The Port of Mystic is a historic township in New London County, Connecticut, on the Mystic River as it flows into Long Island Sound and, from there, to the Atlantic Ocean. Not having an independent government, the Port of Mystic is located within the towns of Groton and Stonington some 70 kilometers southwest of the Port of Providence, Rhode Island. In 2000, about four thousand people called the Port of Mystic home.

The Port of Mystic was an important seaport, and the village still reflects this maritime heritage. Today, thousands of tourists visit the Port of Mystic each year to see the sailing ships and seaport buildings. Many popular restaurants, including Mystic Pizza made famous by the 1988 movie, line the bascule bridge that links the two sections of town.

When Europeans arrived in the Port of Mystic area, the indigenous Pequot people inhabited most of what would become southeastern Connecticut. Their villages overlooked the Mystic River. When Europeans began to settle the Port of Mystic area, the Pequot were basically surrounded by the Dutch to the west and the English to the east.

In 1632 when the Dutch established Good Hope, they broke the Pequots' monopoly on trade with the Europeans. Hostilities resulted between the Pequot and the Narragansett tribes who entered their lands to trade with the Dutch. The Dutch entered the fight, holding the Pequots' chief and then executing him even though the ransom was paid, further escalating the conflicts and involving the English. Tensions between the local tribes increased as well. The English eventually burned the Pequot villages and killed many of the people.

The 1638 Treaty of Hartford officially ended the Pequot War. Terms of the treaty included forbidding the Pequot from reforming their tribe. Over time, the Pequot were able to reestablish their settlements as separate communities, not as a unified tribe, that eventually became the first Indian reservations in North America.

During the 1640s, the King of England began to grant land in the future Port of Mystic area to veterans of the Pequot War. John Winthrop, son of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's governor, received so much land that he gave portions of it to his compatriots in the war. Migration to the new English territory was slowed by conflicting claims for the land between Connecticut and the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

During the 1650s, English settlers began to arrive in the Port of Mystic area. Remaining indigenous peoples were hit hard by epidemics and by the reduction in wildlife as the English increasingly farmed and traded in furs. By 1675, infrastructure and commerce were in the Port of Mystic considerable. New churches appeared, and a school system emerged in nearby Stonington.

By the early 1700s, three villages were developing along the Mystic River. What is now called Old Mystic was at the head of the river, and Stonington and Groton were located downriver. The main economic activities in the Port of Mystic were maritime trades, manufacturing, and road building. Yet agriculture sustained the town, as most of the Port of Mystic citizens were farmers who grew wheat, corn, potatoes, peas, and fruit and raised cattle, pigs, sheep, and chicken.

The first bridge linking the banks of the Mystic River was constructed in 1819. The first Port of Mystic drawbridge was opened about 1835. In the late 19th Century, the two separate towns joined, creating today's Port of Mystic. During the 19th Century, many shipyards were built in the Port of Mystic, and merchant ships and whalers became a common sight on the river. Trade with the Caribbean Islands was an important source of income for the Port of Mystic.

In the post-clipper ship era from 1895 to 1905, the Port of Mystic gained electricity, banks, trolleys, and factories common to the Industrial Age. In 1941, the Charles W. Morgan , the last of the 2200 traditional Yankee whaling ships, docked for good at the Mystic Seaport Museum.

Today, the Port of Mystic is a center for recreational boating. Facilities at the waterfront support boat building and restoration, charters and cruises, fishing cruises, and sail makers and supplies. For those who are not members of the Mystic Seaport, there are also several affordable marinas available south of the bascule bridge. Even though there are many boats in the Port of Mystic, there are limited facilities for transient vessels.

The Port of Mystic is a historic village within the cities of Stonington and Groton in Connecticut. The waterside streets boast many shops, galleries, restaurants, and boutiques. The Port of Mystic is home to two popular tourist attractions, Mystic Seaport (The Museum of America and the Sea) and the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. The Port of Mystic was a center for shipbuilding during the clipper ship era, and today it is known for its classic New England charm.

The Port of Mystic has a humid continental climate with warm humid summers and cold humid summers. Temperatures range from an average high of 28°C (83°F) in July to an average low of -8°C (17°F) in January.

Mystic Seaport, the Museum of America and the Sea, is the most popular place for visitors to the Port of Mystic. Covering almost 7 hectares of land and containing over 100 buildings, the Seaport celebrates wooden 19th Century sailing ships and the culture that depended on them. Most of the buildings have been moved to Mystic from New England Ports and restored to their original condition. The Seaport also has a huge collection of wooden boats ranging from the famous three-masted Charles W. Morgan to sailors' skiffs. visitors to Mystic Seaport will learn how figureheads were carved, how sails were made, and how rigging was maintained. Additional educational programs are available in maritime history, boatbuilding, sailing, and marine biology. Over 300 thousand people visit Mystic Seaport every year to hear stories about New England's maritime history and culture and specific nautical adventures.

The Port of Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration is both an aquarium and a research center for oceanography. The Aquarium has many habitats supporting more than one thousand animals native to Long Island Sound. It is one of four US facilities with exhibits featuring Stellar sea lions and Northern fur seals. The Institute for Exploration has some fascinating maps and models from the wreck of the RMS Titanic. The aquarium is home to beluga whales, African black footed penguins, unicorn fish, octopus, leopard shark, and many other marine creatures. A ray-touch pool allows visitors to feed and touch live sting rays.