On the third day of my Weird Al Yankovic & Grass Court Tennis trip in July 2019, I had time to explore the Foxwoods Resort Casino area in Mashantucket, CT. One part of this Native American Reservation ground is the museum which tells the story of the local Pequot tribe. Here is my overview of my time there.

 

Mashantucket Pequot Museum – Location & Admission

The museum is located South of the Casino area, close to civil defense buildings. From the Hilton Garden Inn I stayed in, it was a some 15 minutes drive (five to ten minutes from the casinos). There is a parking lot nearby, which is free during your visit of the museum. Likely, the most prominent place around, apart from the casino, is the touristic city Mystic (my view on the Olde Mistick Village shopping area in Mystic, CT).

Adult admission to the museum is 20 USD. The museum is open from Wednesday to Saturday, 9:00 to 17:00hrs. It is generally closed between December and March.

 

Mashantucket Pequot Museum – First Exhibitions

Before you enter the exhibition, the entry floor displays some traditional boats. Going downstairs to the lower floors, the first exhibits are about how the Pequot tribe lives today and how they are organized.

After that, your journey does not only go further downstairs but also back in time, to the Ice Age. Exhibits show the very beginnings of the Native American cutlure. Lovely designed displays also illustrate the former Pequot lifestyle. A major exhibit, for example, shows how the tribe did hunt. Going further in the exhibit, you also learn how they used material like skin or bones in their everyday life.

 

Mashantucket Pequot Museum – Pequot Village

The recreated Pequot Village on Level 1 is undoubtedly the highlight of your visit. You can walk around the model of the village. An audio guide

The place is amazing and gives really a wide range of Pequot life, from hunting to agriculture, but also medicine. There are more than 30 stations, where you can get additional information via the audio guide.

 

Mashantucket Pequot Museum – The Pequot War

After leaving the village, the museum explains the different stages of European settling in North America and how this lead to the Pequot War. In addition to numerous exhibits,, there is also a 30 minute movie about it, which is shown several times a day. Finally, only two families stayed in the Pequot Reservation and assured that in 1983, their original land was given back to the tribe. Nowadays, Foxwoods is one of the largest casinos in the world.

 

Mashantucket Pequot Museum – Services

Around the entrance, there is a souvenir store, which offers a lot of items. The cafe on top level has a lovely view.

 

Mashantucket Pequot Museum – Observation Tower

When you visit the museum, you should not miss to take the elevator up the Observation Tower (for free). You have a lovely view over the whole area – of course including the casino complex.

 

Mashantucket Pequot Museum – My View

Visiting the Pequot Museum was definitely very informative – and depressing. Especially the last part of your visit, which is illustrating the conflict between the European settlers and the Native American, is very illustrative and shows the respectless treatments the tribe had to face in the past. Thus, the museum is not only showing the history of the Pequot, but of the Native American tribes in general. Great visit!

 

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