Olde Mistick Village & Daniel Packer Inn

Dear Em,
A couple weekends ago I had a girls afternoon. We met in Mystic, had lunch at Daniel Packer Inn, & walked around the shops of Olde Mistick Village. I was a fun afternoon with yummy food, cute shops, fresh air, & girl talk.

The girls at Daniel Packer Inn.

I grew up not far from Mystic, but I forgot how cute & quaint it is there. Olde Mistick Village is an outdoor shopping area next to the Mystic Aquarium. The shops range from Irish Eyes (a shop that brings me back to Ireland & my Grandma) to Extra Virgin (a shop selling infused vinegars & olive oils). There is a church & some restaurants & a locally owned movie theater.

Yesterday was the start of Daddy's birthday week (yup, we like to celebrate for a full week in this house). To celebrate, I asked him if he wanted to go out to breakfast at Station House Restaurant, have lunch at Turtle Soup (overlooking the wall & Narragansett beach), or spend the morning in Mystic. Daddy chose a morning in Mystic.

We bundled up & headed to the shops at Olde Mistik Village. The shops don't open until 11am on Sundays. We figured we'd walk around & say hello to the ducks until the shops were open for business. Across from the duck pond is a store called Bestmors. They sell bags of duck food for 75 cents (we had picked up a loaf of Wonder bread before heading over, but according to the signs, bread makes ducks sick. Who knew?). The duck pond is a hot spot for families with kids. There were several families feeding the ducks. Those ducks sure don't go hungry.

Feeding the ducks with Daddy.

Getting your Irish on at Irish Eyes.

I was hoping to try out a Thai restaurant in Mystic for lunch, but Daddy's tummy wasn't up to it. So, we decided to head back to Daniel Packer Inn. The inn was built over 250 years ago, & there are two sections. The upstairs is quaint & old fashioned & a little fancy looking. The downstairs reminds me of the pubs we visited when we went to Ireland. We headed downstairs & enjoyed feeling like we were back in Ireland.

When I went the first time, I got the fish & chips. It's always been a favorite dish of mine, & the one at Daniel Packer Inn did not disappoint. I decided to change it up this time around & ordered the Vegetable Ciabatta Sandwich. Well, I see myself making the trip back to the Daniel Packer Inn quite frequently just to order that sandwich again. I find that veggie sandwiches can often times be bland, but this one was not bland at all. It was yummy amazingness, with portobello mushrooms, fire roasted peppers, zucchini, fresh tomato, grilled pickles, & garlic herb butter. Hands down, the best veggie sandwich I've ever had. I think it might be the pickle inside the sandwich. I think pickles just make sandwiches better.

You enjoyed the fresh fries & they brought by sliced oranges when they saw your cute face peeking at them while they sliced. Daddy got the Po' Boy, a slow roasted pulled pork sandwich. He gets pulled pork a lot & says that typically they're either really good or really not. He said this sandwich was really good. We were surprised at how inexpensive our bill came out to with how yummy everything was & how large the portions were. We were going to take you to Mystic Drawbridge for ice cream, but we were stuffed.

As we got in the car to leave our Mystic adventure, I heard a knock on my window. Daddy had forgotten his credit card in the restaurant & the waiter had run out into the parking lot to find us & give it back. I was pretty amazed he left his busy tables to come out & look for us.

It was a perfect & special winter morning. I think the Daniel Packer Inn & Olde Mistick Village have become one of our favorite spots on a weekend morning. I mean, we can't let the ducks go hungry.

I love you so,
Mommy