If you’re looking for a family day trip this spring… heading to the Connecticut Shoreline is a fun way to keep everyone entertained! For a daily events calendar, check out our sister site The Shoreline Moms. Scroll down for some options we love in Mystic, Essex and at Nature’s Art Village in Oakdale!
Mystic Aquarium
Mystic
- Mystic Aquarium is a must! My suggestion is to snag 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. tickets. You will arrive before the crowds and the animals seem very lively in the mornings (especially the Beluga Whales)!
- Mystic Seaport Museum is also a lot of fun… and has an outdoor play space, as well as children’s museum with a boat to play on inside. Enjoy Pirate Days on April 11 & 12!
- TreeTrails Adventures is fun for climbing and ziplining… plus it’s located 5 minutes from downtown Mystic.
- Go shopping in the fun shops in Downtown Mystic! From The Black Dog to antique shops, book stores and more, you will really love looking around!
- Enjoy a day in nature at The Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center! Go for a walk on the trails, get a close-up view of live frogs, fish, turtles and snakes. Meet magnified centipedes, ants and mushrooms in our Life Under a Log exhibit, experience a “Night in the Meadow” in our small theater, or watch bird flight patterns as they stream across our colorful meadow mural. Learn to recognize local birds in a classroom exhibit featuring more than 200 antique mounted bird specimens from the collection of a noted local natural history collector. Other exhibits feature birds eggs, nests and skulls.
- Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream is one of many delicious ice cream shops in downtown Mystic. It’s also fun to watch for the drawbridge to go up!
- Sift Bake Shop is a MUST! Whether you eat there or take coffee and pastries to go… if you have young kids you’re in luck! The earlier your kids wake up, the earlier you can get there for breakfast and avoid the line. They are open year round.
- Mystic Pizza is another fun, family friendly option. It’s easy to walk to, the kids will love coloring until their pizza arrives and the pizza is good! I recommend the Seafood Delight!
Mystic Seaport Museum
Nature’s Art Village in Oakdale (20 minutes from Mystic)
- Check out The Dinosaur Place which is now open for the season! Your kids will love looking for more than 60 life-sized dinosaurs in 60-acre outdoor theme park and playing on T-Rex Tower, a two-story playscape with dozen of challenging features!
- Head to Cooper Creek Mini Golf! Located in the same complex, for children ages 6 and up, this challenging 18-hole tournament-style course offers a one-of-a-kind Old West Mining Town theme. There are multiple ways to play every hole, so you can try new ways each time you visit.
- Genius Museum is open Saturday & Sunday. Take a historic walk and discover a timeless town displaying the rapid transformation of American technology over two centuries, along with the geniuses who created it all!
- The PAST Antiques Marketplace is a unique shop featuring 14,000 square feet of antiques, collectibles, and crafts displayed on two accessible floors.
The Dinosaur Place
Esssex
- See Essex bloom into 43,000 daffodils! Check out Daffodil Days on Main Street, Essex, Centerbrook and Ivoryton!
- Enjoy Bunny Brunch or Bunny Breakfast on the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat!
- Head to Day Out with Thomas on the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, April 22 & 23, 29 & 30!
- Enjoy the Connecticut River Museum
- We love Black Seal on Main Street for a meal with the kids!
- Head to Sweet P’s for ice cream within walking distance of Black Seal.
- Carlson’s Landing is our favorite for a more upscale meal!
Essex, CT
Looking for more fun activity ideas in Connecticut? Click here for our list of 10 Children’s Museums in Connecticut!