Sunday June, 30
Well, good morning again, everybody! Today we woke up, packed up, ate breakfast (I just couldn’t bring myself to eat free hotel breakfast this time), and headed out. You should know the routine by now… we sure do. That’s just part of a road trip, though. The more you move around, the more you get to see!
To spend our last little bit of time in Cape Cod, we drove to Chatham, one of the most popular spots for vacationers. We (mainly me) were on the hunt for a lighthouse, and Chatham has one of the most famous ones.
We were there before it opened, but we could still get pictures in front of it. However, the sun came out from behind all of the fog just as we were taking them, so they’re not very good. I still got pictures of the lighthouse, though.
Once I got my pictures, we drove into the downtown area of Chatham to get a cup of coffee and look through some of the stores for a souvenir. The town was so cute and full of colorful hydrangeas.
We ended up at a place called Cape Cod Coffee. I had a great breakfast sandwich and a good iced latte, but not the best of the trip. The shop had a great outdoor patio area where we sat and enjoyed our coffee while watching the runners and walkers pass by.
After, we walked through a few stores. I ended up just getting a sticker. They had some adorable stuff, but the prices were definitely Cape Cod prices…. Although I’ll definitely be back to Cape Cod so if anyone wants to tag along let me know! I’d say its worth it.
It was time to get moving to our next destination of the trip. We had about a 2-hour drive, but we made several stops along the way. One of which was a thrift store for my dad and Anna. I think this was my dad’s first souvenir purchase. They were both successful in their endeavor to hit the jackpot. My dad got a pair of pants and a piece of décor for his office, and Anna found this lovely Niagara Falls mug. She’s very proud of her find and wants everyone to know that it was 99 cents. Somehow, I missed the bargain gene.
We continued down the road until we reached Providence, RI. This is the state that’s the size of Tuscaloosa County—how about that? It was a bigger city, but very quiet and clean. I thought it was pretty nice.
We were going to see some historic homes, but when we went to the starting point, the guide was less than helpful and didn’t seem to have any information. So, we decided that wasn’t worth our time and walked to a park in the center of the city.
Once we reached the other side, there was a visitors center run by the National Park Service for something (can’t remember what it was for), but it was closed. At that point, we decided to head back to the car. Anna and I ran into a coffee shop to grab a drink and use the bathroom. It was a great spot to get some work done and enjoy coffee. The drinks were great!
Third time’s the charm, right? On the way out, we stumbled across The John Brown House, an old estate built in 1788. By this point, the old houses are starting to run together, but this one was interesting to see. If it tells you anything, John Quincy Adams famously called it “the most magnificent and elegant private mansion that I have ever seen on this continent.”
It was designed by John Brown to be a symbol of power and wealth, and I’d say he executed that pretty successfully. Brown was one of the wealthiest merchants and slave traders during his period. He provided the Continental Navy with its first ship and helped found Brown University.
Throughout the house, there were multiple exhibit rooms showing different artifacts and relics. One of my favorites was the kitchen.
Once we made it out of the house, we got in the car and headed on to our next place. On the way out, we drove past the Rhode Island State House. This one might just have the Massachusetts one beat. I don’t know what the inside looks like, but if it’s anything like the outside, I’m sure it’s absolutely beautiful.
After about an hour of driving, we reached Mystic, an old fishing village situated right on the Atlantic Ocean. Talk about some fresh seafood… well, it’s all fresh up here.
We had a little trouble finding a place to eat since there weren’t many options. My dad remembered a tavern-like thing where you could sit and watch the boats from when he was about 12… I think things have changed a bit since then. We saw something similar, but it kind of looked closed, so we opted for this restaurant overlooking the water called S&P Oyster Restaurant & Bar. The food was good, but the view was even better!
One of the unique things about Mystic is the operating drawbridge that raises up and down at the top of every hour. We got to see it raise up a couple of times, which was pretty cool. It’s crazy how big those cement blocks are. It was a little scary walking under them.
Following dinner, we walked over to a little park just off the water where the Rotary Club was putting on a small concert. It was nice just sitting out by the water and listening to the swing jazz tunes. I think the rest of the crowd thought so too.
As we made our way back to the car, we strolled across the bridge and through Main Street, stopping at some shops along the way.
Of course, we had to stop at Drawbridge Ice Cream. This little shop dates back to the 1800s and has been selling ice cream to visitors from near and far ever since. The line was backed up to the door, and it’s easy to see why. They pride themselves on the quality of their ice cream. Every flavor is made in-house with quality ingredients, and you can tell! This was the BEST ice cream I’ve had on the trip so far. It had a creamy, smooth texture and big chunks of topping mixed in. Just how it should be. I had the Sticky Fractured Finger with Butterfinger and caramel. Enough said there.
We sat out on the back patio overlooking the water and enjoyed our ice cream to end our evening in Mystic, Connecticut. What a fun little place!
From Mystic, we had about an hour drive to our hotel just outside of New Haven, CT. It made for a great place to lay our heads and get some rest. Tomorrow we have a big day in store!
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