For many of you who grew up in or around New York City, you'll associate “dull school field trip” with Mystic, Conn. Well, think dull no more: Tucked into the southeastern corner of coastal Connecticut, near New London and Groton, sits Mystic, which has sported a small gem for meeting groups since 2001: the Mystic Marriott Hotel and Spa.

What used to be considered the “quiet corner” of Connecticut has become a destination in its own right. Mystic offers plenty of options for meeting groups, including the Marriott's Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon & Spa and Octagon, the hotel's AAA Four-Diamond restaurant. Just 20 minutes away are Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casino resorts, offering plenty of evening distractions.

Then there's Mystic proper, which features the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, the home base of Robert Ballard, the scientist who has made his name in expeditions to the Titantic wreck site. The Mystic Seaport — the Museum of America and The Sea (of field-trip fame) is a recreated 19th-century seafaring village, which improves with age (yours, not its). Both attractions are perfect for off-site events, as is the Mystic River, where groups can have cocktails or dinner on chartered yachts such as The Valiant, which can accommodate up to 80 people. For a special treat, bypass the tourist-laden Mystic Pizza restaurant in Mystic and head your group to the Jonathan Edwards Winery in the hills of nearby North Stonington. It offers winery tours, terrific food, and premium wines.

With 285 guest rooms, and more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space, the Marriott is able to commit the whole property to groups at certain times of the year. Typically, however, it's a 60-percent group house midweek. The meeting space is flexible and technologically advanced. Even larger meetings of up to 1,000 can be accommodated, using the nearby overflow hotels, which are operated by the same management group that manages the Marriott, Waterford Hotels.