The Thames River Heritage Park Foundation has received a grant to help expand and enhance the services the park provides.
The Heritage Park is a collection of 17 sites along the Thames River in southeastern Connecticut, places like the Lyman Allyn Museum, the Submarine Force Museum and Fort Trumbull State Park. The big draw so far for the park has been a water taxi service that runs Friday through Sundays during the summer months.
Amy Perry is the executive director of the Thames River Heritage Park Foundation. She said the $30,000 grant from the Panoram foundation will help the park use the water taxi to better connect partner sites together into a unique visitor experience.
“In 2020 we will have a dock at the Nautilus Submarine Force Museum,” explained Perry. “So to have their visitors hop on one of our boats, take a tour down to New London, get off in New London, maybe have lunch or visit one of the forts or one of the museums, and then hop back on that boat and hear a different tour on the way back, that's really significant.”
Perry said with the grant money they hope to expand as soon as this summer with historic boat and land tours. The Thames River Heritage Park is the only heritage park in Connecticut. This summer will mark the park's 4th season in operation.
