Olde Mistick Village

this place could definitely use some path lighting.
might not be bad for anyone who knows the layout of the place… but being from out of town and visiting at night, it sucked.

Not bad…
A quaint little area for shopping, this place tends to get super busy. I like the little craft fair area. I bought an amazing body butter and looked at tons of artsy pieces, which was fun.
The parking is hectic, but manageable.

I first discovered this place last summer while visiting the relatives in Connecticut. It started with a trip to Raining Cats And Dogs, a gift shop for both pet and human alike. Imagine my delight when we stepped outside to find an entire complex of one-​of-​a-​kind shops! I loved the idea of following the path, letting it lead me to different shops along the way. Silk Road Imports is like raiding Marco Polo’s stash after his journey along the trade route of the same name, and Franklin’s General Store gives you the feel of those old timey general stores from back in the day. There is too much cool stuff to list, and I haven’t even been to anywhere near half the stores yet. The only decision I need to make when I go back is what stores to check out. Life is full of important choices…

Total tourist trap and a half. The place is kinda run down and just like any of these types of shops in nice little towns. There are some OK stores, but really it’s mostly shops with knick knacks and touristy junk. It doesn’t have a whole lot of character.
There are a couple food places that look ok, but just average places. If we came back to Mystic we’d skip this, it was good to kill 10 minutes. The only store that was nice and seemed more up to date was the kitchen one. I think it was Grey Goose or something like that. There are some places to by some local jams, jellies, etc. which is always nice but it’s just not worth the trip out there. Good for maybe a family to stop in and shop and kill sometime between the seaport and aquarium.

The last time I went here, was about 10 years ago. It was very quaint, well manicured, and full to capacity with beautiful shops. I just came back from a visit today, and was mortified. Gone is the beautiful landscaping. Many dead/​dying plants throughout the property. There were far too many empty and boarded up shops. The few that are left… well, some of them are just meh. The shop guide boards had names taped over, in which the tape was curling, making for a very sad presentation. The whole experience made me very sad, as I always felt the OMV was a mandatory stop on the way to the aquarium or the seaport. Now? I say skip it.

It was a blustery and sunny Wednesday, right on April 1^st. As we approached Olde Mistick Village towards the end of the business day, muted duck quacking could be heard across the parking lot. A tumbleweed rolled by as we scouted the best way to find access to the interior of the shopping plaza. Like most things in Mystic though, I’m sure it’s hopping it May.
There are a wide variety of shops, and all the retail clerks we encountered were very friendly. I wish it was a little more Mystic-​specific, or at least had something to tie in with the «Olde» part of the name. It’s not as quaint as Historic Smithville, NJ. However, you will leave with someone you never knew you wanted, and if you’re on vacation, it’s a great place to find presents for people back home.

I remember visiting here as a child! It seems several shops have been replaced by attorney and real estate offices, leaving fewer places to roam, but it still is a fun place to spend the evening after the aquarium and seaport have closed. It is also a less congested alternative to the town. I would happily roam the Olde Mystic Village with my children instead of waiting 10 to 15 minutes to go over the drawbridge, then trying to find parking in the town. There are a handful of meal and snack options, as well as novelty shops and carefully manicured photo ops.

A shopping mall with some hits and misses in terms of the stores on offer. It’s great that there is plenty of parking, and there are plenty of shops and eateries to peruse, but they are mainly geared at tourists wanting to purchase some souvenirs and trinkets (maybe some fudge at Franklin’s). We spent a good amount of time here, and because of the soggy and wet weather, there wasn’t much of a crowd, so it was not as lively and the vibe was a bit on the sad/​slow side. I did enjoy a handful of stores from Franklin’s, to the Christmas store, and the coffee shop, but after a while, it all becomes a bit redundant. Still a nice little experience, but not really a «must» as the advertising campaign would have you believe.

Very cute little cluster of stores, mostly antiques and handmade crafts. Makes for a nice little stroll!

The candy, kite and knick knack stores surrounding Old Mystic Seaport itself were fun but on the expensive side (i.e. one of the stores was advertising a child palm sized amount of fudge for upwards of $ 30).
The original («Old») Mystic Seaport itself is a small, $ 35 privilege right outside the village itself. Since one of my unnamed relatives lost most of my money at Mohegan Sun the night before, I took a pass on the price. It is free to walk around the shops and old part of the village itself, however, and you can see the old timey boats and docks from the edge of the village that you would have otherwise paid a decent amount of cash to board.
Unless you are a super dedicated boat enthusiast I would skip entering Old Mystic Seaport and just walk around the village, find some place to eat staring out at the water, have a drink and relax.

This is a very cute shopping area in Mystic. It gives the impression of being artisanal products that are unique to Mystic when in truth they are (for the most part) regular stores housed in cute structures. That being said, there are a few stores that are unique and so I wouldn’t classify it as a mall.
The ducks are very cute, but I didn’t get to close because ducks can bite.

Olde Mistick Village. Is a great touristy place or even a location that is worth coming to a few times a year if you live in the CT/​Mass/​NY area. Some of the shops carry organic foods that you cannot find anywhere else and the nostalgic feel of the stores gives you that peaceful 1800s-​1900s feel before we destroyed this planet with commercialism and technology entertainment. The duck pond is beautiful and relaxing enough to sit around for a while. Although, the ducks did follow me to the ice cream shop –_​-​. Staff of the village were very friendly and welcomed tourists (they know it is their source of income and treat them as real customers). This is a rarity when I go on a lot of vacations. I highly recommend stopping by the village at one point in your life. It is worth it just for the atmosphere and with everything else close by, you can easily make a weekend/​week vacation trip out of coming to this area.

This place is just ducky! In the middle, you’ve got the pond with all those ducks — several types, all flying around quacking up a storm, waddling around in groups among the passers-​by just generally being happy doing duck things. It’s so cool!
Oh wait, you can shop here too!
Yeah, it’s a tourist trap, but it’s a very interesting and slightly eclectic assortment of shops and dining establishments. It’s certainly more interesting than your typical outlet village where it’s the same stores over and over again. I enjoyed walking through here — didn’t get to see everything this time, hope to return and finish the job next time, as well as say hi to the ducks again.

Tourist trap of shops. My favorite was Franklin General Store because it had reasonably priced locally made gifts/​foods. Beautifully landscaped and well maintained. I guess this is like the locals upscale outdoor mall. Next time I would like to try the little sandwich shops or bakeries.

Best around the holidays. Buy some tchotchkes and some fudge!

A very unique collection of stores in Mystic. There is a cool old-​school general store, an irish store (one of my fav’s), lots of mystical odds and ends places, a Nordic store, all sorts of interesting places to wander around in and kill a few hours.

Great for any time of the year. Best of course in the summer where you can take your time and walk around. There are a wide variety of shops, eateries, there is a church and even a little duck pond. The Mystic Aquarium is a stones throw away, and there is a cinema if you get rained out. You must check them out.
Parking is FREE!

Cute shopping plaza with many (about eighty I believe) interesting and unique shops.
I went recently for the first time after an afternoon at the aquarium and had a blast. There was one of the best toy shops I’ve ever been to, a cute coffee shop, an awesome German/​Norwegian/​Swedish shop, and an army navy shop to name some of my favorites.
There really is a shop for everyone at Olde Mistick Village. There is also a pizza shop, snack bar, and lots of ducks to visit (live ones). If you are looking for an interesting gift, snack, or just a fun day out with the family, you should definitely check out the village.

Not much to see, just a bunch of shops that I’m not quite sure who they cater to exactly. Walked through the «village» area, and loved the area with the ducks! There’s a lot of them.
We love supporting small businesses, so we did purchase some fudge and taffy. We also had lunch at the pizza shop nearby. I’m not a fan of fudge or taffy, but the pumpkin fudge at Franklin’s General Store was probably the best I’ve ever had.
Overall a «cute» area, spend a hour or so if you have the time…

Even if it has a silly name & is mostly for tourists I am a fan of the Olde Mistick Village.
If you’re not familiar with the place it’s pretty simple: a bunch of individual shops catering to tourists each with their own personality. There’s also a pizza place & some other places to pick up food.
I mostly take my 3 year old to the toy store although he always wants to go to Mango’s even if it’s way before lunch time. My wife & I have also found cool stuff for the kitchen at the Gray Goose Cookery. We have yet to try out the movie theatre but might soon if we can get a sitter. Franklin’s General Store has good fudge & there’s an upscale pet boutique that has some interesting stuff.
Honestly, most of the shops have stuff you can find at TJ Maxx for cheaper but the place is neat to walk around especially if you’ve been driving for a bit. Once you’re dropped off here on a bus tour there’s no escaping but it’s not so bad. You will definitely find something to purchase and/​or something to enjoy.
I haven’t been in every shop (yet) but they have quite an interesting mix of stores. Check their website for a complete listing of stores & special events. They do have some cool things going on throughout the year. Santa made a visit after Thanksgiving & they have a food festival in early summer.