A little disappointed. It's not bad by any means but it was very underwhelming. I will say I'm not…read morereligious by any means, so those that are may feel different, but for me it was a 'meh' experience. Maybe I built it up in my head too much, as I had never even heard of it until a video came up on my fb feed. That said, getting there is a little tricky. There is a guard/checkpoint you have to pass through. The first time I didn't know that and wasn't expecting it and turned around. Today I when I came the checkpoint was unmanned. Apparently if you tell them you're going to enders they'll let you through, but I've heard of people getting turned away.

What a hidden gem! Lovely, tranquil, and healing! So picturesque there is no way you can take a…read morebad photo. The water views are gorgeous, the gardens and landscaping equally so, with many nooks and crannies to sit peacefully and meditate or ponder. The Arts and Crafts style house for functions and retreats is stately with hand-crafted tile work trim. The chapel itself is beautiful and rustic - plus it holds a bona fide relic of St Edmund of Canterbury!

We visit the base to use the commissary and NEX. There is a submarine museum near here too, which…read moreis excellent, and in an area that does not require a military ID to access. First off, you do need a Military ID to get on base (every adult in the car) and again when trying to purchase items on base. To bring a guest on base stop at the visitor office next to the main gate. The base itself seems to have under gone some updates to road signs and basic curb appeal which is very nice for those who live and work here. The commissary and NEX are good sizes, include the expected items, (uniforms, national brands, etc.) and share a parking lot. Grab your shopping cart before entering. Baggers at the Commissary work for tips so bring a few dollars cash; they pack, carry your bags out and put them in your vehicle. NEX is two stories with a food court and restrooms near the entrance. Escalator, elevator and stairs available. Sporting goods, clothes, jewelry, cleaning supplies, H&B, liquor. All the stuff.

The police at the gate were extremely helpful. I had brought a service man back to the base and the…read moredirections I had brought me to the wrong gate. The officer that was checking ID's advised me where to and gave me directions as well as they were super efficient, and extremely kind. I always appreciate police, but in this instance, I double appreciate these gentlemen for not just their service as officers, but their service to our country as well. Thank you so very much!

This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a…read moreblue background, The lettering is the same on both sides. I love the location of the marker- right in front of Town Hall between two sidewalks, mailboxes and a bicycle rack. I love the idea that so many people walk by it every day to learn something about their town. Some of the markers I see are way off the beaten path, on a random street (example? Stonington). The marker is in good condition with easy to read lettering. It summarizes the history of the town from it's 1646 settlement and Massachusetts Puritan roots, its spin-off from New London 60 years later, and a great piece of trivia- that Groton was the site of one of the final battles of the American Revolution. On a more contemporary note, it talks about Groton's importance to the submarine industry. The marker reads: As a part of New London Plantation, Groton was settled in 1646 by John Winthrop, the younger, and a band of Puritans from Massachusetts. The town separated from New London in 1705, and was named for the Winthrop manor in England. One of the last battles of the American Revolution was fought on Groton Heights at Fort Griswold, September 6, 1781. The Groton Monument commemorates the battle. A state park now preserves the fort area. Groton is the site of the Submarine Base of the United States Navy, and home of the builder of much of the Navy's undersea fleet. It is the birthplace of the nuclear submarine. Erected by the Town of Groton, the Groton American Revolution Bicenntennial Committee and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1976

Passed by on my way to Captain Scott's Lobster Dock (only to be denied of a lobster roll; they…read morehappened to have closed for the season just a few days prior to my coming)... 1600's... stone house... historic, on the corner of Banks ad something or other... in the middle of a wonderful, quaint smallish downtown area, near the docks... imagining what went on there a few centuries back...

Had such a good time stopping in at the Hempstead Houses and learning a bit more history about the…read morearea. They had an event for the season I definitely recommend going if you like local history. Joshua Hempstead was a farmer, judge, diarist, and tradesman over the course of his life. Him and his wife had nine children. Take a trip to the Houses and learn more about him and the lives/deaths of others that shaped him. Checked out the ghosts and stories of those people: Abigail Hempstead, Joshua Hempstead III, Owen Coffin, Sarah Bramble, John Stoddard, Zipporah Bolles and children, Sarah Wilton, and Anna Warner Bailey.

Passing through and wanted to take a quick break. This location was a great little spot to have a…read morequick snack and relax next to the roaring water sounds from the falls!

Nice little waterfall. Part of it is still under construction and there was also a wedding going…read moreon when I was there so I couldn't fully explore but what I did offered some nice views and tranquility. Was tempted to follow the tracks to see where/what else I could see but didn't have it in me this day.

Beautiful park. If no one is at the booth when you arrive, scan the QR code near parking and pay…read moreonline. Plenty of picnic tables are scattered around the park and a few charcoal grills. Lots of port-a-john near the beaches and a building closer to parking. No swimming was allowed at the beaches. Plenty of fishing though. Nice place to walk and look for shells. The mansion gardens are small and beautiful. Lots of colorful plants. Graceful collonade. Definitely a nice spot for photos. Lots of pollenators enjoying the gardens too. Pathways through the park are a mix of paved and gravel. Watch out for goose poop when crossing through the fields. Pets are welcome on a leash and be sure to pick up after them. State parks are "carry in, carry out" so there are no trash bins. Be sure to bring your own trash bag to dispose of your trash at home.

A beautiful seaside park that was surprisingly busy on breezy November weekend. We walked around a…read morefew of the gardens which I imagine will be even more impressive in the spring and summer.

If you are going South on 95 past Groton, you will go over this bridge. The lanes are wide and the…read moreviews are pretty. Note that there are both right and left exits off this bridge.

Gold Star Memorial Bridge [GSMB]. (3 stars)…read more "City of Groton: The City of Groton is a dependent political subdivision of the Town of Groton in New London County, Connecticut, United States." - Wikipedia "Town of Groton: Groton /rtn/ is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States." - Wikipedia Did you know that there is a City of Groton & a Town of Groton!!?? Neither did I. I first encountered GSMB as my friend & I were headed to Bennedito's for some grinders. We passed by a sign that said welcome to the city of Groton. I was confused until my friend explained that there is a City of Groton & a Town of Groton. I'm normally not one to review bridges or landmarks but this bridge intrigued me enough to write this review. GSMB is a set of bridges built parallel to each other which spans approximately 13 miles. It runs between New London & Groton CT. Between the 2 bridges, there are 11 lanes. I rode on both bridges & I have to say it was a neat experience. Hawaii doesn't have bridges like this so when I get the chance I do like to admire the engineering design. I took a Statics (civil engineering) class in college which wasn't terribly exciting to me but seeing this bridge up close brought back all those days in class. "The sum of all forces equals zero." Bridges & Trusses & sleepless nights, OH MY!! Ack... Erase. Abort! My friend told me stories about how subs would destroy their sail because they would forget to lower their equipment prior to passing under the (lower) bridge. Apparently, it happened quite often. I got a chance to ride over GSMB on 3 occasions & I have to say it's steel design creates a very noisy & shaky drive. However, driving on GSMB gives a nice view of the skyline. The speed limit is posted at 55 mph but I swear people were going much faster. Definitely not the Autobahn but it seemed a little nerve-racking to see some cars fly by while listening to the tires hit the steel plates... Ugh. GSMB was given that name to honor the armed forces members from Groton, New London, & Waterford CT who lost their lives in WW1, WW2, & Korean War. --- All in all, a cool bridge to stare at for hours. GSMB is a very busy bridge which sees tens of thousands of cars hourly!! I thought it was weird to see a bike/pedestrian path on the bridge heading SOUTH but I guess people without cars have to travel somehow??!! Seeing the bridge from the ground up was the coolest view for me. It made me realize just how ginormous this bridge really is! Definitely worth a drive over, if ur in the area, to see it for yourself.

To live in a…read morelighthouse Latimer Reef Lighthouse is a 49 foot tall, brick lined, cast iron light that was build back in 1884. It is the oldest cast iron lighthouse that is still operational in the east and his area was so important and treacherous that reports indicate that the first small tower was place here back in 1804. This is a typical spark plug type of light that became popular at the time because of it's relatively inexpensive construction costs and durability. The light and surrounding reef was named after James Latimore, the revolutionary war hero. It originally had a 4th order Fresnel lens but the lens was moved to another lighthouse in Delaware when Latimer was modernized. In a bid to say money on maintenance costs the light recently went up for sale. Private bids that started at 10,000 were accepted. Sounds like a pretty cool idea to buy a lighthouse and my first thoughts were that it would make a great little place to entertain, relax and enjoy the water. However there is a catch and a rather big catch at that. The interior of the light of these spark plugs is actually tiny and Latimer will remain an active light. That means the lights stays on and the horn keeps blasting twice every 15 seconds day and night. The horn almost blows me off my kayak from hundred feet away so I suspect that actually being on the light isn't exactly relaxing. Plus the all maintenance must be keep up and paid for by the new owner and the light must keep all historically features. Not an insignificant cost but the light did finally sell for 225,000 dollars a short time ago. No word about why the new owner bought the light or what he or she is going to do with it. There are still several lights for sale in the area but the maintenance arrangements are the same. You aren't just buying the light, but also the responsibilities of maintaining it. Owning a lighthouse would be cool but for now it's enough just to admire them from a distance.

Benefit Street is a nice little walk and The Shunned House is a sweet little surprise. What I like…read moreabout The Shunned House is that you would have NO CLUE that this house was significant amongst the others in the surrounding areas. The armory down the street stands out a lot more than the lil house that HPLovecraft wrote about. Still it's a great side trip that will only take seconds out of your day if you are in or around the colleges in the area. This is obviously a residence and they have since named the house after someone but you can see the wall that used to be used as the front of the house and the descriptions stand strong in Lovecraft's writing. No big deal but I liked being there and seeing it.

I was going to write about this curiousity, but I realized I couldn't do any better than what…read morebrought me in the first place: "The house was--and for that matter still is--of a kind to attract the attention of the curious. Originally a farm or semi-farm building, it followed the average New England colonial lines of the middle eighteenth century--the prosperous peaked-roof sort, with two stories and dormerless attic, and with the Georgian doorway and interior panelling dictated by the progress of taste at that time. It faced south, with one gable end buried to the lower windows in the eastward rising hill, and the other exposed to the foundations toward the street. Its construction, over a century and a half ago, had followed the grading and straightening of the road in that especial vicinity; for Benefit Street--at first called Back Street--was laid out as a lane winding amongst the graveyards of the first settlers, and straightened only when the removal of the bodies to the North Burial Ground made it decently possible to cut through the old family plots. "At the start, the western wall had lain some twenty feet up a precipitous lawn from the roadway; but a widening of the street at about the time of the Revolution sheared off most of the intervening space, exposing the foundations so that a brick basement wall had to be made, giving the deep cellar a street frontage with door and two windows above ground, close to the new line of public travel. When the sidewalk was laid out a century ago the last of the intervening space was removed; and Poe in his walks must have seen only a sheer ascent of dull grey brick flush with the sidewalk and surmounted at a height of ten feet by the antique shingled bulk of the house proper. "The farm-like grounds extended back very deeply up the hill, almost to Wheaton Street. The space south of the house, abutting on Benefit Street, was of course greatly above the existing sidewalk level, forming a terrace bounded by a high bank wall of damp, mossy stone pierced by a steep flight of narrow steps which led inward between canyon-like surfaces to the upper region of mangy lawn, rheumy brick walls, and neglected gardens whose dismantled cement urns, rusted kettles fallen from tripods of knotty sticks, and similar paraphernalia set off the weather-beaten front door with its broken fanlight, rotting Ionic pilasters, and wormy triangular pediment. "What I heard in my youth about the shunned house was merely that people died there in alarmingly great numbers. That, I was told, was why the original owners had moved out some twenty years after building the place. It was plainly unhealthy, perhaps because of the dampness and fungous growth in the cellar, the general sickish smell, the draughts of the hallways, or the quality of the well and pump water. These things were bad enough, and these were all that gained belief among the persons whom I knew. Only the notebooks of my antiquarian uncle, Dr. Elihu Whipple, revealed to me at length the darker, vaguer surmises which formed an undercurrent of folklore among old-time servants and humble folk; surmises which never travelled far, and which were largely forgotten when Providence grew to be a metropolis with a shifting modern population." H.P. Lovecraft, The Shunned House Be mindful that this is a private residence. Please be respectful.