As the campus prepped for Harvard-Yale a few Fridays ago, my friends and I rented a Zipcar and headed over to the lovely coastal town of Mystic, Connecticut.
I first visited Mystic in October 2022, when my twin brother came to visit me over October break. The seaside town - which reminds me of a town you’d see in a Hallmark movie - immediately captured my heart. The salty breeze, sound of seagulls, and local shops remind me a bit of Southern California and it is a great little getaway from New Haven.
And so, when I had friends visiting me for Harvard-Yale weekend, I knew that we needed to make the trip over to Mystic.
When we first arrived at Mystic, we were greeted by the cutest and most friendliest neighborhood cat (my friends and I are all animal people so we were over the moon). After giving the cat all the cuddles, we headed over to grab coffee and pastries at Sift Bake Shop, which I highly recommend.
We then began exploring all the little shops on the main street. We wandered into a bookstore where we each had a “blind date with a book,” explored the tea shop, had fun in the souvenir shops, and then took a walk by the water. After asking a kind stranger to take a group photo of us, we then decided to drive over to Old Mystick Village.
Old Mystick Village, a little further out from main street, is a shopping area full of more local businesses and restaurants. Once we arrived, we entered almost all the shops and came out with jars of honey, ornaments, and other small gifts for friends and family.
New Haven is a great city and a place I’ve grown to love throughout my time at Yale. But, I also highly recommend, if you’re able, visiting other Connecticut towns. New England in general has a lot to offer and if you’re ever looking for a quick getaway, Mystic is definitely one of my favorite places.
