Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration

Mystic Aquarium is a marine aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut. It is one of only three U.S. facilities holding Steller sea lions, and it has the only beluga whales in New England.

Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain.

Opening hours: 9:00 AM—6:00 PM
Type: Public aquarium
Description: aquarium in Connecticut
Also known as: “Mystic Aquarium” and “Mystic Marinelife Aquarium”
Address: CT
Wheelchair access: limited

Places of Interest Nearby

Highlights include Mystic Seaport Marine Museum and Whitehall Mansion.

Mystic Seaport Marine Museum

Theme park

Photo: Joethon, Public domain.

Mystic Seaport Museum is a maritime museum in Mystic, Connecticut, and the largest in the United States. Its 19-acre site holds a collection of ships and boats and a re-creation of a 19th-century seaport village consisting of more than 60 historic buildings, including many rare commercial structures that were moved to the site and meticulously restored. Mystic Seaport Marine Museum is situated 1 mile southwest of Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration.

Whitehall Mansion

Building

Photo: KLOTZ, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Whitehall Mansion is a historic house at 42 Whitehall Avenue in the Stonington side of Mystic, Connecticut. Built about 1771 for a local physician and politician, it is a fine example of late Georgian architecture. Whitehall Mansion is situated 2,100 feet northwest of Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration.

Mystic station

Railway station

Photo: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Mystic station is an intercity train station on the Northeast Corridor, located off Roosevelt Avenue east of downtown Mystic, Connecticut. It is served by a limited number of trains on Amtrak's Northeast Regional service, with three to five daily trains in each direction. Mystic station is situated 1½ miles south of Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration.

Places in the Area

Nearby places include Rossie Velvet Mill Historic District and Old Mystic.

Rossie Velvet Mill Historic District

Neighborhood

Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Rossie Velvet Mill Historic District is located in the village of Mystic in Stonington, Connecticut. Its main focus is the former Rossie Velvet Mill, a large brick industrial facility on the east side of Greenmanville Avenue that is now a research center for the nearby Mystic Seaport Museum.

Old Mystic

Village

Photo: KLOTZPLATE, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Old Mystic is a village and census-designated place located in the towns of Groton and Stonington Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, Old Mystic had a population of 3,493.