Today is Monday, November 25, 2024 
We have a NEW mobile app which makes getting around the Park fun, easy, and informative. The platform is called izi.travel. Download it from your app store and enter Thames River Heritage Park. Please let us know what you think. We want to make the visitor experience as seamless as possible.
Our new website is live
If you’re reading this then we hope you notice our NEW website. Easy navigation, lots of information about Park sites, the Water Taxi, and for those who purchase water taxi tickets and season passes, fabulous NEW Ride & Save promotions. Check back often as we just started this collaboration with local merchants and will be adding promotions throughout the season.
Our NEW social media campaign is robust and filled with daily tidbits of local color. Please share.
Counting down to launch
We are in countdown mode for launching our second Water Taxi season at the Park. Getting ready for the season has been a master class in coordination and collaboration.
Starting with the boats. As anyone who owns a boat knows (or smarter yet, anyone who has a friend with a boat) they require a lot of maintenance and attention. With two boats operating this year that’s twice the care. That said, with our first trial run of the season behind us hosting CT Innovations last week, we are primed to launch Friday, the 26th at 10 a.m.
The boats have NEW awnings and NEW sound systems to make the ride enjoyable and informative. We are collaborating with local experts and our partner heritage sites to host tours on the Water Taxis, some of which are listed in our NEW Events calendar with more to come. The first will be hosted by Deborah Donovan, Treasurer of New London Landmarks and past President of the New London County Historical Society. “Four Centuries in 90 Minutes” will be leaving from City Pier on Thursday, June 8th at 6:30 p.m. It’s $30/pp and sure to sell out. Get tour details and tickets here.
There will be weekly sunset and daytime cruises, too. Grab some friends, pack a snack, your favorite beverage and get out on the water in an historic naval vessel.
Historic Groton Bank
WATER TAXI PICK UP SPOT
The Groton Bank is a historic village on the east bank of the Thames River. Today the neighborhood is comprised of a few hundred houses, three churches, a library, two museums, a Revolutionary War fort and business structures dating primarily from Colonial times to a century ago. Groton Bank and Fort Griswold are adjacent Historic Districts listed on the US Department of the Interior’s National Register of Historic Places.
In 1655 the ferry operator Cary Latham became the first permanent English settler on the east bank of the Thames River when it was part of the Pequot Colony, which later became the city of New London. After Groton became a separate town in 1705, the east bank of the river became known as Groton Bank and grew to become a major village in the town. In centuries following, the Groton Bank transformed into an international leader in the shipbuilding industry and was the site of the only major Revolutionary War battle in Connecticut. During the War of 1812, Fort Griswold served as the key defender of the Thames Harbor. It was also home to well-known captains of the whaling era and the residence of many prominent citizens including a member of Congress. In 1881 a portion of the Groton Bank took on the name “Groton Heights” in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Revolutionary War Battle fought here on September 6, 1781.
Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park
The Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park rests on a vantage point above the Thames River, containing the remains of a Revolutionary War fort and a 135-foot obelisk monument to pay tribute to those who died defending it. The park is the site of the 1781 Battle of Groton Heights where British troops, under the command of the infamous traitor Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, attacked the fort which resulted in a massacre of American soldiers.
Fort Griswold was named after then Deputy Governor Matthew Griswold. In tandem with Fort Trumbull on the opposite side of the harbor, Fort Griswold served to defend the port of New London, a supply center for the new Continental Army and a friendly port for Connecticut- sanctioned privateers who preyed on British ships.
The Groton Monument was built between 1826 and 1830, and is the oldest monument of its type in the country. Built of granite quarried locally, the Monument stands 135 feet tall with 166 steps. A marble plaque shows the names of those who died defending the fort.
The property also includes the Monument House Museum, which was built in 1830. The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) began meeting there in 1894, and members began donating artifacts from the battle and other periods of Groton’s history. The Revolutionary War exhibit houses Colonel William Ledyard’s sword, a painting depicting the battle, and a model of the Fort as it looked on September 6, 1781. An observation platform and interpretive signs were added to the fort in 2018 to give visitors a better understanding of the fort’s features and to better protect the earthworks.
Address: Monument St. & Park Ave. Groton, CT 06340
Distance from Groton Water Taxi Landing: 0.5 Miles
Phone Number: (860) 445-1729
Hours: The Museum and Monument are open Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The park grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Admission: Free
