Mystic Live Cam

Connecticut is always in season a slice of New England conveniently located midway between Boston and New York City. Break away for a town or countryside jaunt — our self-guided driving tour will show you the way! Delight in our region's surprises — country fairs and festivals, historical and industrial museums, antique and craft shows, dinner theater, hiking and rock climbing, a planetarium, professional baseball and soccer, the country's oldest amusement park, historic canal, skiing, spring blossom and fall foliage tours, pick-your-own orchards, ethnic foods, hot air ballooning, and a world-renowned art museum housing the first collection of American art in the nation. Discover our new cartoon museum, canal tour, Freedom Trail sites, indoor golf and Connecticut-made products.

Use Central Connecticut as your base to explore Mystic Seaport, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casinos, Mark Twain House, Valley Railroad, Gillette Castle, Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk or the New England Air Museum — all less than a 90 minute drive away. Central Connecticut is looking forward to delighting you!

Central Connecticut, a five town region rich in the farming and industrial heritage of early New England. First inhabited by the Tunxis and Quinnipiac tribes, Native Americans were drawn to the natural beauty and abundant resources of Connecticut's central valley. European settlers that came to this new land seeking religious freedom spread out from Connecticut's earliest settlements to Farmington, which included the land that would later become the towns of Berlin, New Britain, Southington and Plainville.

The first permanent settement in the Central Connecticut region was a fort constructed in Berlin in 1686. Settlement of Cheshire followed in 1694, followed by New Britain, Southington and Plainville, largely due to the rich soil that proved ideal for farm and fruit crops and the many rivers and streams that provided power to operate grist mills.

New Britain's lack of suitable farmland resulted in slower growth and positioned it at the center of its more rapidly developing neighbors. Its central location led to New Britain's natural emergence as the urban center and the development of its manufacturing heritage.

As you travel through the area look for the names of Burritt, Stanley, Norton, Barnes, Willard and Hitchcock, just some of the families whose early contributions to the development of Central Connecticut are still remembered today.

Mystic Places is an enchanting corner of New England comprised of the southeastern country and coast of Connecticut and the southern tip of Rhode Island. In Mystic Places you will find sightseeing, shopping, exciting attractions, sumptuous dining, and exquisite accommodations. There are tall ships and fishing trips. We have riverboats, submarines, and steam trains. Museums of every type abound. There are entertaining fairs, art galleries and performances.

Half way between New York and Boston, Mystic Places is easy to find and convenient to reach. Whether for a day, a weekend or a whole season, visit Mystic Places for pleasure, business or your own special event! You'll find a wealth of splendid settings for any type of special occasion... conventions, weddings, anniversaries, reunions, or business meetings. Whatever you are hosting, having it here will make it truly special.

Public & Private Leadership Joins Together to Promote Mystic Places

Tourism is about to get a boost in support from local tourism leaders. For years, tourism businesses and service providers in southeastern Connecticut and Rhode Island have sought to promote the region through individual and various cooperative efforts.

Through an effort initiated by senior vice presidents of marketing, Mitchell Etess at Mohegan Sun, and Bob DeSalvio at Foxwoods Resort Casino, seven of the area's tourism industry leaders have developed a regional branding program. The program centers around the use of a common identifier which tourism professionals anticipate will help unify the region in the eyes of the consumer.

"With everyone using this identifier in their ads and brochures, we will have the opportunity to brand the region more effectively. We chose to use "Mystic Places because it is a geographical locator that has strong recognition," says Roderick White, chairman of the board for Connecticut1s Mystic & More! Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The regional identifier, developed by noted graphic designers Jan Cummings and Peter Good, of Cummings and Good (Chester, CT), is circular with a graphic depiction of land and sea; representing all that the region has to offer geographically, to tourists. Around the image are the words, Mystic Places.

It is a symbol that will impress upon all who see it that this region is working together to build tourism," says Terry Bickhardt, chairman of Mystic Coast & Country Travel & Leisure Council, Inc.

The logo was developed and financed equally among Connecticut1s Mystic & More!, Mystic Coast & Country, Mystic Aquarium, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mystic Seaport, Mohegan Sun, and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center.

The two tourism entities promoting the region and these five major attractions form a group that plays a dominant role in the region's tourism industry. Their combined promotional efforts create millions of impressions among potential visitors each year. It is this kind of reach that supporters of this new regional identifier anticipate will encourage other area advertisers to also use the Mystic Places image on their print ads and brochures. This will help consumers better identify the entire region and all that it has to offer.

Mystic Coast & Country Travel & Leisure Council is a privately funded tourism industry association representing southeastern Connecticut and a portion of the southern Rhode Island shoreline. A membership organization formed in 1992, Mystic Coast & Country is dedicated to promoting its region of 33-towns and two tribal nations to the leisure market as a year-round tourism destination.

Connecticut1s Mystic & More! CVB is the publicly funded tourism district representing southeastern Connecticut. Established in 1982, Mystic & More promotes the region to out-of-state leisure travelers.

Additionally, the tourism district operates a group sales department to attract the motorcoach industry, a conference department to meet the needs of meeting planners, an international department and a regional film office. In total, Mystic & More represents 21 towns.