fort trumbull state park

Went in January with everything closed............would have like to learn more of the history - even from a brochure being available.

Visit Fort Trumbull in New London, CT. It is a great historic place to visit and tour to soak up some of New London's history.

So many, upon hearing me say how beautiful it as here say, Where is it? If you have never been, go! It is gorgeous, scenic and historically fascinating, if forts are your thing. If they are not, you will still enjoy the immaculate grounds, sweeping views and serenity. I've never taken the tour, or even been inside the museum shop but this remains one of my and my husband's local faves. Wear comfortable shoes, pack a lunch

Kept in a very good shape, it may look like any other fort but once you read about their history and what happened here you will find it very interesting.

This was a revisit for me. See my November 2013 review for fees, background, history, and details of the exhibits. It was a first visit for my friend. It was near closing time for the fort and the museum so we visited only the grounds. Even without going inside the fort, this state park can be enjoyed with a walk around the outside of the fort and the grounds down by the Thames River. There are benches on the walkway facing the river. There is a fishing pier. It was a pleasant stop on our drive around New London after eating a late lunch at Captain Scott’s Lobster Dock a short distance away. This fort is a worthwhile stop on a trip to the New London. The grounds and many areas of the fort are wheelchair accessible. I’d definitely come back here on another trip to or through the area. If you found this review and my earlier review helpful, kindly click YES below.

The fort gave me a feeling of being there during the revolutionary war. The guide explained things in a way that made me understand how life must have been. There is a great museum in the visitors center. The displays are on the history and the work that was done there about underwater sound detection.

Fort Trumbull is a restored fort from the pre-Civil War era that was used through the Cold War. The restoration was masterfully done, and the adjacent museum is completely interactive and enjoyable for all ages. The fort itself has been restored to the way it looked during the Civil War, with the addition of a very nice exhibit of Cold War submarine-warfare equipment. One feature is a bronze-cast cannon crew servicing a cannon from the Civil War period.The staff is very knowledgeable and very accommodating. While relatively small in overall size, the tall walls and massive stonework in the Greek Revival style leave the visitor impressed with the power of this fort.

Having been around southern forts for years, I was impressed with seeing an northern fort in such good shape. The fort itself has some really interesting back stories and how it was used up until the 90 as a goverment facility. The pros: much history and details about the community, great condition of the grounds and wonderful staff.The cons: The fort does not take cards. The fort seemingly being refurbished past what it originally was, I'm used to seeing structures left as is. It was a good day trip matched with the fort in Groton.

My family visited over the weekend that CT State parks were free. We were expecting the fort to be very crowded, it was anything but. It is a shame. I am not sure how many people visit in a year but it is well worth the time. We started with the museum and videos upstairs in the visitors center. It was very interesting. I did not know Benedict Arnold burnt New London to the ground as well as Fort Trumbull and slaughtered everyone at Fort Griswold. I have lived in CT my whole life and I guess never paid too much attention to the history in my own backyard. It is a nice fort. The only thing we did not like was that we could not go into the rooms within the fort. We could look into them. The man raking the gravel was super nice and we felt so bad walking across the gravel after he had raked it. The grounds were nice and we enjoyed walking out onto the pier. We had packed a picnic and assumed there would be picnic tables since this is a State Park. Nope....thankfully we packed a blanket to sit on. We really enjoyed visiting this fort and leaning it's history.

First - you have to FIND the place! The signage is lousy! I went by it three times!The best thing was the views of the water and the docks. A walk around the Fort is well worth it. http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325200&deepNav_GID=1650%20They don't tell you how much for the Fort Tour...

The fort was nice and well kept up. There is a lot of history here and it was fun to walk around. There is a nice little museum on the grounds as well.

Fort Trumbull still stands guard on the river with its continued vigilance for the cities of New London and Groton. Its interior is open for tours during the day to get a feel for life among the soldiers stationed within. Everything has been carefully maintained -- the walls, the grounds and even some of the giant cannon, There is a perimeter walk that not only encircles the fort, but provides a spectacular view of the river. It is a perfect place for a relaxing stroll or a picnic. The refreshing breezes set the stage for an enjoyable interlude from a busy day. The Visitors Center is an excellent source of information and the adjoining Coast Guard Base is a reminder that security is never far from the consciouness of the US military. The Fort is hidden away in the middle of the GE Electric Boat buildings so ask for directions

This is a nice place to take a walk and very nice views of the Thames River. It is a nice place to go and watch the fireworks also. You can walk down the pier there and you can see and old coast guard ship that is docked there.

My visit to Fort Trumbull State Park was related to the Connecticut Schooner Festival. I arrived on Thursday, the day before the festival started in New London. I spent over 5 hours here going through the three-story museum and talking the park staff, touring the fort and talking to the docent there, walking the spacious grounds, and exploring the waterfront area near the pier where fishing is allowed. On Friday, I returned to watch the Parade of Sail of the Connecticut Schooner Festival from the fort grounds.In the museum, the videos and interactive displays were excellent as were the exhibits. The orientation video presents the fort’s has a storied past which began during the American Revolution. Fort Trumbull takes its name from Jonathan Trumbull, Connecticut's wartime governor. None of the original fortifications survive today. During the American Revolution Connecticut was known as the Provision State, and most of the supplies for Washington's army passed through the state, with New London being the principal port in this activity. New London was a hotbed of Revolutionary activity; and, that brought about the British attack on the port in the final weeks of the war. On the morning of September 6, 1781, British forces commanded by Connecticut-born traitor British Brigadier General Benedict Arnold attacked New London, commencing at Fort Trumbull. The defenders of Fort Trumbull briefly engaged the British forces before fleeing across the Thames River in boats to join the larger force of port defenders at Fort Griswold in Groton. By the end of the day, most of New London lay in ruins from fires set by the British; and, the majority of the soldiers of Fort Griswold were killed after the British stormed the fort. New London paid a higher price in blood and wealth than any other settlement during the American Revolution. Six weeks after the British attack, General Washington’s forces prevailed at Yorktown, and the war ended.Later, during the Civil War, Fort Trumbull served as a Union fort used primarily for inducting and training recruits.Next, Fort Trumbull served as home to U.S. Coast Guard Academy from 1915 to 1932 when it was moved further up river to its present location at the northern section of New London. The U.S. Coast Guard's training ship, the barque USCGC Eagle (WIX-327) docks at Fort Trumbull two or three times during the year and is open to visitors at that time. Then, between 1939 and 1946, Fort Trumbull served as the Merchant Marine Officers Training School, when the operation was transferred to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island.In its final use as a military installation, Fort Trumbull housed the U.S. Navy’s Naval Underwater Sound Laboratory beginning in the early days of World War II in response to the presence of German U-boats in the North Atlantic. This was the principal sonar research facility operated by the Navy, and worked in close cooperation with the Naval Submarine Base and Electric Boat shipyard, both located across the Thames River in Groton. Sound Lab personnel gained international recognition for their pioneering work in acoustics and applied their expertise to develop and introduce into the U.S. Fleet advanced high-performance sonar suites for both submarines and surface vessels. The Laboratory was also involved in the development of periscopes and non-acoustic sensors used on submarines, providing at one location an expertise in all aspects of detection. The work done there covered a range from theoretical acoustic research to computerized system and warfare analysis and simulation through fleet introduction and testing of new sonar suites. This provided a core of resident expertise that was at the forefront of the evolution of modern antisubmarine warfare sensor systems. During the 1950s and 1960s, New London’s Research and Development focused on new scientific problems posed by the development of nuclear submarines and guided missiles. NUSL had a definitive role in submarine sonar and radio communication systems and antisubmarine sonar systems for surface craft. Efforts also included ocean surveillance systems for continental defense against missile-launching submarines, underwater acoustic research, and Polaris command communications. Expanded research activities at the site necessitated alterations to many of the old buildings and the construction of additional new ones. In 1970 the New London facilities were combined with undersea research and development activities in Newport, Rhode Island into a single center where the technological expertise for underwater systems could provide an organization with extensive combat control and communication expertise. The result of this combination was the Naval Underwater Systems Center (NUSC). In 1992, the Naval Underwater Systems Center was absorbed by a newly created Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) with major divisions in Newport, Rhode Island and Keyport Washington. At that time, the New London Laboratory was re-designated as the New London Detachment of NUWC. With the close of the Cold War, the Navy consolidated the operations of the New London facility with its Newport, RI facility. In 1996 the Navy closed the New London laboratory, and several years later the property was transferred to the State of Connecticut which invested $25 million to bring Fort Trumbull back to the condition it was in a century ago prior to its grand opening as the state's newest park in June of 2000.The current fort---the third to sit on this site---was built between 1839 and 1852. It is in the Egyptian Revival style, and is part of the Third System of American coastal defenses. The oldest structure on the grounds of the park is the blockhouse, built in 1786. No traces of any previous fortifications survive.The fort's structures from 1800's were remarkably well-preserved. The fort and buildings in the park are open every Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM from Memorial Day Weekend through Columbus Day. The park grounds remain open daily even after the season.Fees for touring the museum and the fort are:$6 per person for ages 13+$2 per person for ages 6-12FREE for ages 5 and underDuring the season, the Gift Shop is open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from Noon until 4:00 PM.Most parts of this park are wheelchair-accessible---parking area, visitor center, walkways, piers, and restrooms. The challenging part of a visit would be at the fort. There is no elevator to get up to the upper levels of the fort. But, the visitor center's museum does have one for accessing the three levels of the museum section.

After checking out the New London Harbor Light & stopped in to check out Fort Trumbull since it was minutes from the lighthouse right in route. Just minutes away from I-95. This trip I just walked around the perimeter of the fort since I was a bit on a time restraint. The fort opens from 8am to sunset. Didn't have to pay for just walking the grounds. It's a nice view from the exterior of the fort. Walking out onto the pier gives you a nice view of New London & Groton. With the foliage it made for a nice backdrop off the water. I can imagine it being just as nice in the Summer when the sailboats are out. It was a nice stop to take & look forward to revisiting for a more in depth tour.