“No matter what part of Connecticut you’re from, mystic is a go-to destination,” Danbury’s Patti Keckeisen said.
From its shops to its restaurants, downtown Mystic takes on a whole new life come summertime.
“Mystic has grown tremendously on both fronts, population wise and visitor wise,” Margaret Macris, business owner in the area, said.
Businesses like The Blue Horse and Mystic Sweets welcome the traffic.
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‘It’s amazing because we do the bulk of our business in the summer which carries us through the slow months of the winter,” Mystic Sweets manager Kristie Singleton said.
But with the business comes added chaos in the form of traffic.
“Horns beeping because people are crossing when it’s not the crosswalk, the stores they have lines out the door and then you always have somebody that’s going to start an issue somewhere,” Singleton said.
Some store owners and residents in the area have requested added police presence to address Mystic’s growing popularity.
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In response, the Groton Police Department is increasing its patrols downtown for the summer season.
“You have an increase of foot traffic, motor vehicle traffic, parking is always an issue down in Mystic,” Groton Police Captain Gregory McCarthy said.
Groton police said they’ll also be closely monitoring underage drinking, over-serving and drunk driving.
“You might go into that bar thinking yup, I’m going to be smart, I’m going to get a cab or something but your judgment’s impaired, you’re going to get behind a wheel and you’re probably going to meet up with us somewhere,” McCarthy said.
‘It makes good sense, and I think parents would want that added security for their kids as well as for the residents here,” Keckeisen said.
In addition, Groton police said it will also work alongside the U.S. Coast Guard in order to increase marine patrol in the area of the Mystic River, Thames River and Fishers Island Sound.
“We’re going to be enforcing boating laws and also doing vessel safety inspections to ensure our boaters really enjoy our waters safely,” McCarthy said.
