The 7 Wonders of Mystic

1. The 7 Wonders of Mystic by Lisa Saunders www.authorlisasaunders.com

2. Tourist v. Resident

3. Wonders Criteria • Free to view on the outside • Open year-round • Mystic’s zip code 06355 • Prompt a “second look”

4. Mystic Pizza Restaurant Sign Visitors still flock to this symbol of the 1988 romantic comedy, "Mystic Pizza," starring Julia Roberts and debuting Matt Damon.

5. Draw Bridge Thrilling to pedestrians and bridge tenders who man the bridge house 24/7(yes, there is a bathroom). Bridge tenders meet celebrities like former President Jimmy Carter and actress Julia Roberts. See yachts of Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood and Phil Donahue.

6. The “Hanging Gardens” of Enders Island Out of a widow’s loneliness sprang an intriguing stone landscape. Includes former tea house turned into a seaside chapel.

7. Charles W. Morgan – last wooden whaleship Witnessed: Floggings Stowaways Drownings Desertions Amputations Burials at sea “Nantucket sleigh rides”

8. Elm Grove Cemetery Memorial Arch Controversial, colossal arch to Elm Grove Cemetery. “Who’s Who” of 19th century ship builders and sea captains there. Includes two-year-old daughter, Matilda, drowned on New Year’s Day in 1858; and an obelisk depicting a steamship tells how Captain Wolfe died piloting it when it caught fire off the port of Galveston in 1875.  Sailing record- breakers like Holmes there.

9. Mystic Aquarium’s Ocean Planet Pavilion Designed by famed international architect, Cesar Pelli, who designed the Canary Wharf Tower in London, Britain’s tallest building. He states: “…the visitors have entered a new environment-- they have left behind our known world.”

10. Mystic Depot Model for American Flyer’s “talking train station.” Press button to hear conductor announce in a crackly, long ago voice, “All aboard…New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and all points west. Aboard!”

11. 8th Wonder? Old goose named Gloria at Olde Mistick Village--the regal yet cranky, arthritic goose that has been reigning over the duck pond since the mid-1980s

12. Other 8th Wonder Contenders • Mystic River Railroad Bridge, the swing bridge that opens for boats •  “Captain’s Row,” the 19th century Greek revival homes along Mystic River (one former owner built coffins in the basement, another housed the Underground Railroad, and one broke sailing records) • Mystic & Noank Library, with its ornate architecture that includes a second floor vaulted ceiling designed like a ship’s keel, a comfy window seat, oriental carpets and an ongoing group puzzle • Denison Homestead, built in 1717 and continuously owned for three centuries by the same family (admission charged to enter) • Mystic River’s Art Trail--my term for the several art galleries from the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport to the Mystic Arts Center on Water Street • Mystic Waterfront Views—19th century buildings lining both shores

13. Lisa Saunders Writer, Speaker & Public Relations Can speak on: Civil War—“A Union Private and His Wife” “Writer’s Open Mic” “How to Get Free Publicity” “How to Get a Job” Children’s Workshop: “Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator “Stop #1 Birth Defects Virus” Awarded National Council for Marketing & Public Relations Gold Medallion 860-245-5635, saundersbooks@aol.com www.authorlisasaunders.com