That's where I'm from - just over the RI line. I was a charter member of the aquarium, I think it opened in 1973. There was a tragic accident the day it opened over in Olde Mistick Village - a young child was killed. Terrible. The time to visit the aquarium is in the winter; there are school field trips to deal with, but nothing like the summer crowds. Yeah, it's tough to see the whales in captivity, but IMO, their educational value outweighs it. Besides the public displays, they do a tremendous amount of research there, it's quite a place. I went to Mitchell College, which is below the New London bridge and across the river from the base. You could see the subs come up the river from some of the classrooms, and back then, they had their numbers on the sail. I think the Nautilus was 571. I drove a cab in that area for years, it was a lot of fun and I met some great chicks, especially in Mystic.