What 2 Do? How about Old Saybrook's Natural History Tours

Reading today's edition of our beloved Hartford Courant there was an interesting article on Old Saybrook and the reviving of the Natural History Tours. I have taken these tours and must say well they are self guided but for those interested in history and the ecology of the area at the mouth of the Connecticut River these tours are meant for you.

With gas at an all time high and exercise and fresh air at a premium why not take a ride on Interstate 95 to Old Saybrook and follow to either the Tourist Information Center at the forke between Boston Post Road and Route 154 or stop at the Town Hall just down the street for more information.

One great stop along the self guided tour and one that one can enjoy for many hours is at Saybrook Pointe the sight of the original English Settlement and fort dating to about 1640. Here are the rebuilt footings and framework of the original Saybrooke Fort as well as the 1800s rail yard and a nature preserve. Additional views are offered of the Long Island Sound, Connecticut River and neighboring Old Lyme as well as the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook the former home of the Hepburn family, yes of Catherine and Dr.Hepburn fame.

The self guided tours offer a view of Old Saybrook's natural history and ecology from the only sand dune located in the town to glacial deposits, salt marshes and more. Old Saybrook part of the "Lyme Dome" which was along wtih parts of East Lyme, Lyme and Waterford a small piece of the original continent from so many hundreds of millions of years ago. The rock found here is the same found in Scotland, West Africa and South America and just inland the rock formations and type are very different than these. Makes you feel quite little ey?

Anyway...while in Old Saybrook at the point why not stop in at Dock & Dine or Terra Mar Grille for a nice lunch or dinner and enjoy the sights then head over the causeway toward Fenwick and to the home of Catherine Hepburn (private residence) and this turn of the last century (1890s) summer village.

 Old Saybrook Main Street
 
 The Marina at Saybrook Pointe

More information can be found at: http://www.oldsaybrookct.org/Pages/OldSaybrookCT_About/living_history#Natural   or www.thenewenglandcoast.com

What 2 Do This Summer? Mystic,CT Wants Your Attention Mystic,Ct's restaurants and businesses want your attention this summer perhaps more than ever and to show the love they have launched the "Sea Everything Mystic" Pass Card which affords each card holder a discount on admissions to attractions, restaurants and accommodations. For each adult the charge is 49 beans and seniors and kids get it for 45 while teens are priced at 39 beans each and wee ones (3-5 yo) 20 will cover them. << MORE >>

Wondering what to do this weekend or even next? How about Newport, Rhode Island - Just a tank away. As "stay-cations" have been getting more popular so have the "tank away" vacations or "day trips". While prices at the pump only go one way... up many have fretted about traveling and vacation.<< MORE >>

What's Happening: Mystic, CT.- Tall Ship Mystic Setting sail this summer from Mystic, Ct. the Tall Ship Mystic a 170 ft. 3 masted schooner homebased right here in Mystic, Ct. The Tall Ship Mystic offers 2-3 and more day cruises. Ideal to well do something else and no better way to the one of the world's great sailing waters of the Long Island Sound and New England Coast. << MORE >>

Ok maybe a warm drink in the summer is well not exactly a season appropriate drink but after having experienced the 70+ year old Baronet Coffee Co. of Hartford, Conn. I decided to broaden my coverage of reviews to well "other stuff". << MORE >>

Where is your favorite beach / sunbathing Spot on the New England Coast?As summer approaches, perhaps not fast enough for some of us... where is your favorite New England Coast beach spot? Rocky Neck in East Lyme, CT? Matunuck in Rhode Island or Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts?<< MORE >>

What's Happening? New London, Connecticut featured in Inc. Magazine.

New London the Whaling City and the group behind much of it's slow crawl (in a positive sense) out of a very localized depression, New London MainStreet has been featured in the a recent edition of Inc. Magazine. 
 
Inc. Magazine Article on New London, Conn.


(click above)



"Baby Steps" is the key phrase of the article. New London is a charming seaside town with a populus of about 26,000. Mentioned often in various magazines in a most positive sense all from it's great place to be an entrepreneur to great investment opportunities, great place to live etc... the little historic city with big city problems is slowing crawling it's way out of the shadows of Mystic, Stonington and Newport in Rhode Island becoming it's own little funky place the appeals to a new generation of young artists, business people and empty nesters. With everything within "feet" New London has many many great investment opps. Always dream of living in a historic home as when you walk the streets of Mystic, Stonington, Newport, Portland and Nantucket...why not New London?

Alone in the past year on a small side street off State Street, one of two main streets in the downtown Historic District Green Street, first laid out in 1787 from a revolutionary "printer's" property Green Street features the venerable Dutch's Tavern (favorite drinking spot of New London's Eugene O'Neill), Golden Street Gallery... Muse a trendy SoHo shoe boutique and gallery and now 140 below an artist show place which abuts a new organic restaurant called "Mangetout". Green Street is fast becoming New London's SoHo with artists and professionals alike living side by side "feet from everything". All of the new residents from those in the most historic Richard Douglas house (1801) to the Crocker House have vested interests in the downtown area.

Come on down and check it out... something is happening!
  1801 Richard Douglas House- Restored in 2007

What's Happening in... New London, Connecticut. For those interested there is a nice map of what's happening available at various tourist offices / locations in New London, Connecticut or << MORE >>

Official Tourism Sites: Massachusetts & More

I recently received my latest edition of Connecticut Magazine and noticed an ad for MassVacation.com the official site of the Massachusetts board of tourism. I logged on this morning (from the office - doh!) and began to review the site. At first glance... lots of information and a revolving video link to the left side of the main site with 90, yes 90 30 second video clips of various well known and not so well known Massachusetts Tourist sites. I reviewed approximately 15 of these with 10 of them being "on the New England coast" and found this a fresh and most informative way of showing visitors what to look for... what to visit and most importantly what 2 do while in Massachusetts!

-courtesy of MassVacation.com

The use of videos that do not require loading & buffering then playing, often choppy has usually been a less than enjoyable affair, however whether they used flash or what have you... this is a fresh and great way to show what you have to offer!

Most of us when we travel like to see a picture or video of an area minus the standard tourist "fluff"-you know the kind that has the less than professional actors trying to sell something or the standard garden variety travel guide which is loaded with ads, coupons and text with little in terms of pictures (visual aides).

Kudos to www.Massvacation.com for this great way of promoting this state and all that there is to do!

Erstwhile I have also received brochures of Connecticut's and Rhode Island's Tourism Guides... and like most they are 90% content (text) and 10% pictures much of which is a simple "hard copy" of the website. The digital site of the Connecticut Tourism Site CTvisit.com is fresh and has lots of visuals but the hard copy is less than entertaining and looks to be updated only once in the past 10 years. Rhode Island's is a carbon copy of that. While I know that most boards of tourism are trying to limit the carbon footprint, use of printed materials and of course the cost in producing brochures in the case of tourism it is always nice to have something to hold on to. Show more pictures and give links to seeing videos, cut down the coupons and text and this is totally uninteresting to the majority of us. It has become like a poorly made power point presentation... trying to say everything in a limited space which essentially results in saying almost nothing about everything as room for hotel listings, attractions and their cost (the use of the dollar signs) takes up space. I understand the need to promote and the need to generate advertising revenue but please!

courtesy of CTvisit.com




courtesy of http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/

I would like to see the demographics or their target audiences. The Massachusetts site offers something for everyone while the other two.. well they think they are offering something for everyone but are really focusing on leaf peepers, empty nestors and those from New York and the big cities, yes those with lots of disposable income.

Anyway... a fresh approach by Massachusetts gets kudos from this blogger and www.thenewenglandcoast.com

The Segway, the strange two wheeled gyroscope "thingy" that one has seen on various TV shows, in a handful of films and well in a handful of tourist spots has now established itself in Guilford, Connecticut the historical and toney Connecticut shoreline town halfway between New Haven and Old Saybrook. << MORE >>