Discover 6 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Waterford (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Waterford Speedbowl, Harkness Memorial State Park, and Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Also, be sure to include Waterford Commons in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Waterford (Connecticut).
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Waterford Speedbowl
Car racing track in Waterford, Connecticut. The New London-Waterford Speedbowl is a 3/8 mile asphalt oval race track located on CT 85 in Waterford, Connecticut, just off Interstate 395. It first opened for business on April 15, 1951, as "The New London-Waterford Speed Bowl", the track has been in continuous operation every season since it initially opened. It has continuously promoted Modified stock car racing as its featured division since its first year of operation. It also holds family-oriented events such as the Wild N' Wacky Wednesday Series, Friday Show & Go drag racing and several Sunday Spectacular events throughout the year. Glastonbury businessman Bruce Bemer, won the track property via foreclosure auction bid in October 2014 after several seasons of financial struggles under former owner Terry Eames. Former track champion Shawn Monahan was named the track's new General Manager in February 2015. It formerly operated under NASCAR's Whelen All-American Series banner on Saturday nights. On April 6, 2017, NASCAR announced they ended their relationship with the New London-Waterford Speedbowl following the arrest of track owner Bruce Bemer for charges relating to sex trafficking.[1]
Address: 1080 Hartford Tpke, 06385-4004 Waterford
Harkness Memorial State Park
State park in Waterford, Connecticut. Harkness Memorial State Park is a historic preservation area with botanical garden and recreational features located on Long Island Sound in the town of Waterford, Connecticut. The state park's 304 acres center around Eolia, a 42-room Renaissance Revival mansion with formal gardens and greenhouses. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.[2]
Address: 275 Great Neck Rd, 06385-3823 Waterford
Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
Non-profit. The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, also known as Walnut Grove or Hammond Estate, in Waterford, Connecticut, US is a 501 non-profit theater company founded in 1964 by George C. White. The O'Neill is the recipient of two Tony Awards, the 1979 Special Award and the 2010 Regional Theatre Award, and the 2015 National Medal of Arts presented on September 22, 2016 by President Obama.
The O'Neill is a multi-disciplinary institution that has had a transformative effect on American theater. The O'Neill pioneered play development and stage readings as a tool for new plays and musicals, and is also home to the National Theater Institute (est. 1970), an intensive study-away semester for undergraduates. Its major theater conferences include the National Playwrights Conference (est. 1965); the National Critics Conference (est. 1968), the National Musical Theater Conference (est. 1978), the National Puppetry Conference (est. 1990), and the Cabaret & Performance Conference (est. 2005). The Monte Cristo Cottage, Eugene O'Neill's childhood home in New London, Connecticut, was purchased and restored by the O'Neill in the 1970s and is maintained as a museum. The theater's campus, overlooking Long Island Sound in Waterford Beach Park, has four major performance spaces: two indoor and two outdoor. The O'Neill is led by Executive Director Preston Whiteway.
The estate was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 21, 2005, for its architectural significance, and its associations with Revolutionary War Colonel William North and Edward Crowninshield Hammond, a wealthy industrialist.[3]
Address: Waterford, 305 Great Neck Road
Waterford Commons
Town in Connecticut. Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The population was 19,571 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed as a census-designated place and had a population of 3,074 at the 2020 census.[4]
Address: 903 Hartford Turnpike, 06385-4264 Waterford
Waterford Public Library
Library
Address: Rope Ferry Rd, Waterford
The Seaside
Historical place in Waterford, Connecticut. The Seaside is a historic medical facility at 36 Shore Road in Waterford, Connecticut. It is nationally significant as the first institution designed for heliotropic treatment of children suffering from tuberculosis. Its buildings "comprise an exceptional collection of fully realized and generally well-preserved Tudor Revival-style institutional architecture", which were designed by Cass Gilbert. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.[5]