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Things for the whole family to do |
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There
are land and
sea attractions to entertain and educate you in New London County. They cover everything
from colonial times, through the Revolutionary War and
the Whaling Era, to our own nuclear era. The area is rich in history.
It was already
populated by the Pequot and Mohegan Indians when Europeans began
settling here in the mid 1600s. In 1781 Benedict Arnold led
the British in the burning of the City
of New London. From the late 1700s to the mid 1800s the
whaling industry flourished in the coastal area. There were
also mills and a gun manufacturer. For more history, vintage
postcards, and photos visit the
GenWeb
site, part of the USGenWeb genealogical research site.
The
towns of New London, Waterford, Groton and
Mystic are located on Long
Island Sound. There are many marinas in
the area. You can bring your own boat, rent one, book
a short cruise,
fish, or tour
a lighthouse. New London's
Ocean Beach
offers a white sand beach, picnicking, dining, and miniature
golf. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy and it's triple masted tall ship,
The Eagle, are in New London.
Across the river in Groton is the U. S. Navy Submarine School where you
can tour an actual nuclear submarine at the Submarine Museum.
And, Mystic is
home to an old whaling village and shipyard, an aquarium, and lots of dining and shopping. The Amistad replica was hand built
there.
Follow the Thames River north for about 25
minutes to find Norwich. Sheltered from the open water, the inland harbor there is considered
a safe harbor. Rebuilt in recent years, it boasts a lovely waterside
park, miniature golf, restaurant, and marina facilities. The
marina, by the way, is just a short cab ride away from the Mohegan Sun
and from Foxwoods casinos. The Mohegan Sun Casino is 5 minutes south of
Norwich, in
Uncasville. Foxwoods is in Mashantucket, which is a 15 or 20 minute
ride.
These are only a few of the
things to do here. For further information click on one of
the items on the left or one of the towns listed across the top.
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Where is New London
County? |
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In SE Connecticut bordering Long Island Sound.... about 3
hours northeast of New York City and 2 hours southwest of
Boston. This simple county map
will help you get your bearings. |
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Getting
Here
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By
air, you can take a major carrier to Hartford's Bradley airport or
Providence's T.F. Green airport. (T.F,Green has a real sailboat on
display in the baggage area.) U.S. Air services the
Groton/New London airport.
Interstate 95, which runs
from Boston to New York, passes right through the county. If you are driving up from New
York, you might want to check the Connecticut
Department of Transportation's website or
Metro
Commute.
Amtrak's
new high speed bullet train, the Acela, stops in New London as it
travels along the coast between Boston and New York. At
times the train comes close to the colonial
Boston
Post Road. In the late 1600s the road was the high speed
route for horseback mounted postal carriers blazing their way from
New York to Boston in up to 2 weeks. Acela does it in around 4 hours. You can travel from New York City to
New London in a little over 2 hours making New London County an ideal
weekend destination. You
can also take a short ferry ride across the sound on the Cross
Sound Ferry. |
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LONDON
