Anchor Watch Programs
A Taste of History
$75 per person
The Taste of History program offers a glimpse into what life in 1876 was like. Taking a nighttime tour of the Museum, you learn a little about the town and some of the professions of the locals, spend some time aboard a vessel learning about its purpose and learn a little about life aboard ship as well. The tour is followed up with a pizza snack and a sailor’s craft. The craft is based on one of many things that sailor’s could have done during the downtimes aboard ship. After a good nights sleep we have breakfast and the rigging climb activity before turning you loose to explore the Seaport for the rest of the day.
Day 1
- 6:50 – 7:00 p.m. – Meet the Mystic Seaport Staff in the Main (south) parking lot.
- 7:00 p.m. – Program begins with an orientation to the program, Mystic Seaport, and the Joseph Conrad.
- 7:30 p.m. – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 pm. – Activity Period #1: Nighttime tour of Museum Grounds
- 8:30 p.m. – Pizza snack!
- 9:00 p.m. – Activity Period #2: Sailor’s Craft (scrimshaw or lanyards, age dependent)
- 10:00 p.m. – Lights Out. Sleep aboard the historic square-rigged ship Joseph Conrad.
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Reveille, clean ship, stow gear in cars.
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast in our Galley Restaurant.
- 9:00 a.m. – Activity Period #3: Rigging Climb (weather permitting) or a sailors craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
- 9:45 a.m. – Enjoy a day on your own exploring the museum!
You receive a Mystic Seaport Anchor Watch patch for participating in the program.
Navigation, Maps and Compasses (for Bear, Wolf, and Webelo Scouts ages 7 and older)
$80 per person
Scouts can explore the world of maps and the stars! Begin your evening learning how sailor’s navigated the seven seas in our Planetarium. Later, you will get to see and handle many different types of maps and learn how the different parts of the map provide information. Make your own maps and learn how a compass helps you find your way!
Spend the night aboard historic square rigged ship Joseph Conrad. Dine at the Galley Restaurant and participate in the sailor’s activity or craft in the morning. After your time with us concludes, enjoy self touring the Museum for the rest of the day.
Day 1
- 6:50 – 7:00 p.m. – Meet the Mystic Seaport staff in the Main (south) parking lot.
- 7:00 p.m. – Program begins with an orientation to the program, Mystic Seaport, and the Joseph Conrad.
- 7:30 p.m. – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 p m. – Activity Period #1 Planetarium Show
- 8:40 p.m.- Pizza snack!
- 9:00 p.m. – Activity Period #2: Use and make maps, then explore compasses.
- 10:00 p.m. – Lights Out. Sleep aboard the historic square-rigged ship Joseph Conrad.
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Reveille, clean ship, stow gear in cars.
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast in our Galley Restaurant.
- 9:00 a.m. – Activity Period #3: Rigging Climb (weather permitting) or a sailors craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
- 9:45 a.m. – Enjoy a day on your own exploring the Museum.
Activity Period # 1 covers: Pin: #5 – Explain the difference between latitude and longitude and show them on a globe.
Activity Period #2 covers: Belt Loop: #1 and #2 – Show how to orient a map, find three landmarks. Draw a map of your neighborhood. Pin: #6, 7, 8 and 12 – Put a compass rose on your map, label your state and the states that border it, explain what the different colors mean on a map and learn how a compass works.
You receive a Mystic Seaport Anchor Watch patch for participating in the program.
Mystic Seaport does not provide the belt loop and pin earned.
A Sailor’s Life (for Boy Scouts 11 yrs. old and up)
$80 per person
This program gives older scouts a feel for what being a sailor was like. It includes an hour long program on Celestial Navigation presented in the Planetarium by one of our trained planetarium staff. This is followed by a pizza snack and a hands-on rope making activity. After a good night’s sleep aboard the historic 3-masted ship, the Joseph Conrad, we will have a buffet style breakfast at the Galley Restaurant. The last activity of the day, weather permitting, will be to climb the ships rigging aboard the Conrad. After the conclusion of the program, you are allowed to self tour Mystic Seaport for the remainder of the day.
Day 1
- 6:50 – 7:00 p.m. – Meet the Mystic Seaport Staff in the Main (south) parking lot.
- 7:00 p.m. – Program begins with an orientation to the program, Mystic Seaport, and the Joseph Conrad.
- 7:30 p.m. – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 p.m. – Activity Period #1: Celestial Navigation
- 9:00 p.m. – Pizza snack!
- 9:30 p.m. – Activity Period #2: Sailor’s Craft (making rope)
- 10:00 pm. – Lights Out. Sleep aboard the historic square-rigged ship Joseph Conrad.
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Reveille, clean ship, stow gear in cars.
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast in our Galley Restaurant.
- 9:00 a.m. – Activity Period #3: Rigging Climb (weather permitting) or a sailors craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
- 9:45 a.m. – Enjoy a day on your own exploring the museum!
You receive a Mystic Seaport Anchor Watch patch for participating in the program.
Maritime Money Manager (for Brownie Scouts)
$75 per person
Learn how to manage money on a tour of our seaport town! After moving your gear on to the tall ship Joseph Conrad, cut out and decorate your Brownie Elf and her Elf money. Take your new friend on an evening walk through the village. Visit our chandlery and other exhibits to learn how to spend money, organize trips and use catalogues.
Day 1
- 7:00 p.m. – Arrival
- 7:10 – 7:30pm – Orientation to Mystic Seaport, Program, and Joseph Conrad
- 7:30 – 8:00pm – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 – 8:40pm – Build and decorate your elf friend. Cut out your elf money and do an activity with catalogues.
- 8:40 – 9:00pm – Pizza Snack
- 9:00 – 9:30ish – Nighttime Tour of Grounds – Visit exhibits to practice money managing
- 9:45ish – Bedtime
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Wake up, clean up and stow gear in cars
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast
- 9:00 a.m. – Climbing the rigging (weather permitting), or a sailor’s craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
Destination Outer Space (for Brownie Scouts)
$80 per person
Open up a whole new world. Come explore the stars while earning credit towards your Space Explorer Try-It. Stargazing happens during a half hour to 45 minute planetarium show. Afterward, if we have a clear night sky, we can put some of what you just learned to use and see if we can find some of the constellations on our walk back to our classroom space for pizza! After snack, we will make our own constellations, and make or draw and explore space outfits. In the morning, we will make a simple sundial and keep track of time using shadows, have breakfast, and climb the ship’s rigging. This is a far out experience for kids and adults alike. After your time with us concludes, enjoy self touring the museum for the rest of the day.
Day 1
- 6:50 – 7:00 p.m. – Meet the Mystic Seaport Staff in the Main (south) parking lot.
- 7:00 p.m. – Program begins with an orientation to the program, Mystic Seaport, and the Joseph Conrad.
- 7:30 p.m. – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 p.m. – Activity Period #1: Planetarium Presentation
- 8:30 p.m. – Pizza snack!
- 9:00 p.m. – Activity Period #2: Scout Craft Activities – Ready, Set, Jet, and Star Maker
- 10 pm. Lights Out. Sleep aboard the historic square-rigged ship Joseph Conrad.
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Reveille, clean ship, stow gear in cars.
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast in our Galley Restaurant.
- 9:00 a.m. – Activity Period #3: Rigging Climb (weather permitting) or a sailors craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
- 9:45 a.m. – Enjoy a day on your own exploring the museum!
This program covers Space Explorer Try-It parts: #1 The Night Sky (not the star map portion) #3 Ready, Set, Jet! #4 Shadow Time #5 Star Maker
The program does not cover #2 The Moon, because this needs to take place over many weeks.
You receive a Mystic Seaport Anchor Watch patch for participating in the program.
Seaport Sleuths (for Junior Girl Scouts)
$75 per person
Earn your Detective badge by investigating mysterious happenings at Mystic Seaport. While touring our 19th-century village shake – up one exhibit and solve a crime in another. Return to the class room to finger print your friends, learn Morse Code, and examine handwriting. Practice your own penmanship using quill and nibs.
Day 1
- 7:00 p.m. – Arrival
- 7:10 – 7:30pm – Orientation to Mystic Seaport, Program, and Joseph Conrad
- 7:30 – 8:00pm – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 – 8:40pm – Nighttime Tour of Grounds -Mystery Style!
- 8:40 – 9:00pm – Pizza Snack
- 9:00 – 9:30ish – Sleuthing Activities in YTB – Fingerprinting, Morse Code, and writing with quills and nibs.
- 9:45ish – Bedtime
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Wake up, clean up and stow gear in cars
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast
- 9:00 a.m. – Climbing the rigging (weather permitting), or a sailor’s craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
Playing the Past (Junior Girl Scouts and older)
$80 per person
Experience the past firsthand! Receive a visit from one of our 1876 role-players. During their “Dressing the Victorian Woman” program learn about 19th-century attire and etiquette. After a pizza snack, use Victorian fashion plates to design your perfect 19th-century outfit. Then try your hand at a typical craft or chore and end the evening with parlor games.
Day 1
- 7:00 p.m. – Arrival
- 7:10 – 7:30pm – Orientation to Mystic Seaport, Program, and Joseph Conrad
- 7:30 – 8:00pm – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 – 8:40pm – Dressing the Victorian Woman Program
- 8:40 – 9:00pm – Pizza Snack
- 9:00 – 9:30ish – Activities in YTB – create an outfit using fashion plates, make a craft, and play a parlor game.
- 9:45ish – Bedtime
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Wake up, clean up and stow gear in cars
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast
- 9:00 a.m. – Climbing the rigging (weather permitting), or a sailor’s craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
Sky Watcher (for Junior Girl Scouts)
$80 per person
Explore the “world” above! Come explore space, and earn credit towards your Sky Search Badge. Spend 45 minutes to an hour in the planetarium learning about constellation, planets, the North Star, meteors, and the moon. Following the planetarium show, enjoy a pizza snack, followed by news of what man is doing in space this very night. Before bed, hear a nighttime story or two about the stars. Spend the night aboard historic square-rigged ship Joseph Conrad. Dine at the Galley Restaurant and participate in the sailor’s activity or craft in the morning. After your time with us concludes, enjoy self touring the Museum for the rest of the day.
Day 1
- 6:50 – 7:00 p.m. – Meet the Mystic Seaport Staff in the Main (south) parking lot.
- 7:00 p.m. – Program begins with an orientation to the program, Mystic Seaport, and the Joseph Conrad.
- 7:30 p.m. – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 p.m. – Activity Period #1: Planetarium Presentation
- 8:30 p.m. – Pizza snack!
- 9:00 p.m. – Activity Period #2: Scout Patch Activity
- 10:00 p.m. Lights Out. Sleep aboard the historic square-rigged ship Joseph Conrad.
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Reveille, clean ship, stow gear in cars.
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast in our Galley Restaurant.
- 9:00 a.m. – Activity Period #3: Rigging Climb (weather permitting) or a sailors craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
- 9:45 a.m. – Enjoy a day on your own exploring the museum!
Scouts may earn this badge by completing six of the following requirements: #2 Learn to identify at least 5 constellations. #3 Locate the North Star. How has it been used for navigation throughout history? Find two constellations using the North Star. #4 Which of the 9 (8) planets are visible to the naked eye. Try to locate one. #5 Learn two or more stories from ancient cultures that were used to explain what they saw in the sky. # 7 Learn about the moon, its phases, age, and names of features. #8 Learn about meteors, meteorites meteor showers, and comets. #10 Learn about a current space mission.
You receive a Mystic Seaport Anchor Watch patch for participating in the program. The Seaport does not provide the Sky Search Patch.
Special Late October Programs*
$80 per person
During the month of October, the Anchor Watch Program shares the grounds with the Sights & Frights event. The Museum is transformed into a jack-o-lantern lighted place. Bring your flashlights for this one! We will be attending a planetarium show, or taking a quiet stroll through the Museum festooned for Sights & Frights. After the festivities, enjoy a pizza snack and make a sailor’s craft. After a good night’s sleep, the sun comes up to illuminate the world that was in shadows last night. We will have breakfast followed by the morning rigging climb activity. After your time with us concludes, enjoy self touring the Museum for the rest of the day.
Day 1
- 6:50 – 7:00 p.m. – Meet the Mystic Seaport Staff in the Main (south) parking lot.
- 7:00 p.m. – Program begins with an orientation to the program, Mystic Seaport, and the Joseph Conrad.
- 7:30 p.m. – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 p.m. – Activity Period #1: Evening Tour or Planetarium Presentation
- 8:30 p.m. – Pizza snack!
- 9:00 p m. – Activity Period #2: Sailor’s Craft – Making Lanyards
- 10 pm. Lights Out. Sleep aboard the historic square-rigged ship Joseph Conrad.
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Reveille, clean ship, stow gear in cars.
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast in our Galley Restaurant.
- 9:00 a.m. – Activity Period #3: Rigging Climb (weather permitting) or a sailors craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
- 9:45 a.m. – Enjoy a day on your own exploring the museum!
*We work in cooperation with the Sights & Frights staff to ensure that both programs run smoothly. For our part, we will be indoors for the evening, and when necessary for us to move from place to place, we are as quiet as possible while outside. There is the possibility of hearing loud noises and screams, as well as possibly seeing people moving through the night. We do not recommend coming during this time if you are traveling with young kids (6, 7, and 8 year olds).
You receive a Mystic Seaport Anchor Watch patch for participating in the program.
Night Owl (for Cadette Girl Scouts)
$80 per person
Explore life in a seaport town – after dark! Learn about the night sky in a private planetarium show followed by a pizza snack. Afterwards tour the grounds to see how our 19th-century village transforms at night. Finish the evening by sharing stories about the night sky.
Day 1
- 7:00 p.m. – Arrival
- 7:10 – 7:30pm – Orientation to Mystic Seaport, Program, and Joseph Conrad
- 7:30 – 8:00pm – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 – 8:40pm – Planetarium Show
- 8:40 – 9:00pm – Pizza Snack
- 9:00 – 9:30ish – Nighttime Tour of Grounds – Use your senses to explore Mystic Seaport at night and hear sky legends.
- 9:45ish – Bedtime
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Wake up, clean up and stow gear in cars
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast
- 9:00 a.m. – Climbing the rigging (weather permitting), or a sailor’s craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
Sea and Sky (for Senior Girl Scouts)
$80 per person
See the sky! Visit our planetarium for a private star show to learn about constellations and navigation. After a quick pizza snack go on a nighttime tour of Mystic Seaport’s 19th-century village to discover ancient star stories and examine light pollution on the Mystic River. End the evening by looking at current NASA space exploration!
Day 1
- 7:00 p.m. – Arrival
- 7:10 – 7:30pm – Orientation to Mystic Seaport, Program, and Joseph Conrad
- 7:30 – 8:00pm – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 – 8:40pm – Planetarium Show
- 8:40 – 9:00pm – Pizza Snack
- 9:00 – 9:30ish – Nighttime Tour of Grounds – learn about sky pollution, hear sky stories and track a current space mission.
- 9:45ish – Bedtime
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Wake up, clean up and stow gear in cars
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast
- 9:00 a.m. – Climbing the rigging (weather permitting), or a sailor’s craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
Seaport Seamstress (for Senior Girl Scouts)
$75 per person
Learn about the different textiles ashore and at sea! Earn your Textile Artist badge while spending the night aboard the Joseph Conrad. Follow your guide through our seaport village and maritime exhibits. You may even poke into our costume shop where all our 1876-attire is made! Following a pizza snack try your hand at two types of crafts. Work on knitting a scarf for our service men and women and make a small ditty bag out of canvas for yourself!
Day 1
- 7:00 p.m. – Arrival
- 7:10 – 7:30pm – Orientation to Mystic Seaport, Program, and Joseph Conrad
- 7:30 – 8:00pm – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 – 8:40pm – Nighttime Tour of Grounds – visit Burrows and Buckingham House and our Costume Shop.
- 8:40 – 9:00pm – Pizza Snack
- 9:00 – 9:30ish – Activities in the YTB – practice knitting and make a ditty bag
- 9:45ish – Bedtime
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Wake up, clean up and stow gear in cars
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast
- 9:00 a.m. – Climbing the rigging (weather permitting), or a sailor’s craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
Women in History (for Cadette, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts)
$75 per person
Take a look into the past with this program. You will get a feel for what it was like to be a late era Victorian women. During the evening one of our role players will provide a performance for you entitled “Dressing the Victorian Women.” You will find out the many layers required in proper dress and a little about proper etiquette at the time. We will follow that performance with a modern day pizza snack. Afterward, you will make a special sailor’s craft. The evening wraps up and you head off to the Joseph Conrad for a good night’s sleep. We will have breakfast followed by the morning rigging climb activity. After your time with us concludes, enjoy self touring the Museum for the rest of the day.
Day 1
- 7:00 p.m. – Arrival
- 7:10 – 7:30pm – Orientation to Mystic Seaport, Program, and Joseph Conrad
- 7:30 – 8:00pm – Move on board and practice a fire drill
- 8:00 – 8:40pm – Role Player – Women in History
- 8:40 – 9:00pm – Pizza Snack
- 9:00 – 9:30ish – Craft
- 9:45ish – Bedtime
Day 2
- 7:00 a.m. – Wake up, clean up and stow gear in cars
- 8:15 a.m. – Breakfast
- 9:00 a.m. – Climbing the rigging (weather permitting), or a sailor’s craft, or a full-ship or building tour.
* This program covers a part of Women Through Time Project Award. It is the Career Exploration #1. It reads “Interview someone who works in a field that deals with women’s history: for example, a research librarian, an archivist, a costume maker, an author or journalist, or a women’s studies teacher. Find out what she likes about her job and how she sees it connecting the past with the present and future.” You will have a chance to ask questions of our role player. She has spent a lot of time researching women’s issues of the past, developing her character and the proper etiquette, manor and dress for her performance.
You receive a Mystic Seaport Anchor Watch patch for participating in the program.