Mystic Seaport Ramble

(The Best Bike Rides in New England, Paul Thomas)

 Center Groton – Mystic – Stonington – Center Groton

The Mystic Seaport Ramble is modeled after a shorter ride offered by the Pequot Cyclists on the day of the club’s annual Seaport Metric Century ride.  The ramble follows the same route as the Century ride through the historic towns of Mystic and Stonington.  It then circles inland and back to Center Groton. 

With no major hills, this leisurely tour leaves plenty of time to explore the two historic seaport towns on its route.  In Mystic you can detour onto Route 27S to visit Mystic Seaport, a museum-village that re-creates every day life in a nineteenth-century maritime community, or just take in the free view from Gravel Street across the river.  Stonington is an authentic modern maritime community of restored colonial homes, tasteful shops, and docks for the sailing crowd.  Take time to explore this pretty coastal village too. 

The Basics 

Start:  Groton Schwinn Cyclery on Route 184 in Center Groton.  Take exit 88 off I-95 onto Route 117N.  Turn right onto Route 184 for 0.5 miles.  The shop will be on your left.  Park on side streets or in the office building lot across the street. 

Length:  27.8 miles

Terrain:  Flat seacoast and rolling coastal inlands.

Food:  Food in Mystic, including an ice cream parlor near the bridge.

Traffic / Safety:  Be prepared for regular narrow, windy roads with narrow shoulders.  Also, Mystic is busy on summer weekends, and Route 1 between Mystic and N. Water Street (Route 1A) has traffic and a narrow shoulder. 

·         0.0 Ride east (away from the Route 117 intersection) on Route 184.

·         0.9 Right on Flanders at top of short rise.

·         1.5 Left on Noank Ledyard Road; orchards on the left.

·         2.2 Left on Sandy Hollow Road.

·         2.9 Cross Allyn Street.

·         3.3 Left on High Street.

·         3.4 Right on Blindloss Street

·         3.6 Right on River Road.

·         4.2 Left on Starr Street, then bear right into Pearl Street

·         4.5 Left on Eldredge Street.

·         4.6 Right on Gravel Street, which passes along the riverfront opposite Old Mystic Village.

·         4.8 Left on Main Street, Route 1, through Mystic, crossing the iron grate drawbridge over the Mystic River.  Be careful crossing the grating.

·         8.8 Right on North Water Street (Route 1A) toward Stonington Village.

·         9.4 Left on Trumbull Street.

·         9.5 Right on Alpha Street, crossing railroad overpass.

·         9.8 Left onto Water Street, continuing straight through Stonington to its waterfront.  When  you reach the parking area jutting into the harbor, turn around and return along Water Street.

·         10.1 Right onto Cannon Square.

·         10.2 Left on Main Street.

·         10.7 Turn left onto Broad Street at St. Mary’s Church, to circle Stonington Green.

·         10.8 Right onto Water Street, then right back onto Alpha Avenue and cross the railroad overpass.

·         11.1 Left onto Trumbull Street

·         11.2 Right on N. Main Street

·         11.9 Straight across Route 1.

·         13.6 Left on the Pequot Trail, a scenic road.

·         14.8 Right on Al Harvey Road

·         17.3 Straight across Route 184.

·         18.7 Left on Route 201.

·         20.0 Right on Wolf Neck Road.

·         21.0 Straight across Lantern Hill Road

·         21.5 Straight onto Shewville Road.

·         23.5 Right onto Route 184, Gold Star Highway.  From here you can continue west on Route 184 to Groton Schwinn Cyclery.  The following, less direct route uses side roads where possible.

·         23.8 Right on Wells Road.

·         24.2 Cross Route 184 and then Cow Hill Road; then turn right at Y intersection with Godfrey Road.

·         25.0 Left on Route 184.

·         25.6 Right on Haley Road at the flashing yellow light.

·         26.2 Left on Quaker Farm Road.

·         26.3 Left on Lambtown Road.

·         26.9 Right onto Route 184.

·         27.8 Ride ends back at Groton Schwinn Cyclery. 

[This ride was taken from The Best Bike Rides in New England (Third Edition), written by Paul Thomas - edited by Paul Angiolillo - published by The Globe Pequot Press, P.O. Box 833, Old Saybrook, Connecticut 06475.  For a catalog and price list of this (there are 35 other rides throughout the New England States) and other quality outdoor recreation guidebooks, please contact The Globe Pequot Press at the above-listed address.] 

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I am a member of the Pequot Cyclists Club and have done the metric century once.  They have a shorter, alternate route of about 35 miles which I’ve done a couple of times.  This is usually held the third Sunday in May – the weather has not been cooperative most of the time.  It’s been rained out once, a real downpour for the day.  Both times I’ve done the shorter ride, it’s been threatening and overcast.  It is a very enjoyable ride, however, and you can choose your own weather in which to do the ride. 

I usually head down to the Connecticut Shore for camping and cycling before and/or after the high tourist season – for me, it’s just too crowded during July and August.  I camp one night at Foxwoods (they allow self-contained campers to use their parking lot at no charge).  I am a member of the Mashatucket Pequot Museum and spend a couple of hours each trip rediscovering the exhibits and checking out the museum store.  If you haven't visited the museum, it's well worth the trip - you can spend an entire day between viewing the various films, touring the Pequot Village (a recreation of a mid 16th century Indian village), etc.  I’m too much of a Swamp Yankee New Englander to do any gambling in the Casinos, but many people enjoy this.   An impressive number of top-name stars perform in the Fox Theater, a live performance center that was opened in 1993 with a performance by Frank Sinatra.  Other renowned performers include:   Tim Conway, Kenny Rogers, Olivia Newton-John, Michael Bolton, etc.  There are a number of good campgrounds in the area, such as Highland Park and Seaport Campground (where I usually stay).  During the season, a number of campgrounds in the area run shuttles to Foxwoods on the weekends.   It’s a nice bike ride from Seaport Campground (located in Old Mystic) to Mystic Village, the Seaport Aquarium and then onto Mystic Seaport.  I’ll usually cycle back through the center of Mystic and along River Road which takes me on a scenic ride with less traffic than Route 27. 

"Camping" at Foxwoods.   (Photos are not allowed in the museum nor in the casino, outside of the entrances.)

Groton Submarine Base and the U.S. Nautilus Exhibit:  Nautilus

Mystic Aquarium and Mystic Village

Photos from Mystic Seaport:  

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