3ish Miles in Mystic

For all you Rhody runners that live close to the CT border, I highly recommend checking out Mystic for a run. If you go on the weekend, this would make a really nice run/breakfast or run/lunch day. If you don't live near the CT border, this is an awesome little staycation trip, or still worth it for the day. To check out other things to do in the area, try out MysticCountry.com.

Anyway- this is actually a great route on my way home from work, but I haven't done it in a couple years and I was psyched to have an afternoon to run it again yesterday.

Park either behind the Mystic Packer Building at 27 Roosevelt Avenue (which is actually route 1- the building is prettymuch at the intersection of route 27 and route 1) or park at the Mystic Depot Train Station and Information Center, just next door. You'll head down route 27 toward Mystic Seaport, pass the Seaport and then turn around in the big cemetery. I fudged it a bit on the map, but you'll know where you are.

You run some past some beautiful houses, the whole length of Mystic Seaport, and get some nice views of the Mystic River as you pass Kitchen Little restaurant. If you're lucky, you'll also smell some yummy hot dogs from a summer food stand right around there too.

On the way back, it's nice to hug the Mystic River and take some of the side roads. Right now you'll find Mystic Seaport's Charles W. Morgan (huge wooden ship) out on the dry dock getting repaired-- awesome sight to see, and some more beautiful views of the river. You can see downtown Mystic and the drawbridge from this vantage point as well as you head back toward route 1. There's really no way to get lost, but your mileage will change depending on which side roads you jut in and out of.

Of course, a straightforward out and back is still pretty nice as well.

All of the roads have adequate sidewalks, and there's only one intersection that's just the slightest bit tricky. (And really, just the slightest.)