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Southeastern Connecticut

The southeastern corner of Connecticut is home to the state’s number-one tourist attraction and the country’s largest maritime museum, Mystic Seaport. Built on the site of a former shipbuilding yard in 1929, the museum celebrates the area's seafaring heritage, when fisherers, whalers and clipper-ship engineers broke world speed records and manufactured gunboats and warships for the Civil War.

To the west of Mystic, you’ll find the submarine capital of the USA, Groton, where General Dynamics built WWII subs, and, across the Thames River, New London. To the east is the historic fishing village of Stonington, extending along a narrow mile-long peninsula into the sea. It’s one of the most charming seaside villages in New England, where Connecticut’s only remaining commercial fleet operates and yachties come ashore in summer to enjoy the restaurants on Water St.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Southeastern Connecticut.

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Mystic Seaport Museum
More than a museum, Mystic Seaport is a re-creation of an entire New England whaling village spread over 17 acres of the former George Greenman & Co Shipyard. To re-create the past, 60 historic buildings, four tall ships and almost 500 smaller vessels are gathered along the Mystic River. Interpreters staff the site and are glad to discuss traditional crafts and trades. Most illuminating are the demonstrations on such topics as ship rescue, oystering and whaleboat launching.
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Hygienic Art
Done up in a Greek Revival style replete with a sculpture garden, a mural plaza, fountains and a large performance area, this not-for-profit art space hosts poetry readings, film screenings, a summer concert series and an annual art show attracting nearly 500 artists. The gardens and amphitheater are open during daylight hours.
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Foxwoods Casino
The gleaming towers of this mammoth resort casino – the largest outside Vegas – rise above the forest canopy of Great Cedar Swamp. Built on the ancestral land of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (www.mptn-nsn.gov), the resort features the world's largest bingo hall, nightclubs with free entertainment, cinemas, rides and video-game heaven for kids. If you're not a gambler, you might want to shop 'til you drop in the Tanger Outlet Mall, or check out who's headlining the Fox and Grand Theatres.
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Coogan Farm
Opened in September 2014, this public-access, 45-acre historic farm and nature center affords sweeping views of the Mystic River. Maintained by volunteers, the property features miles of walking tracks and protects two Stonington watersheds (wildlife habitats containing 10 species listed with a high conservation property) and historic farm buildings that have been restored for educational use. A mile-long walking trail connects the farm with the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center.
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Custom House Maritime Museum
Near the ferry terminal, this 1833 building is the oldest operating customhouse in the country, in addition to functioning as a museum. Its front door is made from the wood of the USS Constitution. Tours must be reserved in advance. Lighthouse excursions can be organized from here, as well.
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Old Lighthouse Museum
Climb the winding iron staircase of this squat, granite lighthouse for 360-degree views from the lantern room. Afterward browse the small museum, which recounts unsuccessful British assaults on the harbor during the American Revolution and the War of 1812, as well as hosting exhibits on whaling, Native American artifacts and curios from the China trade.
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Willimantic Frog Bridge
First-time drivers crossing the Willimantic are stunned by four 11ft frog sculptures perched atop granite spools of thread. This bridge, built in 2000, combines two local legends: the thread represents the city's former key manufacturing product, while the frogs recall the night in 1754 when Colonists, scared out of their wits by an unholy racket, fired muskets willy-nilly into the night. The next morning, scores of dead frogs, who had been fighting over scarce water supplies, were found littered around the only pond: Frog Fight (or Fright) entered Nutmeg folklore.
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Slater Memorial Museum
This museum was commissioned by William Slater, an educated and well-traveled man who aspired to make the great art of the classical and Renaissance periods accessible to Norwich's citizens. With this in mind, he commissioned the 227 plaster casts that fill the museum's beaux-arts interior on his grand tour in 1894–95. Ranging from the Parthenon Marbles to Michelangelo's Pieta, the casts were created via a now-illegal process from molds of the original.
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Lyman Allyn Art Museum
This neoclassical building contains exhibits that span the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, including impressive collections of early-American silver and Asian, Greco-Roman and European paintings. Among the highlights are the American impressionists gallery and the charming doll and toy exhibit. There's also a self-guided children's art park on the grounds, as well as a sculpture trail comprising 10 works.