update

The Park will hold its Annual Meeting Wednesday, May 8, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. at the Submarine Force Museum/USS Nautilus, 1 Crystal Lake Road, Groton, CT 06340.

The meeting will include an update on new programs for 2019, introduce the Park’s new water taxi operator, Vixen Ledge Marine, as well as new TRHPF officers and board members. There will also be a special presentation to honor Capt. Paul Whitescarver, 51st Commanding Officer of the Sub Base, who has played a significant role in the growth of the Park and who made possible the installation of a new water taxi landing site at the Submarine Force Museum/USS Nautilus which is on schedule to be installed in 2020. Capt. Whitescarver is retiring this month.

In 2018, the Park had more than 6,500 passengers ride the three-stop hop-on hop-off taxi taking in the local sites, dining, shopping and just enjoying getting out on the water.

We are looking for volunteers who would like to spend some time in the summer sun and have fun while taking part in Connecticut’s most innovative historic tourism venture. Volunteers will be needed to guide visitors who disembark from the park’s water taxi at Fort Trumbull, and City Pier in downtown New London and at Fort Griswold in Groton, said Amy Perry, the park’s executive director. The taxi links historic sites that helped shape our nation.

“These volunteers will serve as docents on walking tours we have prepared, so no specialized background is needed, except a desire to help us showcase our region’s extraordinary historic sites and museums,” Perry said. “As the experience at the Park continues to grow so do the opportunities for local people to get involved.” Volunteers don’t have to commit to a specific schedule on a Saturday or Sunday between Memorial Day Weekend and mid-September when the water taxi is in operation.

Flexible schedules will be the norm. Volunteers should feel comfortable speaking in front of small groups. “We hope that by offering complimentary docent-led walking tours more people will visit the park, and learn about the history that surrounds us,” she said. “Even those who have ridden the water taxi in previous seasons will have another reason to ride again, and even bring family and those who are visiting.”

Anyone who is interested in volunteering is encouraged to reach out via email at: [email protected]

To borrow a quote from House Stark in Game of Thrones “Winter is coming.” With the shorter days and colder temperatures, the summer of 2018 is already a distant memory. But a very good one. Thousands rode the water taxi to visit sites and local restaurants, attend events and just get out on the water.

Now that our boats are out of the water and protected from the elements until May it’s time to start planning new initiatives for next season, tweaking some existing ones, and continuing to build the Park experience. A significant component to this is our Partner collaboration. Read more about it here. 

A Wonderful Holiday Gift Just Arrived

I am thrilled to share that the Park has received a $30,000 grant from the Panoram Foundation for operational and administrative support to continue to build the Park experience through collaboration with Partners, the water taxi operation as well as the development of historic boat tours. Read more.

Survey says . . .
For the 3rd consecutive year our water taxi riders rated us 4.8 out of 5. Find out what else we learned from our passengers.

Water Taxi and Boat Tour Operator Wanted
We are requesting proposals from licensed commercial tour boat operators to provide water taxi shuttle service and boat tours linking our historic sites along the Thames River Memorial Day weekend through mid-September 2019 – 2021. Read more.

Fort Tours coming in 2019

With the success of the tours led by Friends of Fort Griswold’s David Rose this past summer we plan to expand our tour offerings.

Tis the Season to Support the Park
With your support we can continue to build a thriving waterfront through the development of programming and events to create a historically rich visitor experience. Your donation – no matter the size – allows us to keep our history alive. Please give to the Park today.

We are Grateful
A hearty thank you to our 2018 sponsors whose support is so valuable to our success. Sponsorship is a great way for area businesses and organizations to get in front of new and potential customers. To find out about sponsorship opportunities please drop me a note. We’re happy to tailor it to your goals.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and safe holiday season and New Year.
Cheers,

 

 

Amy Perry
Executive Director

Since its inception, the TRHP vision has been to engage the public with programming and events that promote heritage and culture. With a host of historic and cultural sites in the park we have a plethora of opportunities to build the Park experience through collaboration.

We are now doing just that. Seventeen historic, cultural and heritage sites in New London and Groton have signed on as TRHP Partners to collaborate on programming, events and a host of initiatives to create a Park experience that is diverse, robust, memorable and fun for the whole family. There are two categories of TRHP Partners: Site Partners which have a heritage or cultural location within the Park open to visitors, and Institutional Partners which are committed to preserving and promoting our culture and history which may not have a site such as historic associations, “Friends” organizations, and educational institutions.

Here is the list of those who have signed on as TRHP Partners that will work together to develop and promote a TRHP experience that will attract a broad audience to the region. You’ll be hearing a lot more about this collaboration as programming efforts take shape.

[div class=”one-half first”]INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS
Groton Bank Association
Maritime Studies Program, UCONN,
Avery Point
New London Landmarks
NL County Historical Society
Sea Grant
SECT Cultural Coalition
[/div][div class=”one-half”]SITE PARTNERS
Anna Warner Bailey House
Avery Copp House
Bill Memorial Library
Ebenezer Avery House
Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park
Fort Trumbull State Park
Garde Arts Center
Hempsted Houses
Lyman Allyn Museum
Monte Cristo Cottage
Nathan Hale School House
Submarine Force Museum/USS Nautilus
Subvets Memorial[/div]