Shop, Dine And Sleep Like A Hollywood Star

Stonington Borough kids hang out with sip margaritas at next to Meryl Streep. That was the borough less than a year ago.

While Jones and Streep are no longer in the tiny fishing village, Stonington Borough is in the movie that brought Streep and Jones to town. Hope Springs follows a woman (Streep), who seeking to spice up her marriage, and her husband (Jones) to the town of Great Hope Springs (Stonington Borough) to meet a relationship guru (Steve Carell) for an intense week of marriage and sex therapy.

The movie debuts Wednesday, and with the in Stonington is palpable. And while visitors to the borough may not get the chance to run into Jones or drink margaritas with Streep, the locals are ready to help anyone who comes to the area experience the village like a Hollywood star.

Start the day early with a cup of coffee at the on Water Street. The quaint café is where locals get their morning jolt of caffeine, gossip and news. During the filming Hollywood used the Yellow House as a staging place and a spot for actors to take breaks during the filming.

From the Yellow House walk just a few steps into . Some of the movie crew bought a number of nautical items and the store owner and employees are waiting to see if those items show up in Hope Springs. If you haven’t had your fill of antiques yet peruse the treasures at . Looking around the well-kept shop it’s impossible to tell the into a movie theater, but just ask owner Deborah Norman and she may let you in on the secrets of filming.

Next stop into . Meryl Streep enjoyed browsing through the shop's electric, edgy clothing, after hours and even bought a few pieces to be part of her own wardrobe.

Shopping builds up an appetite and luckily visitors who continue down Water Street will come across a . There isn’t actually a Nor’easter Diner in the borough but there is , which is the name of the place when it’s not starring in a three scenes of a movie.

After lunch it’s time for a walk down to the Point for a bit of a history lesson. First you’ll come across , featuring two 18-pound guns that the village used to defend itself from the British Navy in 1814. Keep walking and you reach Stonington Point, the southernmost tip of the village and home to , which .

From the trip back to history it’s time for dinner and heading back down Water Street you’ll come to . The as an extra he was also in Mystic Pizza.

For visitors not quite done with their borough stay the is where some of the actors stayed during the filming. The inn was also in Hope Springs and they have several pieces from the set in their possession.

A day spent in Stonington this summer is a celebration of the role the in Hope Springs. Look for new stories detailing the movie experiences of shop owners and residents on Stonington-Mystic Patch throughout the summer.