Stonington is tiny, make no mistake about it, and with only a little over a thousand permanent residents, it has a real small-town charm about and an ambiance that visitors will lap up as enthusiastically as they might the cultural experiences on offer in the Velvet Mill complex or a meal in one of the town’s many restaurants.
Stonington Borough is an autonomously governed area within the town of Stonington and is neighbored by Pawcatuck village and Wequetequock village and the eastern portion of Mystic village. While it’s undoubtedly a part of a larger region, it has a personality all of its own which is quite evident to anyone choosing to visit it.
Locals refer to the area simply as ‘The Borough’ and are proud of its close-knit community status. There are no more than two main streets in the center of the Borough, each forming a connection with the two squares of Cannon and Wadawanuck. There’s a distinct lack of both traffic in the center and of industrial development, both factors helping to preserve the Borough’s fine architecture, of which there are Colonial, Federal and Greek Revival examples.
Highlights
Lighthouse Museum: this attraction, which is owned and operated by the Stonington Historical Society, offers visitors a total of six rooms filled with a variety of exhibits that give insights into the lives of Stonington tradesmen such as farmers, blacksmiths, potters and shipbuilders.
Captain Nathaniel B Palmer House: also under the ownership of the Stonington Historical Society, this 16-room Victorian mansion dates back to the mid-19th century when brothers Captain Nathaniel Brown Palmer and Captain Alexander Smith Palmer oversaw its construction. The interior features a variety of Stonington-related memorabilia.
Water street: much of the Borough’s retail and dining action can be found here with the latter scene being especially popular with visitors on account of some great seafood eateries.
Mystic Seaport: just a short distance from the Borough, in Mystic, is the world’s largest maritime museum, a facility giving an in-depth look at how the town’s relationship with the sea has helped it evolve into the destination it is today.