Okay we missed Herman Melville’s birthday (August 1st); yesterday was his 191st. We were actually on a family roadtrip to Mystic Seaport where they were celebrating Melville’s birthday with a marathon reading of Moby-Dick.
It had been a few years since we visited Mystic and the first time with the kids. It’s a great destination with lots and lots of things to do for “youth of all ages.” We started our visit with a showing of the outdoor play, A Tale of a Whaler which is highly recommended if you have kids. It’s engaging and answers, in a fun way, some of those difficult historical questions kids always have.
Some of the other highlights included a visit to the Charles W. Morgan which is currently in the middle of a MAJOR restoration project. You can actually climb aboard her and go below to see first hand how whalers lived and how restorers do their work. This experience should not be missed.
It’s a bit of a climb, especially with small children, but it’s definitely worth it!
Here are a few “artsy” shots taken with my iPhone of other favorite spots in the Seaport.
This is from the Shipyard Gallery looking down into the work area. The gallery has an interesting exhibit about the Morgan restoration project.
I love scale models of villages and this one is a must see. Even though it’s Mystic, it’s great to imagine what our town, Mattapoisett, was like back in the mid 1800’s when activity was buzzing at the six shipyards located on the harborfront.
No visit is complete without hopping aboard a real living tall ship like the Joseph Conrad. Well, she might not leave the dock but in the summer time she serves as living quarters for the young campers in the Seaport’s sailing program. How cool is that!
Sea-Fever blog 
Hey Peter, just saw this post on Mystic. My wife and I are going in a couple weeks to see the Sail-to-Steam exhibit, and are looking forward to it. I haven’t been in quite a long time, anything we should make sure not to miss?
Hey Jared! We had 6 kids under 9 in tow so our experience might be a little different than yours. Schedule to take a break during one of the Tale of a Whaler presentations, it’s a lot of fun. Climbing and touring the Morgan is awesome. We missed Tugs so I’m sure we’ll be heading back soon. Whatever you choose to do, I’m sure you’ll enjoy! Have fun!
Sounds good, thanks for the tip! We are definitely looking forward to it and will certainly check out the Charles W. Morgan. I’m reading a book called Rough Medicine, on the surgeons aboard American and British whalers. Gruesome to be sure but it’ll be very interesting to see the innards of a whaler up close and bring the book to life, so to speak.