Experience the best of New London

New London sits on the Thames River where it meets Long Island Sound in south-eastern Connecticut, once one of New England's leading whaling ports. The harbour is still busy with ferries and boats, and waterfront streets have cafés and shops. Whale Oil Row, a terrace of Greek Revival houses, recalls the whaling merchants, and the Custom House of the 1830s is now a maritime museum.

The US Coast Guard Academy campus overlooks the river and is home to the tall ship Eagle. Ocean Beach Park has a long sandy beach and boardwalk, and Monte Cristo Cottage, the playwright Eugene O'Neill's childhood home, stands in the city. Mystic, with its seaport museum and aquarium, lies about 15 km east, and the Nautilus, the first nuclear submarine, is a museum ship across the river at Groton. Ferries run to Block Island, Fishers Island and Long Island.

Connecticut-style lobster rolls come warm with butter, and clams, oysters and chowder fill the menus of the shoreline. Summer is the beach and ferry season, autumn brings clear days and bright foliage, and winters are cold, with occasional snow and strong coastal winds. May to October is the most comfortable time.