Mystic Seaport Museum echoes centuries of the sea

May 25—There was a time when you could only buy XXXL T-shirts at Mystic Seaport because the place was officially called something like "Mystic Seaport — The Barnacle-Crusted Repositorium of All Things Fathoms, Boaty, Seafarin', Ocean-centric, Whaling Port-esque, (almost) Site of 'The Perfect Storm' and Place Where Peter Benchley Dreamed Up 'Jaws'." Anything smaller wouldn't fit the name on the shirt.

Officially, the wordy name for a world-class nautical museum reflecting the area's briny history DID cover most bases. But it didn't exactly roll off the tongue. Now known a bit more efficiently, it's called Mystic Seaport Museum — and it is indeed one of the top tourist draws in all of New England. For all the right reasons.

The family-happy facility replicates an entire 19th-century whaling village, and I've probably covered dozens of different events there over the years — from holiday theatricals and sea music festivals to continuous readings of the entire "Moby-Dick" and watching maritime carpenters work on replicas of whaling ships and the Amistad. It's an amazing, amazing place.

Mystic Seaport Museum, 76 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; $27, $25 seniors, $23 youth (13-17), $19 child (4-12), free 3 and under; 860-572-0711, www,mysticseaport.org.