USA - CONNECTICUT: THE ELEGANT TOWNS OF MYSTIC COUNTRY

For centuries, artists seeking inspiration and sea captains and urban dwellers looking to escape the daily grind have found a place to recharge and explore in the scenic towns and villages of the Mystic Country region.

Today, the region is more than picture-postcard towns, with graceful churches and white clapboard houses, leafy trees and village greens – it's a place to find exciting coastal and country adventures.

The Mystic Country destination stretches 40 miles through southeastern Connecticut and coastal Rhode Island – a convenient escape, located just two hours by car or train from both Boston and New York City, and easily accessible from Hartford and Providence airports.

The heart of Mystic Country is the village known as Mystic. Just off Interstate 95, visitors will find everything from restaurants and hotels to outlet stores and renowned attractions such as the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, and Olde Mistick Village, a charming collection of contemporary and historic shops.

A short distance away is one of the area's most famous attractions, Mystic Seaport - The Museum of America and the Sea.

Mystic Seaport is a destination in and of itself, an entire 18th century seaside village, complete with the last wooden whale ship in the nation, Charles W. Morgan, and many other lovingly maintained sailing ships of varying descriptions, reflecting Mystic's historic role as a major shipbuilding and whaling center. Mystic Seaport also offers a children's museum and planetarium plus daily demonstrations and hands-on activities.

In historic downtown Mystic, visitors can shop, dine or browse a main street of galleries, eclectic boutiques, restaurants, and stores. Stroll with an ice cream cone or a nice cup of hot chocolate to see one of the oldest working bascule drawbridges in New England, which connects the Mystic Seaport side of town to the lively, colorful downtown section encompassing several blocks. The bridge rises every twenty to the hour during the summer to accommodate the endless stream of sailboats up from the Sound.

Mystic Country is filled with scenic and playful towns and villages like Chester which offers Victorian houses, antique shops, arts and crafts, and several highly regarded restaurants, all within a three-block walk. Nearby is Devil's Hopyard State Park, with its 860 acres of hiking trails, campgrounds, picnicking and cascading Chapman Falls.

Once a thriving center of the steamboat trade on the Connecticut River, East Haddam, a small, pretty town perched on the river has several attractions like the Goodspeed Opera House, a professional musical theatre built in 1876 set majestically on the bluff of the river.

Essex can be explored by train, boat and foot while New London's six square miles are filled with history, diversity, entertainment, notable restaurants and pubs, culture, museums, galleries, lodgings, stores, beaches, marinas, beautiful views and parks.

The largest of Mystic Country's scenic towns, Norwich is famed for its Memorial Rose Garden and Rose Festivals. The beautiful Norwich Rose Garden features 2,500 rose bushes in 120 varieties.

In addition to its tranquil beauty, the vibrant coastal village of Old Lyme has two claims to fame. Once the residence of choice for the region's wealthy sea captains, Old Lyme is full of magnificent 18th and 19th century homes. It also has a long tradition of being an artists' colony.

Situated where the Connecticut River joins the Long Island Sound, the picturesque town of Old Saybrook was settled in 1635 and offers splendid coastal views, especially towards Saybrook Point. This is a thriving center of Mystic Country' antique business.

Stonington is a place of gorgeous colonial houses and townhouses closely packed together, numerous antique shops, boutiques and fine restaurants.

Imagine seven miles of white sand and blue waters and you have Rhode Island's longest stretch of beach: the Misquamicut Beach area.

West of Misquamicut and tucked away on little Narragansett Bay, is Watch Hill Beach and the village of Watch Hill in Westerly, Rhode Island, which has been a bustling summer resort since the mid-1800's.

After Watch Hill, Westerly may seem like a big city. Founded in the 1660's, Westerly is on the banks of the Pawcatuck River at the Connecticut border and is renowned for its surrounding natural beauty, including salt ponds and tidal streams, dunes and beaches.

The National Trust for Historic Places cited Westerly as one of the ocean states' "best kept secrets with beautiful beaches, sprawling gabled Victorian cottages with vast green lawns and awe-inspiring ocean view... the town is the 'quintessential' New England beach town".

Among the must-sees are: Dunes Park Beach, Misquamicut State Beach and Wilcox Park.