We spent a couple of afternoons on two of eastern Connecticut’s major rivers. First, we headed to Groton, along the Thames, to see the Submarine Force Museum, home of the USS Nautilus.
The Thames is gorgeously scenic. Arthur intuited that it was named for the famous London river, and a quick trip to Wikipedia confirms this:
It was originally known as the Pequot River after the Pequot Indians who dominated the area. Other early names for the river have included Frisius, Great, Great River of Pequot, Little Fresh, New London, and Pequod. The town was officially named New London in 1658 and the estuary river was renamed Thames after the River Thames in London, England.
Right next door to the Naval Submarine Base New London sits the Submarine Force Museum. It’s easy to get to, and admission is free (the only free attraction we came across during our Connecticut trip!). It’s a fascinating place. The museum tracks the history of submarines in the United States military, and includes exhibits ranging from the very first submarine (from 1776) to actual torpedoes, missiles, and other equipment. I’d never seen any of these things up close and in person and it’s awesome to be right in front of (to cite one example) the first Trident missile.
There’s also a detailed and interesting film about the beginnings of the first nuclear submarine, explaining its purpose and development.
The main attraction here is the Nautilus itself, which is docked permanently just outside the museum. The photo above shows what it looks like. The pier is ringed by the flags of all fifty states, which quite appealed to me; as you approach the sub, you can read about it on numerous placards, the most important of which cautions you that once inside the sub you will be required to climb up and down a narrow flight of stairs, maneuver in very tight spaces (claustrophobics are warned away) and climb over an 18″ bulkhead. We heeded these cautions as the 60-something out-of-shape guys we are and elected to view the Nautilus from the outside. I am sure the experience inside is extremely cool.
The vibe here is serious and earnest, and it’s reflected in the gift shop where many books and navy-related objects are on sale. One of the books is about the father of the nuclear navy, Admiral Rickover, which is already on our bookshelf–I am now feeling motivated to read it soon!
A couple of days later, we journeyed west to Chester and East Haddam, two towns on either side of the Connecticut River. We began at The Brushmill by the Waterfall, which is a sublimely quaint and beautiful restaurant specializing in steaks and seafood. It’s built on the site of an old brush factory, which was powered by a waterfall. The covered bridge is the entryway into the restaurant from the parking lot. You can sort of see the waterfall behind the entrance to the bridge.
This was one of those lovely discoveries that we most look forward to when we travel: everything about our experience here delighted us–the food, the service, the ambiance, and the locale.
After dinner, we took a short drive to East Haddam’s Goodspeed Opera House. This famous theater has been in existence on and off for 150 years. It was the birthplace of Annie in 1976 (and that show is returning to the Goodspeed for its semi-centennial later this year); there’s a statue of Sandy (Annie’s dog, you’ll recall) in front of the theater building and plush Sandys are on sale in the gift shop.
It’s a place I’ve always wanted to go to, and I’m generally happy to have been there. It truly is a gem of a theater–an intimate auditorium seating under 400, offering Broadway-quality production values and casts. The show we saw was Crazy For You, and it didn’t disappoint. Kudos in particular to director Michael Fling and leading man Will Burton.
My only reservation about our experience at Goodspeed was how relatively inaccessible it turns out to be. Accessible parking is VERY limited and the trek from the main lot requires negotiating a steep ramp and about eight steps. Worse, getting to the restrooms and out of the auditorium requires more steps or a trip to an elevator that is in a somewhat inconvenient location.
All this said, it was a fun and rewarding night.
