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Whaling captains, a playwright's ghosts and the cadets of the Coast Guard all left their mark on New London, a compact harbor city of roughly 28,000 people where the Thames River meets Long Island Sound. In the 1800s it ranked among the busiest whaling ports in the world, and the grand houses those fortunes built still line its hilly streets.
History here runs deep. Benedict Arnold led a British raid that burned much of the town in 1781, and the granite walls of Fort Trumbull now guard a quiet state park. Eugene O'Neill spent his boyhood summers at Monte Cristo Cottage, the setting of Long Day's Journey into Night, while the United States Coast Guard Academy trains officers on the hill above the river and homeports the tall ship Eagle.
Downtown around Bank and State streets mixes the 1926 Garde Arts Center, Federal-era landmarks and harbor views. Ferries leave from the waterfront for Orient Point, Block Island and Fishers Island, and Mystic's seaport and the beaches of the Connecticut shoreline are a short drive away.
A massive granite fort completed in the 1850s on the site of earlier Revolutionary War defenses. The visitor center tells the story of Benedict Arnold's 1781 raid and Cold War sonar research, and a long fishing pier juts into the Thames. The fort interior opens seasonally, while the grounds stay open year-round.
A stone house built in 1756 that served as Connecticut's naval office during the Revolution, when George Washington stayed here. Today it is the home of the New London County Historical Society, with period rooms, portraits and whaling-era artifacts. Opening days are limited, so call or check online first.
Two rare survivors: the Joshua Hempsted House of 1678, one of the oldest timber-frame houses in New England, and a 1759 stone house next door. Joshua Hempsted's detailed diary brings colonial life and the enslaved Adam Jackson into the story. Guided tours run on select days in the warmer months.
A neoclassical museum opened in 1932 next to Connecticut College, with American paintings, decorative arts, European works and changing exhibitions. A sculpture park surrounds the building on a wooded hillside. Allow about two hours, and combine it with a walk through the nearby college arboretum.
Housed in an 1833 granite custom house designed by Robert Mills, this museum covers whaling, lighthouses and the Amistad case, which was first heard in New London. Its front door is said to be made from timber of USS Constitution. Small and friendly, it fits easily into an hour downtown.
The modest Victorian summer house where playwright Eugene O'Neill grew up, and the setting he recreated in Long Day's Journey into Night and Ah, Wilderness! Guided tours show the parlor and family rooms filled with O'Neill memorabilia. Hours are limited and seasonal, so check ahead before you go.
A red-brick, mansard-roofed lighthouse from 1909 that sits on a granite pier at the mouth of the Thames, looking more like a city house than a beacon. Local legend says a keeper named Ernie still haunts it. Seasonal boat tours visit the light, and passing ferries give a close view.
The training school for Coast Guard officers sits on a riverside campus north of downtown. Visitors with photo ID can walk the grounds, watch cadets drill and, when she is in port, see the barque Eagle, the service's square-rigged training ship. Check the academy website for current visitor access rules.
Four matching Greek Revival houses with tall white columns built in the 1830s for whaling merchants on Huntington Street. They are among the clearest reminders of the fortunes New London made from the sea. The houses are private, so admire the facades from the sidewalk on a short downtown walk.
A restored 1926 theater on State Street with an ornate Moroccan-style interior that now hosts touring Broadway shows, concerts, comedy and classic films. It anchors the downtown arts scene. Even if you cannot catch a show, look in at the lobby, and book early for popular touring productions.
A city-run beach on Long Island Sound with a wide sandy shore, a long boardwalk, an Olympic-size pool, water slides and mini golf. It is busiest on summer weekends and holidays. Parking is charged per car in season, so arrive early on hot days and bring a chair for the sand.
About 750 acres of gardens, native plant collections and woodland trails on the Connecticut College campus, including the old-growth Bolleswood Natural Area and the Laurel Walk. The arboretum is free and open daily from dawn to dusk. Late May and early June bring mountain laurel and rhododendron blooms.
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