STONINGTON BOROUGH , five miles east of Mystic, is an overwhelmingly pretty old fishing village, originally Portuguese but now very New England, characterized by appealing whitewashed cottages (which were once factory houses), white picket fences and colorful flower gardens. Its main street, Water Street , is chock-a-block with antique shops and upmarket thrift stores, crowded with well-heeled bargain hunters at the weekend. The Lighthouse Museum at no. 7 dates from 1823 and is full of local memorabilia, maps and drawings; fresh flowers everywhere add a nice touch. You can climb the stone steps and iron staircase to the top for views over the water and Connecticut's neighboring states (July & Aug daily 10am-5pm; May, June, Sept & Oct Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; $4). The waterfront itself is a great place to pass a few sunny hours, peaceful and quiet with a few bobbing fishing boats and clean water for swimming.

The most central place to stay , though not cheap, is The Inn at Stonington at 60 Water St (tel 860/535-2000, ; $160-200), where summer weekend rates start at $175; weekday and winter rates go down considerably. Authentic New England clam chowder, and full meals, can be had at Noah's , 113 Water St (tel 860/535-3925), an old Portuguese restaurant with a friendly, pine-table-trendy atmosphere and delicious home-baked cakes. Two seafood restaurants - Water Street Café , 142 Water St (tel 860/535-2122), and Skipper's Dock , 66 Water St (tel 860/535-0111) - are worth a visit; the former is elegant, the latter less expensive and rowdier, with an open deck sporting fabulous views of the ocean.

Stonington Borough

• Stonington Borough

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