Home again. There were so many Family Field Trip options available, now that the duo could explore more on their own. We were feeling pretty good about our trip to Philly, so we wanted to keep going.
Faced with a four day weekend, and no plans to get away, we headed to Mystic, CT. Mystic is full of adventure, history, and educational experiences. We decided to start with Mystic Village, in case we could get some holiday shopping done, but also because It was a beautiful day, and we wanted to do a little walking.
We parked the car, and walked around the shops for a little bit. We grabbed lunch at the Blue Squid Bakery & Cheese Shop. Grilled cheese is almost always delicious, but these sandwiches took delicious to a new level. All four of us were happy with our lunch. I had the Chicken & Cheese sandwich- with extra sharp cheddar cheese, grilled chicken breast, and sautéed apples on multi-grain bread. TT Dad had the Original Grown-up Grilled Cheese- a mix of Havarti, Fontina, extra sharp Cheddar & Muenster cheeses . The duo shared a kids grilled cheese.
You know it’s good when I still remember what we all ordered after almost an entire year. (More on that later).
Bellies filled, we had renewed energy to check out the shops. What impressed us the most, however, was the entertainment. From musical acts engaging children and families, to scheduled caroling, we were tempted to come back each weekend to experience it all. Check out www.oldemistickvillage.com for more information.
Our littlest shoppers started to get a little restless, so we took the walk across the street to the Mystic Aquarium. We had no intention of going in, but wanted to check out pricing, and maybe pick up a brochure.
Immediately, we saw a posted sign explaining that you can return within two days, for free, if you have your ticket validated before leaving.
Hmm.
Four day weekend.
It’s Friday afternoon. We knew we wouldn’t get our money’s worth today, but if we could return another day this weekend, it might be worth it!
Adult tickets (as of July 2016) are $34.99. Youth (13-17) are $28.99. Seniors (60+) are $29.99. Children (3-12) are $24.99, with 2 & under being free. You can save 10% by buying your tickets online ahead of time.
In addition to Memberships (Family and Individual) they also offer Value Tickets, which allows entry to exhibits which cost an additional fee. Value tickets are $6.00 more than your General Admission ticket.
We went for it.
Our first visit was focused mostly on the Main Gallery. We were blown away. Being just over 13 months old, we were never sure just how much the duo was getting out of our adventures. We felt that the exposure to new experiences was enough. At the Mystic Aquarium, however, we could see the wheels turning. The gallery was clearly designed to engage children, and adults, of all ages. There were so many creatures to discover, including plenty right at their eye level. Exhibits are sometimes hard to visit with twins, because the viewing area is at an adult height, and I can’t exactly be carrying both of them the whole time. It’s not so easy to get them in and out of their stroller a thousand times, either.
What a relief to allow the duo to walk around, at their pace, choosing to see what they want to see. For as long as they want to see it.
Amazing.
We spent our entire visit in the Main Gallery. We had to tear them away. We knew without a doubt we’d be returning.
FISHIES!
Our second visit was equally enjoyable. This time, we followed the loop, to check out all of the outdoor exhibits. We saw the penguins (above and below water), the beluga whales, the seals and sea lions, and more. We took a few minutes to walk through ‘Exploration: Wild.’ This exhibit included some hands-on activities for the kids.
MUSH!
We began our visit to the Aquarium a little skeptical that our littles would really enjoy the experience enough to be worth the hefty price tag, but we quickly realized this was almost a ridiculous concern. The Mystic Aquarium houses one of the largest, outdoor Beluga whale exhibits in the country, and is one of three US facilities housing Stellar sea lions. These are amazing factoids, but the aquarium is so much more than these pieces of information. It was a wonderful place for our children to discover the world of marine wildlife. The duo has fallen in love with sea creatures, and I believe we have the aquarium to thank.
We give the Mystic Aquarium eight thumbs up!
One thing to note: The validated return policy is strict. They absolutely will not allow you entry if you were to forget to validate your tickets. We called to ask about the policy, and we were told that dated evidence of our visit would suffice. When we asked at the ticket office, we were told that is incorrect. You needed the actual validated ticket to return.