Our Trip to the Beach in the Fall (Niantic and Mystic CT) Day 1/2

Last year at the end of October, my husband and I took a 2 night trip to Niantic, CT for a little weekend anniversary trip.  It was one of those last minute things that I planned on a whim because I really wanted to make an effort to see the ocean before the end of the year and I knew prices would be cheaper to go to the ocean in the off season.  I am just NOW getting around to sharing photos of this trip with you all!

So we traveled about 3 hours away to reach this cozy town of Niantic to stay at a lovely B and B at one of the quaint marinas located there.

When we first got to the coast, we pulled over onto the Niantic Boardwalk and just breathed in the scent and sight of the ocean.  I think it had been two years since we had seen it!  Technically we were looking out at the Niantic Bay so the ocean appeared calmer and less dramatic.

It was a gorgeous and sunny day, unseasonably warm for this time of year, and we spent about an hour or so walking up and down the beach, looking at shells and just being so happy to be there. When you're used to taking care of little kids, it feels so refreshing to go somewhere with each other and not worry about them!

Although as soon as we started combing for shells, we kept saying "the girls would have so much fun if they were here!" :)  Isn't that always how it is?

This was the first time I had been to the beach in the fall.  It was interesting and I liked it. And there weren't may people around!

Seeing the muted colors of mid-fall was such a contrast to the usual blues and greens you usually see when you go to a New England beach in the summer.

We arrived where we were staying at The Inn at Harbor Hill Marina by mid afternoon and were greeted by this gorgeous marina, a friendly Innkeeper and a bottle of wine!

Of course, we had to take a walk all over the docks at take a look at the gorgeous boats. 

There's the Inn as seen from the end of the docks.  Our room was the middle top one. 

 After we unpacked we ended up driving over to Mystic for a stroll and snack. 

The town was quiet and quaint and very quintessential of New England in the fall. 

We had to. :) 

Then we did some browsing. 

After our delicious pizza and window shopping, we drove over to Westerly, RI to see, as hubby put it, "the real ocean."
We stayed in Westerly back when Pumpkin Pie was 2 years old back in 2011 and loved this part of Rhode Island.

The sunset was absolutely gorgeous!  By this time, it had gotten quite a bit colder, so it was weird to be so chilly at the beach, but I can't even stress how gorgeous it was and i didn't even care. :)

 

We ran into some friendly dogs that were playing in the waves

 I love dogs! 

And just like that, it was over. 

After the beach, we drove back to Niantic and had dinner at an Irish Pub called The Black Sheep. 

Heading back to the Inn for the night, I loved how cozy the porch of the Inn looked.  

The common living room was nice and warm.  Since we went on Halloween weekend last year, the Inn was really quiet and we didn't see a single other person the whole 1st night!

Each night they had freshly baked cookies for us as a nighttime snack.  (!!!)

Here's our view from our window of the glowing marina. So gorgeous!  I couldn't help but feel Dawson-Creekish staring out of these windows.

Our first day in Niantic/Mystic was so much fun and we absolutely loved this this little seaside town and inn!

Stay tuned for day #2 as we head to Mystic Seaport, check out Clyde's Cidermill and explore more of Niantic. :)

xo Farrah