Olde Mistick Village — Attraction in Stonington

A lot of places to visit! They had an Alice in Wonderland, snacks and gift shop (Alice in the Village) and a haunted bookshop right next door (Alice’s Haunted Little Bookshop). Both were connected by a tiny door 💙. If u love Alice in Wonderland u should definitely go to the tea shop. There’s a lot of memorabilia there for fans. Cloak and Wand was pretty cool if u love fantasy (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, World of Warcraft). Definitely a place for fans to visit! Beef Jerky Experience had of course any type of beef jerky u can imagine plus candy/snacks with insects (which I didn’t care for lol). Irish Eyes had everything Irish and from Ireland! Toy Soldier had toys and books. Definitely saw the original Winnie the Pooh toys and the newer versions 💙. The Boardwalk had over 6,000 gifts/souvenirs! Definitely worth it to get stuff for anyone in your life there. They also serve food. Franklin’s General Store was pretty good. Only problem was online their website says they serve free samples (fudge, Vermont cheddar and saltwater taffy) but when u get there they don’t have any and there are signs all over saying they don’t have free samples. Sofia’s Mystical Christmas is the perfect place to go for anything Christmas related! Definitely a much needed place after they closed/are closing the Christmas Tree Shops. They have a lot of ornaments for all ages, snow globes, books, etc. Mara Luna’s had toys and clothes for babies to 5 year olds. Manufaktura had everything Polish and from Poland of course. Sticky Situations had everything honey, maple syrup and bee related! U could literally sample everything in there! It connects to Extra Virgin which had everything olive oil, vinegars, pasta and sauces! Also u can sample everything in there as well! There’s a whole bunch more places INCLUDING a movie theater! A lot of fun...

This place was so fun! We went over 3 times on a 3 day trip to Mystic! The location is great, right next to the aquarium. It's not a town like I thought, but a shopping center made to look like an old village. It was quaint and had the most unique shops and restaurants! We ate at the Jealous Monk. Awesome beer and kielbasa with sauerkraut. Great outdoor seating and atmosphere. The next day my kids and I headed to the Cloak and Wand shop (SO FUN to get your own drinkable potions!) and we hit up the Toy Soldier toyshop, and The Boardwalk which has great kitchy gifts and candy and they also serve food. It closes early, at 6pm, so we had to finish up the next day. There's a great personalization shop, chocolate shop, honey/olive oil/vinegar/pasta shop, and my husband loved the beef jerky experience store. The shops are so unique and there are tons of them. I popped into the Alice in the Village shop which is like Alice in Wonderland, and next door is Alice's Haunted book shop. There's plenty of parking all around, it's easily walkable, and so eclectic. I didn't think the prices were too bad, and there are public bathrooms on one end. It was a wonderful place to shop and spend some time. We'd definitely enjoy going again!

*edit- one year later, we DID go again! We went on vacation to Cape Cod, and surprised our girls with a one night stay in Mystic to visit Olde Mystic Village that they loved so much. We didn't even go downtown to Mystic, just stayed in Groton across the street from Olde Mystic Village at the Holiday Inn Express, which was again, a great place to stay. If you've got kids, it's a great...

“Because nothing says authentic colonial charm like a sock store and a duck pond behind a faux tavern.”

Olde Mistick Village is what happens when a town square and a theme park gift shop get drunk and try to build colonial America from memory. It’s a collection of modern retail units dressed up like Ye Olde But Make It Capitalism, and everyone’s walking around like they’ve just stepped off the Mayflower with a cinnamon latte.

You’ll find shops that sell tat — candles, novelty aprons, “artisan” maple syrup in bottles shaped like leaves, Celtic wind chimes made in a warehouse off I‑95 — all nestled inside buildings designed to look like George Washington once shopped there. He didn’t.

There’s a duck pond, of course. There’s a sock store. There’s a witch-themed gift shop for reasons that remain unclear.

The whole place feels like it was built for Americans clinging to a fantasy of British history they got from Harry Potter and a PBS documentary. Just because the shop sign has an “e” on the end and the font looks vaguely medieval doesn’t mean you’ve travelled back in time. You’re still in Connecticut, and you’re still buying a $14 jar of “Colonial Honey” made last week in Jersey.

If you enjoy cosplay shopping in a movie set built for tourists with nothing left to do before their Mystic Pizza pilgrimage, this place is ideal. Otherwise, it’s a pleasant outdoor stroll through America’s collective historical hallucination.

Two stars: +1 for the ducks. +1 because it’s...