Stonington, Connecticut Day Trip

Welcome to Stonington, Connecticut

Dating back to the mid-17th century, Stonington, Connecticut is one of the most picturesque historic coastal New England towns. This blog post shares three unique and historic attractions you can experience in one afternoon, making it easy to have a fun day trip: Stonington Harbor Light, Stonington Point and the lobster trap Christmas tree.

How to get to Stonington, Connecticut |

Start your visit by parking for free at Stonington Point. At 1 Water Street, this mini peninsula faces the Atlantic Ocean looking out to Block Island Sound with Watch Hill Lighthouse across the bay.

From here, it’s a very short walk up Water Street to Stonington Harbor Light (now the Stonington Lighthouse Museum).

What to see in Stonington, Connecticut

Originally established in 1840 and now called the Stonington Lighthouse Museum at 7 Water Street, the lighthouse is built of stone and became the first lighthouse museum in America. The grounds are open daily and free to the public; you may see town residents walking their dogs.

Open six months during the year, you can visit the museum (on Saturdays and Sundays as of this writing) to see local, historical maritime artifacts and climb up 29 steps and a ladder to the tower for beautiful sweeping views across Long Island Sound including out to Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

Then walk back down to the rocky tip or “point” of the peninsula for beautiful sunset and panoramic coastal views spanning Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island.

Stonington Point is a great spot to linger at sunset as the colors transform; you can (carefully) walk onto the rocks or on a boardwalk stretching out west from the small sandy area for good viewing spots. Often, people stay in their cars on cold evenings.

A sweeping warm winter sunset sky horizon at Stonington Point, Connecticut as seen standing on the rocky shoreline.

To cap off your Stonington, CT day trip, walk or drive about 1 mile to see the (5th annual as of this writing) lobster trap Christmas tree on the docks. The Stonington Lobster Trap Tree is one of the only lobster trap trees in New England that you can go inside and is lit nightly at 430p.m. through Jan 4, 2026.

Constructed of 460 lobster traps and 460 buoys, it honors Stonington’s maritime industry and heritage while supporting handcrafted art. This lobster trap tree is truly beautiful lit up at blue hour and is a great experience for families with young kids and older relatives.

The 2025 Stonington, Connecticut lobster trap tree lit up at blue hour.

Located at the Stonington town docks on High Street, you can park for free in a paved lot next to where the tree stands. Expect crowds most nights though, especially in the earlier hours and don’t miss getting your picture taken inside by the volunteers when it’s not raining.

One of my favorite destinations on the Eastern Connecticut coast, Stonington has beautiful views, great history and old & new traditions that are so fun and easy to explore in an afternoon day trip.

Have you visited Stonington, Connecticut? What’s your favorite coastal CT or New England town to visit?

Leave comment below to share your experiences and tips.