At 7:30 p.m., Maggie Jones, Executive Director of Denison-Pequotsepos Nature Center, will speak on The Peace Sanctuary and Coogan Farm.

We will depart from the Olde Mistick Village parking lot at 7:30 a.m. (StoneRidge at 8 a.m.).  On arrival at Bristol, we will take a guided tour of the beautiful mansion and gardens of Blithewold, home of the Van Wickle family, aptly named in Yankee Magazine as one of the 2010 Best 5 Public Gardens in New England.  We will visit when the dogwoods, daffodils and columbine are in bloom.  The house is designed in the English Country Manor style and was occupied until 1976 when it was opened to the public.  After lunch at a waterside restaurant in Bristol, we will drive a short way to College Hill in Providence to visit the John Brown House Museum, home of the Rhode Island Historical Society.  This premier 18th century home has been painstakingly restored in various styles from different periods.  John Brown was an influential businessman involved in the China trade and was a slave trader as well.  He was one of the early benefactors of Brown University.  We will arrive back in Mystic by 6 p.m.

Cost of the trip, including transportation, snacks, lunch (including tip), and all admission fees, is $125/person.  A non-refundable deposit of $25 is due by February 15, with the remaining $100 due by March 31.  We need a minimum of 25 for the trip to run.  Please join us, and bring a friend!  For more information, call Sally Halsey at 860-271-3980, or email her at sally.halsey@gmail.com.