update

NEW LONDON, Ct. – Suffragettes, Puppeteers, and Patriots: Women of the Thames will be the latest themed tour to be offered by the Thames River Heritage Park, starting 6:30 pm, Thursday, July 2nd. On this 90-minute walking tour led by professor and historian Gail MacDonald, hear the stories of some of the women who have made significant historical and cultural contributions in the Groton-New London area.

“We are excited to present this tour honoring the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage and to highlight the many women who were instrumental in patriotic causes during the American Revolution and War of 1812, female educators who restored the opportunity for women to earn college degrees in the state, a major female philanthropist, and many others, — women in Groton and New London who have stepped up in many ways,” said Amy Perry, the park’s executive director.
The tour is a one mile loop on flat paved surfaces in downtown New London starting and ending at City Pier. Tickets are $15 Adult and $10 children for the walking tour. Additional tour dates, tour details and tickets can be found on the Park’s website. Tickets must be purchase online.

The tour will also be offered as a boat tour starting Friday, July 10th at 6:30. Tickets are $20 Adults and $12 for children.
Submarines, Battlefields and Betrayers: Military Stories on the Thames is returning Sunday, July 5th at 6:15 pm with additional dates scheduled for July and August.

As the name suggests, the 90-minute boat tour will deal with a variety of topics. These range from the role submarines have played here, to the Revolutionary War’s battle of Groton Heights and the general role of the navy and coast guard here. This popular tour sold out every weekend in 2019.

All the boat tours leave from City Pier behind New London’s Union Station. Tour times and days vary. Tickets are $20 for adults, $12 for children 12 and under, and may be obtained here.

The Thames River region is rich in military history, with museums and heritage sites on both the Groton and New London banks that highlight important periods in our nation’s history and the role our ancestors played in it. The Thames River Heritage Park is dedicated to supporting the effort to keep these stories alive.

The water taxis used in the tours are authentic Navy vessels, known as liberty launches that provided ship to shore transportation for sailors when they pulled into a port without docking facilities. Appropriately, one is named Groton, the other New London. They are a central feature of the park’s operation.
“Getting out on the water in our genuine navy utility boat gives riders a different perspective on all the rich history here,” Perry said.

In addition to the themed tours, conducted both on the boats and in walking tours on the land, the Heritage Park offers regular Friday – Sunday round trip hop-on hop-off taxi fares for adults are $10; $5 for children and active duty military (military ID required.) Children three and under ride free. Adult season passes are $50; $30 for children.

THANK YOU, MOTHER NATURE, for one spectacular season. The water taxis that have been making their way between New London and Groton since Memorial Day have had record-level ridership and have become a popular family activity. As I write this our ridership is showing 50% growth over last year at this time. With our landing site at the Submarine Force Museum on schedule for 2020 these number are sure to explode. You’ll be hearing a lot more about this significant addition to the park experience over the coming months. Stay tuned!

A Paranormal Experience is here.

We’ve teamed up with Seaside Shadows for a truly haunting boat tour this Friday, the 6th. Check out the story, if you dare.

CT Maritime Heritage Festival

This annual celebration is September 12th – 15th. We have an express water taxi schedule and a new tour created exclusively for the Festival. For more information about both click here.

New Tours a Big Hit!
We have much to celebrate in 2019 in addition to hot and sunny summer weekends. Our Submarine, Battlefields, & Betrayers 90-minute boat tour was so well-received we sold out every tour. For those who missed it, don’t despair we have added five more dates to the schedule: Saturday, September 21st & 28th, Sunday, September 22nd & 29nd, and Saturday, October 5th. All tours leave from City Pier at 2 p.m.
For more information and to purchase tickets go here.

You don’t need a boat to get around the Park.

Our walking tours hosted by Gail MacDonald, David Rose, Tom Foley, and Abby Plungis were a welcome addition to the Park experience. Held at each of our three landing sites, park visitors were treated to our rich history from these local historians and experts. Expect to see them back next year with more tales from the Park.

Although Labor Day has come and gone — a traditional sign that summer is in the rearview mirror — there are still two more weekends to enjoy time on the river. If you haven’t hopped aboard (or even if you have) take a ride before the summer of 2019 is a memory.

Amy Perry
Executive Director

During the Maritime Heritage Festival join us for this 90-minute boat tour to hear stories of whaling and provisioning, of privateering, industry, and defense as well as tales of some of the characters who made our heritage so colorful. The tour leaves from City Pier.

Sunday, September 15th
Adults $20
Children 12 and under $12
Leaves from City Pier at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Purchase tickets