So… the weather has decided to do weather things.
With rain settling in for much of Sunday, the beach plans and backyard plans may need some adjusting, but that doesn’t mean the holiday weekend is a wash. Across SE Connecticut and SW Rhode Island, there are still plenty of ways to spend a rainy Sunday to keep cabin fever from fully setting in.
If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’re already aware The Mandalorian and Grogu is dominating theaters this weekend. But if you’d rather avoid the biggest crowds and still spend a couple of hours hiding from the rain in air conditioning with popcorn, there are other options worth your time right now, too. This weekend’s lineup includes surprisingly strong horror films, family choices that won’t drain the soul out of parents, chaotic anti-capitalist comedy, and a few sequels that know exactly what they are. Read this week’s movie guide for the full breakdown.
Brunch with Bottomless Mimosas at The Jealous Monk might be the easiest possible way to wait out a rainy Sunday. Running from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside Olde Mistick Village, the weekly brunch mixes casual food, cocktails, and enough low-key social energy to make bad weather feel less offensive. The atmosphere stays lively without becoming chaotic, and the bottomless mimosas certainly don’t hurt matters either. If you’re already wandering Olde Mistick Village while dodging rain showers, this is a very solid place to stop and regroup.
Rainy days and aquariums belong together. Mystic Aquarium recently expanded and refreshed several experiences, including the glowing new Jellies: The Ocean in Motion gallery, the interactive Pathways to the Deep exhibit focused on ocean science and submarines, and the behind-the-scenes Kishfy Coral Lab exploring coral restoration and conservation efforts. Add in the beluga whales, African penguins, sea lions, and the newly added arcade inside World of Wonders, and it becomes very easy to spend several hours indoors pretending the weather outside doesn’t exist.
Mystic Seaport Museum currently hosts Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO® Bricks, which somehow manages to combine maritime disaster history, archaeology, giant LEGO ship models, and interactive exhibits into something that works equally well for kids and adults. The exhibition recreates famous shipwrecks including the Titanic, the Vasa, and Franklin’s lost Arctic expedition vessels using intricate LEGO builds from internationally known LEGO professional Ryan “The Brickman” McNaught. Honestly, it’s much cooler than it has any right to be.
While you’re already at Mystic Seaport, the Treworgy Planetarium is also worth ducking into during the rain. Weekend programs include Spring Stars and the Mariner, exploring New England’s night sky and how sailors navigated by the stars, along with Polynesian Wayfinders, focusing on ancient Pacific navigation traditions and Hawaiian star lore. Younger kids can also check out the free Zoo in the Sky program designed specifically for little ones. Tickets are inexpensive and the whole experience feels strangely calming during a rainy afternoon.
Mystic Museum of Art currently has two exhibits worth exploring if you’re looking for something quieter and slower-paced. Coast to Coast: Views of America by Mystic Artists examines American landscape painting through artists connected to Mystic’s historic art colony, featuring more than 60 works ranging from coastlines and shipyards to forests and farms across the country. Meanwhile, the Young Artists Showcase highlights artwork created by local artists under 18 from New London County and Westerly, continuing one of the museum’s longest-running community traditions.
If you’ve somehow lived near Groton your entire life and still haven’t visited Submarine Force Museum, rainy Sunday is a pretty good excuse. The museum contains the world’s largest collection of submarine artifacts and includes access to the historic USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine. Between the Cold War history, submarine technology, and thousands of military artifacts and photographs, it’s one of the region’s most fascinating museums and still somehow remains underrated by a surprising number of locals.
Sometimes the rainy-day plan is simply retail therapy and soft pretzels. Tanger Outlets Foxwoods gives you about as many indoor distractions as you can reasonably ask for, including Nike, Coach, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Levi’s, Vineyard Vines, H&M, Old Navy Outlet, Brooks Brothers, Bath & Body Works, and dozens more stores. Add in coffee, food stops, escape rooms, arcade games, and enough walking to pretend it counts as exercise, and suddenly losing a rainy afternoon becomes very easy.
If the rain finally starts driving everyone indoors by Sunday evening, one of the better ways to salvage the holiday weekend is with dinner and live music at Steak Loft, where The Cartells take the stage at 5 p.m. The longtime Connecticut band has built a reputation around being able to jump effortlessly between jazz, Motown, swing, rock, R&B, and classic crowd favorites.
The Steak Loft has been a Mystic staple since 1973, serving hand-cut steaks, ribs, seafood, burgers, salads, and classic steakhouse comfort food inside one of the area’s best-known family-friendly restaurants.
- If You Come Alive at Night… Head for the Casinos
And if rainy weather, brunch, museums, movies, and shopping still aren’t enough for you, maybe your final stop of the weekend belongs under casino lights somewhere around midnight with a drink in your hand and absolutely terrible financial decision-making confidence. Both Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun sit within about 20 to 30 minutes of Mystic and remain two of the biggest entertainment hubs anywhere in the region once the sun goes down.
Between blackjack tables, poker rooms, sportsbooks, slot machines, late-night restaurants, bars, lounges, concerts, and people loudly convincing themselves “the next hand changes everything,” the casinos become their own universe during long holiday weekends. Even if gambling isn’t your thing, both properties are essentially indoor cities built for wandering, eating, drinking, people-watching, and losing complete track of time somewhere around your third espresso martini.
Rain or shine, Memorial Day weekend doesn’t have to end with staring out the window, wondering what to do next. Whether your version of a rainy Sunday involves LEGO shipwrecks, brunch cocktails, beluga whales, shopping bags, submarines, movie theaters, steak dinners, or blackjack tables, there are still plenty of ways to rescue a perfectly good Sunday.
Last modified: May 21, 2026
