This inviting courtyard scene of the Mystic Seaport Museum is found just off Greenmanville Avenue in Mystic and leads out to Connecticut's most famous waterfront. The harbor, a section of the Mystic River, is filled with historic tall ships and whaling vessels of past centuries. Here at the nation's largest maritime museum, officially named The Museum of America and the Sea, New England's past comes alive with museum exhibits and galleries. Visitors are invited to get out on the water as well, either by boat rental or a cruise aboard the 100 year old steamboat, Sabino. The fully rigged Joseph Conrad, a 1882 vintage square-rigger, offers an overnight or week long sailing experience for beginners and intermediates.
   The shipyard also presents a fascinating look of craftspeople at work performing some of the age-old arts of wooden shipbuilding and repair. Visitors here may experience all the authentic sights, sounds and smells of a working saw mill, metalworking shop and paint shop, while gaining an insight of traditional shipyard repair methods and seeing period tools in action.
   Modernized over time, the Mystic name arose from the Native Pequot Missituk word, describing a large tidal river. A key element to the 17th century settlement, the Mystic River was a hub of maritime trades and manufacturing. Dating back to the late 1920s, the museum houses four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the oldest whaleship in the country, the 1841 Charles W. Morgan. Museum exhibits include over 500 historic watercraft, a gallery of maritime art, and a diorama displaying the 19th century town of Mystic.
   Other Mystic attractions compliment the Museum of America and the Sea, including the Mystic Aquarium & Institute For Exploration, Olde Mistick Village and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.

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