There is so much to do, either walking out the front door or getting in the car and travelling a short distance.
Just down the road is Mystic Seaport, with its fabulous historical village, and its wondrous collection of sailing ships, and boats. Next door is the world class Mystic Aquarium. Besides its fabulous collection of underwater life, the aquarium is also home to Robert Ballard’s Institute for Exploration. Ballard of course discovered the wreck of the Titanic.
Other nearby places of historical and/or scientific interest: Old Lighthouse Museum, Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, Babcock-Smith House, Nathaniel B Palmer House, Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, Gillette Castle State Park, Stonington Old Lighthouse, Brant Point Lighthouse, Watch Hill Lighthouse, Submarine Force Museum & USS Nautilus, and The Dinosaur Place At Nature's Art.
For gaming of all kinds, Foxwoods Resorts and Casino and Mohegan Sun are just minutes away by car.
Some of the finest beaches anywhere are also close by: Misquamicut Beach, Ocean Beach Park, Westerly Town Beach, and Watch Hill.
Golfers will find a number of excellent options: Weekapaug Golf Course, Foxwoods Resort Casino Golf Course, Elmridge Golf Course, Lindhbrook Golf Club, Pequot Golf Club, Richmond Country Club, and the Winnapaug Golf & Country Club.
Sailing is available just minutes from the house at Dodson’s Boat Yard. It is a prime recreation in Stonington, as all kind of craft navigate Watch Hill Bay, Block Island Sound, Long Island Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean. Cruises are also available at Mystic Seaport as well as elsewhere. The Block Island Ferry operates out of New London during the summer.
If parks and nature are your passion, the area provides many options: Barn Island Wildlife Management Area, Pequot Woods Park, Knox Preserve - Avalonia Land Conservancy, Mystic River Park, Rotary Park, Pafford Woods, Napatree Point Conservation Area, and lovely Wilcox Park.
The area features a thriving artistic community. For theater there is Granite Theater, Theatre By The Sea, and the Garde Arts Center. Every July the town of Westerly features “Shakespeare In The Park,” a production of one of the Bard’s plays out in the open at charming Wilcox Park. Music is supplied by the famous Chorus of Westerly. There is also the Westerly Pops, and there are ongoing productions from the Salt Marsh Opera Company. Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are year round venues for star musical performers of every genre.
The Florence Griswold and Lyman Allyn museums are famous for their outstanding collections. There are also galleries of all kinds: there is the Mystic Arts Center, Cutwater Marine Gallery, Finer Line Gallery, Kensteincamp Art, Lily Pad Gallery, Scala Studio, Newbury Studio, Finer Line Gallery, and the Red Couch Art Studio, to name a few.
Just around the corner on Water Street in the Borough is one of the best stretches of antique shopping in the region.
Wine making is widespread in the area and the vineyards are very hospitable to visitors. Some of the better known among them: Maugle Sierra Vineyards, Jonathan Edwards Winery, Langworthy Farm Winery, Saltwater Farm Vineyard, and Stonington Vineyards.
In the summertime, on the common a block away, the farmer's market offers fresh meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, and baked goods every Saturday. Even in the colder months this market is still open, a couple of minutes away at the Stonington Community Center.
