City: Mystic, CT

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (860) 536-4941

Address: 27 Coogan Blvd.

Description: Right off I-95, this re-creation of a 1720 village should not be confused with the Mystic Seaport. That is a little more authentic. However, Olde Mistick Village provides a very pleasant shopping experience, with its cinema and shops that look more like houses and its stone walls, waterwheels, and ponds. There are 60 stores and restaurants here, including tea shops, clothing boutiques, and toy stores, as well as free concerts and events in the summer and the Christmas season. Check out the Franklin’s General Store and Elizabeth and Harriet’s Fine Handicrafts for sure. If you’re hungry and don’t feel like driving downtown, try the Steak Loft (www.steakloftct.com). There are shops and fine restaurants downtown by the harbor, too, so don’t miss those and get stuck on this strip of road between the seaport and the aquarium.