Connecticut Tourism Initiative Should Learn from Mystic's Model

The Joseph Conrad. Built in 1882 in Denmark as a ship for training seamen, it was later used for the same purpose by Australia and the United States.

When Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's $27 million tourism branding campaign for Connecticut launched earlier this year, the town of Mystic featured prominently.

One of the posters created by the campaign shows a beluga whale “kissing” a young girl, accompanied by the caption “Still Mystical.” On ctvisit.com, a map of Connecticut's regions lists the entire eastern half of the state – encompassing three counties, two of which are landlocked – as “Mystic Country.”

It's not surprising that the state would capitalize on Mystic. Even in the days when previous Gov. M. Jodi Rell infamously reduced the tourism budget to a dollar and Connecticut “disappeared” from Discover New England's tourismmap, Mystic remained a shining beacon, drawing thousands of visitors to the aquarium and seaport each year.

Although attitudes about tourism have begun to change, Mystic remains one of the few places in the state with a developed industry. The Offices of Culture and Tourism (the wing of the Department of Economic & Community Development responsible for breathing new life into the tourist industry) can learn a lot from Mystic's model.

The Mystic River Bascule Bridge, built in 1922, crosses the water at the heart of downtown. During the warmer seasons, the bridge opens on the fortieth of every hour during the day. A whistle is blown that can be heard up and down the river.

The Steamboat Inn, located on Water Street, has rooms that look directly out over the Mystic River.

Spanky the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) lounges in the water at the Mystic Aquarium.

Part of Mystic Aquarium's mission includes educating people about the ocean. This display of adult dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula) and their eggs allows visitors to see the live embryos at various stages of development.

Spotted jellies (Matigias papua), which are native to the Pacific Ocean, swirl in loops around their tank at the Mystic Aquarium.

The “blubber room” on the Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American marine vessel and the last American wooden whaling ship. Visitors to Mystic Seaport can board the ship, which is currently undergoing further revitalization.

Blueprints of the Charles W. Morgan.

The S.S. Sabino, a 104-year-old wooden, coal-fired steamboat, readies with a load of passengers for a cruise down Mystic River.

The kitchen inside the fishing schooner L.A. Dunton, first launched in 1921.

A cannon aboard the Joseph Conrad.

All photographs by Brandon T. Bisceglia.