It feels weird today. It’s a Wednesday but it feels like Monday. Why’s that? Yesterday I took off a day of work and hit the road with my fiance. We made our way to Mystic, CT, located an hour and a half south of Boston, for a menu tasting. We’re getting married in the tiny seaside village this July, best known for its nautical history.

For anyone reading this that didn’t grow up in New England – yes, Mystic Pizza is a real place. And yes, Mystic is where it’s located. But the little town is known for much more.

I won’t go into a full blown history lesson on the super charming historic village, but I will mention that at one time, it was the leading seaport in the region – which is why you’ll see that everything is very nautical themed… and to top it off, Mystic is home to our nation’s largest maritime museum.

But back to our trip…

We’re getting married at Latitude 41, right next to the historic seaport. Of course, when searching for reception venues, once I laid my eyes on the vintage boat houses right next door, I knew that’s where we needed to celebrate our wedding.

The afternoon was spent stuffing our faces with different food options (my favorite of course was the lobster). To celebrate the completion of another task on our very long list of things we need to get done before the wedding, we stopped by The Engine Room for a quick drink. Oh, and monkey bread. Holy shiz. I’d go back again just for that monkey bread.

Once we finished up, we had a few hours to spare before dinner in Westerly, RI. Our first thought? Let’s head to Watch Hill for a quick trip. 1. because we love it there and 2. because we’re getting married in the Watch Hill Chapel!

We had Rory with us and knew he’d go buck wild once he hit the sandy beach. Lo and behold, as soon as the leash came off, he spent the next hour sprinting and exploring the sand, the dunes, the water and of course, trying to play with Jeff’s mom’s dog, Brighton.

While in Watch Hill, we strolled down the path to the light house for one last glimpse before the sun went down. While a bit chilly, neither of us minded with a sunset like this.

For those traveling to the area, I highly suggest making a pit stop in both Mystic and Watch Hill – only 30 minutes away from each other and the perfect two places to explore for a weekend trip.