Today is Tuesday, April 23, 2024 The Water Taxi is not running.
April in the Park – Wyland Returns, Earth & Sky: Nature Meditations, Mandy Patinkin in Concert and more … there’s so much to enjoy at Thames River Heritage Park’s heritage sites and institutional partners.
new london
Custom House Maritime Museum
Telling the stories of New London’s waterfront, the Custom House offers lighthouse tours and boat trips, an annual chowda’fest, artifacts relating to local lighthouses, US Customs and the Amistad, along with changing exhibitions and a great Museum Shop.
New London’s 1833 US Custom House was built at the height of the City’s maritime power, when New London was the second-greatest whaling port in the world. City leaders had petitioned the U.S. Treasury to build them ‘a gem on the waterfront’. Architect Robert Mills, best-known for his design of the U.S. national Washington Monument, provided just that. Housed in the 184-year-old Robert Mills building at 150 Bank Street, today we are a nonprofit historic site—the nation’s oldest continuously operating U.S. Custom House and scene to much of the area’s maritime history. The Custom House is a lively maritime museum, preservation, and educational organization. Through museum exhibitions and educational programs, the museum actively promotes, protects and celebrates the maritime history and current life of the port of New London and the surrounding region.
Address: 150 Bank St, New London, CT 06320
Distance from Water Taxi Landing: 0.2 miles
Phone number: (860) 447-2501
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, from 1:00 – 5:00 PM, Saturday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, or by appointment
New London’s Garde Arts Center honored at League of Historic American Theatres 2022 National Conference
Community Award-Sharing Ceremony to be held on August 25 at 7 PM
New London (July 14, 2022) – The League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT), the nation’s leading historic theatre advocate, recognized outstanding achievement within the industry when it announced New London, Connecticut’s Garde Arts Center is the 2022 Outstanding Historic Theatre in America at its 46th Annual National Conference in Cleveland, Ohio.
The LHAT National Conference, presented in different cities each year, is the largest gathering of historic theatre professionals nationwide. The conference took place in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square Arts District, home to five historic theatres and the biggest performing arts center in the U.S. outside of New York City.
This year’s conference focused not only on the preservation, restoration, and operation of historic theatres, but also on the role arts organizations play in the ongoing conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion. The conference highlighted this with presentations from Cleveland Public Theatre as well as Karamu House, recognized as the oldest producing African American theatre in the nation.
The Garde Arts Center took home the 2022 Outstanding Historic Theatre Award during the conference on July 10-13, 2022, which was attended by over 300 historic theatre operators and service providers from across North America and the United Kingdom. The nominating committee consisted of former LHAT Board Presidents and leaders in the industry. Nominations were accepted from across the nation, representing some of America’s finest performing arts venues and film houses. Past winners include New York’s City Center, The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, The Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, and Cleveland’s Playhouse Square.
A Moroccan-themed 1920’s movie palace and vaudeville theater, the Garde Arts Center is a Thames River Heritage Park premier heritage site and community partner.
Pioneers: Photographs and Oral Histories of Hispanic Women in New London County
Join the New London County Historical Society on June 18th at 2 PM for the opening of a new exhibit Pioneers: Photographs and Oral Histories of Hispanic Women in New London County, 1989 by Resurrección Espinosa-Frink.
The opening will include short talks from Ms. Espinosa-Frink, CT Humanities Executive Director Jason Mancini, a guest speaker on oral histories, and the New London Hospitality Center Director Cathy Zall.
Additionally, there will be tours of the Shaw Mansion. For more information, please visit www.nlchs.org or contact the NLCHS at [email protected].
Discover the Thames on CT Open House Day
Discover the Thames during Connecticut Open House Day on Saturday, June 11th. Hop aboard the Thames River Heritage Park water taxi for a 1-hour, hop-on hop-off harbor cruise to visit the festivities on both sides of the Thames. Start on the east or the west side of the river; enjoy the sites, sounds, and programs; then hop on the water taxi and continue the fun on the other side of the Thames.
The City of New London and the City of Groton are offering complimentary shuttle service to the historic sites and festivities. See below for information on Open House Day on the Thames events.
Board the water taxi from any landing:
- Fort Trumbull State Park in New London – on the hour
- City Pier in New London – 20 minutes after the hour
- Thames Landing in the City of Groton – 40 minutes after the hour.
Special Ticket Price on Opening Day: $5
