What Lurks Beneath: Ghost Ship at Mystic Seaport is a Spooky Outdoor Halloween Show (5 stars)

Mystic Seaport is a living history museum in Eastern Connecticut with old-time buildings and staff to teach you about the 19th century maritime. They have extensive grounds that you can walk — it really is an entire village with an old-time drug store, grocery, wood carver, funeral home, a rope-making factory, and more. The centerpiece is the Charles W. Morgan, an 1841 whaling ship that you can climb aboard and explore. There I learned that whaling journeys could take 3-5 years, and that the crew had free-range chickens on board!

You’ll even find staff working at the old-time blacksmith shop, printer, and barrel-making shop teaching you how crafts were done in the past. That is great because you can ask any question. For example, I learned that barrels touch the floor at a spot just the size of your fingertip, making them easy to roll or rotate. And I learned that the best trees for watertight barrels are white oak, which is not found in the Caribbean, so all of the barrels used there had to be shipped in. I learned that barrels are marked with roman numerals because their straight lines are easier to carve than modern numbers.

It’s fascinating, and so large a space that you can get lost in it. Near the welcome center, you’ll find modern exhibits such as a LEGO Exhibit of ship models, a gallery of fine maritime art, and a display of ship mastheads. Many of the exhibits are interactive, and you’ll even find a planetarium, a children’s museum, and a playground. You can play the old-time game “hoop and stick”, climb into a barrel, or pretend to throw fish to a friend for stocking. You can load a mock ship with cargo to see how well it’s balanced in heavy waves, and much more.

Even if you aren’t learning, it’s a beautiful seaside town to stroll through, and then get a snack at the cafe in the welcome center, or in Schaeffer’s Spouter Tavern, re-enacting the year 1833.

At this time of year, Mystic Seaport also has an outdoor, interactive Halloween theatre show, called What Lurks Beneath. The topic is different every year, and this year the theme was based on a real ship, The Grampus, that was lost at sea in 1843. What would happen if the Grampus showed up at Mystic Seaport with ghosts aboard? Let’s find out!

The show itself could not possibly live up to the strikingly beautiful, and vast setting of Mystic Seaport, with its real buildings from the 19th century, and which even has a lighthouse and an outdoor music stage. But the Halloween show was good fun. It took place not at a single location, but at sites around the outdoor museum, which you could use the map to walk to or simply discover as you amble around. Spooky ambient lighting and music set the mood, but the show is not-so-spooky, safe for families with children. I was thrilled to discover that the attraction’s buildings were mostly open, with volunteers still working in the cooper, blacksmith, print shop to educate us.

As part of the show, first we were met by the town sheriff, who thankfully oriented on the experience. He projected his voice well and made it fun, leading us with his gun out to patrol and look for ghosts. Along the way, we met a ghostly blacksmith, ghostly crew members, and a witch, and even saw combat with swords aboard the museum’s whaling ship (pretending to be The Grampus)!

Mystic Seaport is beautiful environment, a wonderful place to explore, leading me to give any event there 5 stars, and I’m glad to say that What Lurks Beneath was well-organized, with a clearer map than living history museum Old Sturbridge Village. But the actual theatrical production had more gusto than substance, with amateur level costuming, makeup, set design (Halloween stuff), and a confusing story.

A few nitpicks. During the final showdown, the actors could not be heard because the ambient music was not shut off. The attraction includes an optional haunted house to enter, but nothing was in there. Beyond ambient lighting and music, it had no actors, no set dressing, no scenes, and no mannequins.

Yet, I don’t want to be negative. The campus as a whole was powerfully atmospheric and the performances had great energy, especially the sword fights! I loved that the actors addressed the audience instead of pretending that we weren’t there. There was plenty of humor. It was just a fun time.

So I’m glad to give a full 5 stars to What Lurks Beneath: Ghost Ship.

For more, see mysticseaport.org.