What to See in New London - Top Sights and Attractions

State park in New London, Connecticut. Fort Trumbull is a fort near the mouth of the Thames River on Long Island Sound in New London, Connecticut and named for Governor Jonathan Trumbull. The original fort was built in 1777, but the present fortification was built between 1839 and 1852. The site lies adjacent to the Coast Guard Station New London and is managed as the 16-acre Fort Trumbull State Park by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.^[1]

Episcopal church in New London, Connecticut. St. James Episcopal Church at 76 Federal St, New London, Connecticut is a historic church in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut.^[2]

Shaw's Cove Bridge is a swing bridge in New London, Connecticut. The span carries railroad tracks used by Amtrak for their train along the Northeast Corridor while allowing boat traffic to go through.^[3]

Lighthouse in New London, Connecticut. New London Harbor Light is a lighthouse in Connecticut on the west side of the New London harbor entrance. It is the nation's fifth oldest light station and the seventh oldest U.S. lighthouse. It is both the oldest and the tallest lighthouse in Connecticut and on Long Island Sound, with its tower reaching 90 feet.

The light is visible for 15 miles and consists of three seconds of white light every six seconds. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It is currently owned and maintained by the New London Maritime Society as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act program.^[4]

Custom house in New London, Connecticut. The New London Custom House is a historic custom house at 150 Bank Street in New London, Connecticut, built in 1833-35. It was designed by Robert Mills, one of the country's first formally trained architects. From 1839-40, the schooner La Amistad, on which captured Africans meant for the slave trade rebelled, was impounded at a wharf behind the customhouse. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture in 1970, and is now a local museum covering the city's maritime history.^[5]

Theatre in New London, Connecticut. The Garde Arts Center is a non-profit performing arts center and cinema located at 325 State Street at the corner of Huntington Street in New London, Connecticut. It owns and operates the Garde Theatre, a historic movie palace.^[6]

Baptist church in New London, Connecticut. The Huntington Street Baptist Church is a historic Baptist Church meeting house at 29 Huntington Street in New London, Connecticut. Built in 1843, it is one of the last major examples of Greek Revival architecture to be built in the city. The church was built by a Universalist congregation and then purchased by a competing Baptist one. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. As of 2017, the church is still in use as a Baptist house of worship.^[7]

Mansion in New London, Connecticut. The Shaw Mansion is a historic mansion and historic house museum at 11 Blinman Street in New London, Connecticut. Built in 1756, it is a well-preserved example of a wealthy merchant's house, made further notable as the location of the state's naval offices during the American Revolutionary War. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The headquarters and museum of the New London County Historical Society have been located in the Shaw Mansion since 1907.^[8]

Museum in New London, Connecticut. Monte Cristo Cottage was the summer home of American actor James O'Neill and his family, notably his son Eugene O'Neill. It is a National Historic Landmark located at 325 Pequot Avenue in New London, Connecticut.^[9]

Liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution with nearly all of its approximately 1,815 students living on campus. The college was founded in 1911 as "Connecticut College for Women" in response to Wesleyan University closing its doors to women in 1909; it shortened its name to "Connecticut College" in 1969 when it began admitting men.

Students choose courses from 41 majors, including an interdisciplinary, self-designed major. The college is a member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.^[11]

Bascule bridge in New London County, Connecticut. Amtrak's Thames River Bridge spans from New London to Groton, Connecticut, United States, crossing Connecticut's Thames River.^[12]

College in New London, Connecticut. The Connecticut College Arboretum is a 300 ha arboretum and botanical gardens, founded in 1931, and located on the campus of Connecticut College and in the towns of New London and Waterford, Connecticut, United States.^[13]

Park, Relax in park, Piers and boardwalks, Beach, Surf spot

Bridge in Groton, Connecticut. The Gold Star Memorial Bridge is a pair of steel truss bridges that carry both Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1 across the Thames River between New London, Connecticut, US and Groton, Connecticut. The bridge is the largest structure in the state with more than 1,000,000 sq ft of deck area, and the longest bridge in the state at 6,000 feet. Its 11 highway lanes accommodate an average daily traffic of 117,000 vehicles. The bridge is actually a set of twin bridges, but they are generally spoken of using the singular "bridge;" the local media and residents refer to it as "The Goldstar".^[14]

Graveyard. Ye Antientist Burial Ground in New London, Connecticut is one of the earliest graveyards in New England and the oldest colonial cemetery in New London County. The hillside lot of 1.5 acres adjoins the original site of the settlement's first meeting house. From here, the visitor has a broad view to the east of the Thames River and, on the far shore, the heights of Groton.^[15]

Museum in New London, Connecticut. The Lyman Allyn Art Museum is located in New London, Connecticut and was founded in 1926 by Lyman Allyn's daughter Harriet Upson Allyn. Its collection includes European and non-Western art as well as American fine and decorative art, 17th-century European works on paper, 19th-century American paintings, and contemporary art. The museum also conducts educational programs.

The Deshon-Allyn House on the museum's campus is a Federal style house built in 1829 by Daniel Deshon, sold to Lyman Allyn, and occupied by various members of his family. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[16]

Museum. The Joshua Hempsted House is a historic house museum at 11 Hempstead Street in New London, Connecticut. Built about 1678 and altered several times during the 18th century, it is one of the state's oldest surviving buildings, and provides a virtual catalog of early construction methods due to its state of preservation. The house was acquired by Connecticut Landmarks in 1937, which operates it and the adjacent 1759 Nathaniel Hempstead House as a historic house museum complex known as the Hempsted Houses. The houses have been restored to reflect a late 17th to mid 18th-century appearance, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.^[17]

Park in New London, Connecticut. The Hempstead Historic District of New London, Connecticut encompasses a residential area north of the city's harbor and central business district, extending mainly along three roughly parallel streets: Franklin and Hempstead Streets, and Mountain Avenue. The area was settled in the 17th century, and has three centuries of architecture depicting an increasingly urban area. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 31, 1986.^[18]

Sacred and religious sites, Church