Some Argle-Bargle Argia Mystic Cruise, Groton & Stonington October 2014 I owe this experience entirely to my friend Julie who arranged an Argia Mystic Cruise for her husband Tim and some friends for his 40th birthday. Tim and I have been friends since our UConn days - which, I should note, is a really cool … [Read more...]
Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park Intro
Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park Groton Most state parks in Connecticut offer at least a little bit of hiking. Those that don't, like this one, usually offer a ton of history. Fort Griswold was the site of the Battle of Groton Heights during the Revolutionary War. It was a brutal battle, even if it only … [Read more...]
CTMQ’s Guide to Groton
Everything Groton I’ve been exploring and writing about Connecticut since 2006. After a decade, I began compiling CTMQ guides for each town in the state. I plan on “completing” Groton CTMQ-style... as well as the other 168 towns, cities, and boroughs in Connecticut. That is the ultimate goal of CTMQ. If I’ve … [Read more...]
Bluff Point State Park & Coastal Reserve Intro
Bluff Point State Park & Coastal Reserve Groton With no interest in doing the research, I'm going to say that Bluff Point is the only property in Connecticut where a state park, state reserve, and state natural area preserve are all contiguous and completely seamless to visitors. Bold and exciting claim, I … [Read more...]
Haley Farm State Park Intro
Haley Farm State Park Groton It is my contention, perhaps unfounded, that Haley Farm is overlooked because it abuts the more popular Bluff Point State Park. Where Bluff Point gets you with its coastal scenery, Haley Farm is all about its history. Connecticut's first governor, John Winthrop Jr., owned part of the … [Read more...]
Groton’s Town Trails
Groton's Town Trails I'm sure you can find this lament elsewhere on CTMQ, but I'm saying it again: Connecticut's town structure is annoying enough, but our fake towns are even more annoying. Mystic is probably the worst example. Granted, this only matters to me and my "need" for accuracy in listing things within the … [Read more...]
Mystic Pizza (1988)
Pretty Women Mystic Pizza, 1988 There are a lot of movies on my Connecticut Movies list, but you'll be hard-pressed to find one that more Connecticut than 1988's coming of age flick, Mystic Pizza. It was almost entirely filmed in Stonington and Groton and anyone with a passing familiarity with the area will … [Read more...]
Barley Head Brewery
It Takes a Mystic Barley Head Brewery, Groton June 2019 Here we are, together again. About to discuss yet another tiny Connecticut brewery no one ever talks about or seeks out. Owned and operated by a (surely) well-meaning guy whose friends all told him that his free garage homebrew was the best beer they’d ever … [Read more...]
Groton Open Space Association Trails
Groton Open Space Association Trails Groton & Ledyard GOSA seems to operate in that netherworld between land trusts and town trails. There are many of these organizations in the state and they can get confusing. I can't pretend that I have it all figured out, but I try. All I really care about is that they maintain … [Read more...]
Avery Point Lighthouse
Avery Point Lighthouse Groton What a charming li’l lighthouse. When you think about lighthouses, you realized they pretty much only exist for nostalgia’s sake anymore. Ships no longer need warning lights to tell them of rocky bottoms and approaching shorelines... so why do we keep them? Because they’re … [Read more...]