the state’s coastal communities. They offer plenty for visitors, from natural resources, great parks, and Revolutionary and whaling history to diverse cuisine and fine dining, and New England one- of- a- kind shopping opportunities. So if you need a day- cation or an overnight stay, here are some charming shoreline spots you might explore. Visit the towns’ websites before you go for full details.
Greenwich: This gorgeous shoreline town is within everyone’s reach, only 50 minutes from Grand Central Station on Metro- North, and an affluent and diverse destination with plenty for tourists to see on a day trip or afternoon visit, says Marsha O’Kane, the executive director of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce.
Online tourist sites call it the “Gateway to New England,” likely due to the town bordering Stamford and Westchester County, N. Y., which has a little bit of everything for anyone.
The town’s Bruce Museum encompasses art, science, and natural history in more than a dozen changing exhibitions annually, so a visit here is well worth a few hours but call ahead to find out when it’s open. ( 203- 869- 0376).
Greenwich Avenue is a mile- long, high- end shopping and eating district from Post Road to Railroad Ave., featuring specialty shops, plenty of cafes, restaurants, and coffee shops, including Starbucks and several independents. Retail luxury brands like Tiffany, Tesla, Betteridge Jewelers, Crump & Lowe, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Richard’s of Greenwich line the street alongside more affordable stores and there are chains in town including CVS. Mealtime offers a diverse array of different cuisines from casual to romantic to French — L’Escale on the water in the Delamar is well known — and locals love Hotel and Burgers, Shakes & Fries on Delavan Avenue, among the town’s many eateries.
Darien: The beach is a draw on a visit to Darien, where visitors can purchase day passes at the entrance to two public beaches in Darien with 30 acres of Sound shoreline. Choices are Pear Tree Point Beach, which has eight acres off Pear Tree Point Road at the mouth of the Goodwives River. The beach offers a bathing area, a handicap accessible picnic area with picnic tables and grills, a beautiful gazebo overlooking the Sound, a bathhouse, a fully operational concession stand, a boat launch ramp, and two beautiful beaches. In addition, the Darien Boat Club is located at this beach.
Weed Beach is great for swimming or relaxing with 22 acres off Nearwater Lane near Route 1.
The park has picnic areas, tennis courts, paddle tennis courts, children’s play areas, a bathhouse, a fit trail with equipment, and a concession stand.
A day in Darien might include some hiking at Selleck’s Woods, a 28- acre nature preserve located between I- 95 and the Metro- North railroad. The park has three entrances on Fairmead Avenue, Parkland Drive ( for parking), and Little Brook Road to access an extensive trail system. On a woodland walk here you will bump into many locals hiking or walking dogs. You can also stop to enjoy the scenery and wildlife. The property has wooded areas, two ponds, marshes, swamps, streams, and several prairie pockets.
Another spot to enjoy nature is Stony Brook Park on Ledge Road. You can take a short, easy hike here and sit on one of the benches near a waterfall.
Whether your day in Darien involves visiting a park or making an historical sightseeing stop, it wouldn’t be complete without spending time downtown for “a really nice lunch and to shop some unique boutiques that you won’t find anywhere else,” says Susan Cator, the president/ executive director of the Darien Chamber of Commerce. Revolutionary War buffs should not miss the First Congregational Church of Darien ( 1737), or the Museum of Darien, formerly the Darien Historical Society. Call ahead though to make sure the museum is open. ( 203- 655- 9233). And don’t forget the Stephen Mather homestead, a newly cited National Historic Landmark, Cator notes.
Darien is a “foodie place,” and whether you’re in town for lunch or dinner, you will find “Italian, Mexican, American and Asian fare, wonderful bakeries, espresso bars, one at Grove Street Plaza just a four- minute walk from the train,” says Cator.
Visitors and locals often head over to the square to relax by a fountain at one of the tables with umbrellas and chairs. There are several shops here as well.
Of key note is Darien is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year of its official founding of 1820.
Mystic: This charming shoreline town offers over 80 independently owned shops, places to eat — from cafe style eateries with a breakfast and brunch spot to Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream ( aptly named due to its proximity to the town’s drawbridge) to a French- centric bakeshop to a restaurant that serves only salads — plus happy hour spots, dozens of more restaurants devoted to seafood, Asian, and other international cuisine. Mystic is a quintessential foodie destination, but is also famous for its aquarium and seaport museum, according to Peggy Roberts, president of the Mystic Chamber of Commerce.
“From boutique hotels and big hotels to places for families and couples, Mystic, a village in Stonington and Groton divided by the Mystic River, gets plenty of visitors,” Roberts notes.
Paying homage to the village’s whaling history is central to the mystique of the Mystic Seaport Museum, and one of the town’s biggest attractions, is the Mystic Aquarium, drawing 800,000 visitors a year, according to Roberts, who states, “It’s a top- rated aquarium and one of the few places in the world where you can see beluga whales.”
Ship and boat lovers will get plenty to soak in here where the most well known Charles W. Morgan at the Mystic Seaport Museum is the last wooden whaleship in the world.
Visitors can take a boat ride or pilot their own watercraft at Mystic Seaport. “Anything you can do on water here, from paddleboards to two- seater motor boats, are available here from a rental company and you can board a schooner or historical steamship on the Sound,” Roberts says. You can take a river cruise on the 1908 Steamboat Sabino or commercial sailing ship, the Argia, at the Seaport.
Visitors can also witness the art of wooden ship building at the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard. A typical New England “village,” Mystic Seaport was founded in 1654 and rose to prominence as a shipbuilding center during the clipper ship era.
East Lyme: Rocky Neck State Park, a public recreation area on Long Island Sound in the town of East Lyme has a tidal river, a broad salt marsh, white sand beaches, rocky shores, and a large stone pavilion dating from the 1930s. There is also a town beach, McCook Point Park, where you can purchase a day pass. Main Street has the Niantic Bay boardwalk, a seaside cement walkway comprising tourist inns, restaurants, and cafes.
A visit to East Lyme might include the Florence Griswold Museum ( expected to reopen July 7 as of press time), an art museum next door in Old Lyme, centered on the home of Florence Griswold, which was the center of the Old Lyme Art Colony, the main center of American Impressionism. The restored 1817 mansion showcases artists, American Impressionist works, and rotating exhibits.
On Lyme Street, you can shop for handcrafts, collectibles, jewelry, and chocolates; eat at an award- winning restaurant; or pick up a lunch to picnic by the river or at Rocky Neck. The location
is well suited for an overnight stay, located halfway between New York and Boston, an idyllic spot to soak up the picturesque Connecticut River and the Long Island Sound together for more than an afternoon.
Stonington: You will quickly settle into a quieter pace in the quaint town of Stonington, founded in 1649. It includes the borough of Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and Wequetequock, and the eastern part of Mystic and Old Mystic. This pretty coastal peninsula stretches out to Fishers Island Sound and Narragansett Bay, offering painterly water views.
Non- locals can go to DuBois Beach, which is privately owned by the Stonington Village Improvement Association, but offers seasonal public access for a daily fee.
Time in town will be fun if you spend some of it browsing in diverse shops, art galleries, and boutiques, and then settle in for a spell at one of the varied restaurants on the main thoroughfare, Water Street.
On foot, you can walk amid Colonial, Federal, and Greek revival architecture or on nature trails for more water watching. Visitors also go to Stonington to visit wineries and vineyards. Stops might include Stonington Vineyards, Saltwater Farm Vineyard, and Beer’d Brewing Co., among others. The nano- brewery is located in the American Velvet Mill, a destination unto itself where creatives run their artisan shops. Varied choices are arts, design, specialty crafts, an artisanal bakery, woodfire pizza shop, espresso bar, and bistro.