Month: August 2017

We’re dedicating the entire month of September to thanking our community of Members!

“We’ve designated September as Member Appreciation Month as our way of saying thank you,” says Autumn Payne, Director of Membership and Volunteer Services. “Members are stalwarts for the Museum and they inspire us to offer the best possible experience to all our visitors.”

Members are critical to Mystic Seaport, and have been since its inception. “Members, through their participation, are ambassadors for Mystic Seaport,” Payne notes. “They represent the Museum’s mission to inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience. This is an important endeavor that without Members would not be possible.”

Membership to Mystic Seaport brings all kinds of benefits, including:

• Unlimited general admission
• Free Members-only hat upon joining
• Discounts on classes, programs, and summer camps
• Discounts on the Museum’s shops and restaurants (including Double Discount Days at the store in December)
• Pre-sale tickets for nautical Nightmares and Lantern Light Tours performances
• Access to the Members’ Lounge with free coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and lemonade
• Express entry through Members’ entrance during peak season months
• Subscription to Mystic Seaport Magazine
• Discounted admission to other outdoor history museums

As a Member you receive a monthly eNewsletter with events and news; the Windrose, an email program guide sent three times a year with information about camps, events, and programs; and Mystic Seaport Magazine, a glossy publication published twice a year with stories about the collections, programs, new exhibits, and Museum news. Join now!

In September

Bring a friend
Members can bring a friend for free Monday through Friday throughout September. Members with the PLUS feature may bring in a second guest for free.

Get a gift
Be sure to stop by the Membership Building for a free gift during your visit.

Member Appreciation Night
Friday, September 8, 2017 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Come enjoy Mystic Seaport after we close to the general public. The grounds, the Charles W. Morgan, and the McGraw Quad exhibits will be open. Purchase dinner at our scenic Spouter’s Tavern or bring along your own picnic to enjoy on the green. Special programming and guided tours will be available. Registration is encouraged.

Members Only Tours
SOLD OUT. September 2-3, 2017: Member Tours of the Draken Harald Hårfagre
Last chance to tour the amazing Viking replica ship before she closes to the public. 9 a.m. & 9:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

September 16, 2017: Behind the Scenes Tour of Mayflower II Restoration. Hear first-hand from one of the restoration project’s leaders. 11 a.m. – noon

Member Cruises
September 20, 2017: Tree Swallow Spectacle on board Adventure. Witness the amazing coordination and acrobatics of hundreds of thousands of tree swallows while enjoying a cruise down the Connecticut River.
5-8:30 p.m. CT RiverQuest, Haddam, CT

SOLD OUT. September 30, 2017: Member Cruise on Sabino. Downriver cruise on Sabino includes music by Rock of Ages, snacks, and a cash bar. 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Call us at 860.572.5339 for more information or to register for any of the special programming.

Day and Overnight Trips

November 10, 2017: Day Trip: Battleship Cove and the Marine Museum. Spend a day in Fall River, MA, as we visit Battleship Cove and the Marine Museum. Transportation will be provided for this day trip to Fall River. Our group will depart Mystic Seaport at 8:30 a.m. by bus and will return by 5:30 p.m.

October 24, 2017: Day Trip to New Bedford Whaling Museum & Historic Fishing District. Join us for a trip to New Bedford, MA, to explore the New Bedford Whaling Museum and surrounding historical neighborhoods and fishing district. Transportation will be provided by Mystic Seaport. Members and their guests will board the bus at Mystic Seaport Museum at 8:30 a.m.

Tuesday, October 3 – Thursday, October 5, 2017: Overnight Trip: Bath, Maine. Enjoy the fall foliage as we travel from Mystic Seaport to the picturesque city of Bath, Maine. Our hotel is located along the waterfront with access to many great restaurants and shops nearby. Breakfast will be provided at the hotel both Wednesday and Thursday of our trip.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded a $154,811 grant to the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies at Mystic Seaport to support its summer 2018 program, “The American Maritime Commons.”

The four-week Institute at Mystic Seaport is for college and university faculty. The Institute will employ interdisciplinary perspectives on American maritime studies, with an emphasis on recent social, cultural, and ecological approaches and current research. It will consist of a series of seminars led by 14 visiting scholars and co-directors Dr. Glenn Gordinier and Dr. Eric Roorda. Participants will enhance their course offerings through intensive studies, dialogue, and reflection on the influence of maritime activities on U.S. history and culture.

“The habitability of the planet hinges on the health of the saltwater environment that covers over 70% (or the majority) of it. Drastically diminished populations of sea life, rapidly rising sea levels, badly degraded water quality, and coastal climate refugees are a few of the notable impacts that centuries of human civilization have had on the ocean,” said Institute co-director Dr. Glenn Gordinier. “Public awareness is a necessary first step toward addressing the potential catastrophe they pose and understanding how we have gotten here makes the work of the Munson Institute more important than ever.”

The Institute builds on the Museum’s successful record of six previous NEH institutes, most recently the first “American Maritime Commons” institute held in summer 2016. The American Maritime Commons will allow college teachers to develop courses and scholarship related to the sea, which seeks to connect the study of the humanities to the current conditions of national life.

On Monday, August 21, a Total Solar Eclipse will arc across the United States, from Oregon to South Carolina. Since the United States is the only land region on Earth that will witness eclipse totality, this event is being called the “Great American Eclipse.” Here in Mystic, we will experience a 67% eclipse, a “crescent Sun” of sorts as only 1/3 of the sun will be visible at one point in the afternoon.

Friday, August 11

Join us in the Treworgy Planetarium for a program all about eclipses in advance of the big event! “Stars Over Mystic: The great American Eclipse” begins at 8:30 p.m., and weather permitting will include some gazing at the outdoor night sky. Cost is $6 (adults) $3 (youths; 15 and younger) for members and $9 (adults) $3 (youths; 15 and younger) for non-members. Call 860.572.5331 to register.

Monday, August 21

Join us for a series of FREE events (with museum admission) to celebrate the total solar eclipse across parts of the country, and the partial solar eclipse that we will see here in Connecticut!

All Day

“Lights Out Across the USA”
Stop by our lobby exhibit in the Treworgy Planetarium, where our interactive screens will display a steady flow throughout the day of images and video clips of the eclipse as it makes its way across the country. Use #eclipse2017 to share your experience with NASA and Mystic Seaport!

Programs

10-10:30 a.m. “What Causes an Eclipse?” (part 1)
Examine a Sun-Earth-Moon model and see how every once in a while, these three objects line up just right!
Planetarium Lobby

11-11:30 a.m. “Summer Stars and the Eclipse”
Experience a twist on our usual 11 a.m. planetarium show, covering the evening sky but also incorporating some eclipse elements. Planetarium Theater

Noon-12:30 p.m. “What Causes an Eclipse?” (part 2)
For a hands-on demonstration of how these events are caused, stop by the lobby and try your hand at causing your own solar eclipse! Planetarium Lobby

1-2 p.m. “Total Eclipse Live!”
Join us to watch a live stream of the total eclipse onto our Planetarium Theater dome. Since Mystic will only receive a partial eclipse, this will allow you to see what it looks like when the Moon blocks out the entire Sun! Planetarium Theater

1:30-4 p.m. “Safe Eclipse Observing”
Drop by the Playscapes anytime during this window to use some of our special viewing equipment to safely observe the partial eclipse here in CT. NOTE: The “maximum” eclipse will occur between 2:30-3 p.m. Playscapes

4-4:30 p.m. “Summer Stars and the Next Eclipse” 
Experience a twist on our usual 4 p.m. planetarium show, covering the evening sky but also looking ahead to the NEXT total solar eclipse coming in April of 2024. Planetarium Theater