Today is Saturday, December 28, 2024
Hop-on Hop-off Harbor Cruises are not running today.

sites

Submarine Force Museum / USS Nautilus

The Submarine Force Museum is home to the Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear powered vessel. Nautilus was launched on January 21, 1954, with First Lady Mamie Eisenhower breaking the traditional bottle of champagne across its bow as she slid down the ways into the Thames River. It was also the first ship to go to the North Pole and first submarine to journey “20,000 leagues under the sea.” Visitors can explore the spaces where the crew of this historic vessel worked, ate, slept, and entertained themselves on their long voyages far beneath the ocean’s waves.

Operated by the United States Navy, the Submarine Force Museum boasts the finest collection of submarine artifacts in the world.  Visitors can peruse thousands of artifacts, documents and photographs spanning the history of submersibles. The museum traces the development of the “Silent Service” from David Bushnell’s Turtle, used in the Revolutionary War, to the Ohio and Virginia class submarines utilized by our military today.

The building was originally established in 1955 as a “Submarine Library” by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation and served as an archival and research center.  In April 1964, the entire collection was donated to the Navy and relocated to the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton. The 6,000-volume reference and research library is a world-renowned collection relative to the history of US submarines and is open to anyone looking for information on submarines or submarine history.

Address: 1 Crystal Lake Rd, Groton, CT, 06340
Distance from Groton Water Taxi Landing: 2.6 Miles (by car)
Phone Number: (860) 694-3174
Summer Hours: Monday-Wednesday: 9am – 5pm; Tuesday – Closed
Winter Hours  (November 1 – April 30): 9am – 4pm
CLOSED TUESDAYS, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Closed for 10 days in April and November for upkeep.
Admission: Free

Bill Memorial Library

In 1890, Frederic Bill, a local businessman and philanthropist, founded and built the Bill Memorial Library and gave it to the people of Groton. It housed 1750 volumes as well as a fine art and natural history museum. The building was built by architect Stephen Earle of Worcester, Massachusetts in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It has undergone 2 expansions, one in 1907 adding on a room to house museum artifacts, and another in 1994 adding space for the children’s room and staff area.

Today, the Bill Memorial Library is a full-service public library. Its museum artifacts, including Colonel Ledyard’s sword and a mummy’s hand, are featured regularly in the museum case in the front hall.

Address: 240 Monument Street, Groton, CT 06340
Distance from Groton Water Taxi Landing: 0.4 miles
Phone number: (860) 445-0392
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 10am-8pm; Wednesday & Friday: 10am-5pm; Saturday: 10am-3pm; Closed Sunday
Admission: Free

New London’s Historic Waterfront District

WATER TAXI PICK UP SPOT
(City Pier directly behind Union Train Station)

New London’s Historic Waterfront District buzzes with delicious dining experiences, shops, music and art venues. Over 30 eateries populate this 26-block National Register Historic District. Nathan Hale, Benedict Arnold, and Eugene O’Neill walked these streets. America’s greatest architects left their mark on the buildings. From the collection of Tiffany windows at St. James Church to the restored movie palace, the Garde Arts Center, to the shops, galleries, and plentiful entertainment, there is much to see and do.

Nathan Hale Schoolhouse

The Connecticut patriot Nathan Hale, taught in this one-room schoolhouse from 1774 to 1775, just a few short years after graduating from Yale at the age of eighteen. In 1775, Hale enlisted to fight in the American Revolutionary War. He was the only soldier to volunteer to spy on the British, retrieving valuable information to George Washington. Before he was hanged by the British in New York on September 22, 1776, he famously uttered “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

Address: 19 Atlantic Street, New London
Distance from City Pier Water Taxi Landing: 0.1 Miles
Phone Number: 860-334-2858
Hours: 11:00AM – 4:00PM; Friday – Sunday from June 1st – August 31st | 11:00AM – 4:00PM; Saturday – Sunday from September 7th – September 29th. 
Admission: Free

Hempsted Houses

The 1678 Joshua Hempsted House in New London is one of New England’s oldest and most well documented dwellings. Adjacent to the Joshua Hempsted House is a rare stone house built in 1759 for Nathaniel Hempsted by Acadian exiles. Both structures survived the 1781 burning of New London and stand today as testaments of 17th and 18th-century daily life. Joshua Hempsted the second was born in 1678 in the house that bears his name. From 1711 until his death in 1758, Joshua kept a diary, which today is one of the best sources about life in colonial New London. Joshua’s diary provides hundreds of pages of valuable information, as well as his insight about early New London people and activities, including the life of enslaved resident Adam Jackson. The stone Nathaniel Hempsted House was constructed by Joshua’s grandson Nathaniel Hempsted. He was a merchant and one of three rope makers in maritime New London. The Hempsted Houses engage the public in understanding the historical roots, development and current-day implications of issues related to equality and freedom, with a special focus on slavery, and empower people to make a difference.

Address: 11 Hempstead Street, New London, CT 06320
Distance from City Pier Water Taxi Landing: 0.6 Miles
Phone Number: (860) 443-7949
Hours: Currently Closed While Restoration Takes Place | Summer Events Will Continue on Site
Admission – Advance Reservation Required for Private Tours
$8 – Adults  |  $8 – Seniors (65+), AAA members, TRHP Members, Students with ID & Teachers  |  $4 – Children ages 6-18  |  FREE – Children ages 0-5,  New London Residents, and CTL Members
Group Tours: To book group tours call (860) 443-7949 or email [email protected]

Important Update for the 2024 Season: Public Tours Currently Cancelled
Connecticut Landmarks has undertaken a significant restoration project on the upper levels of the 1678 Joshua Hempsted House. For the safety of their visitors and historic property, public tours are currently CANCELLED. In light of this, they have reduced admission costs until further notice for private tours.

Book Now