Reunion Tours

New London - 2010

Our Hosts Ralph (SN 65-67) and Claire Gates

1.) Tuesday, September 28th   $63 per person - Thimble Islands Cruise

Thimble Island SceneWe will leave at 9:30AM and travel to Stony Creek, CT where we will board a boat for a 45 minute cruise through the Thimble Islands in Long Island Sound. (Thimble Islands) The first European to discover the islands was Adrian Block in 1614.  Legend says that Captain Kidd buried his treasure here, causing continuing interest among treasure hunters who believe they have unearthed a clue to its location.   Thimble Island Cottage

The first building to go up on the Thimbles was a rambling three-story hotel on 10-acre Pot Island (or Pot Rock Island), built in 1846.  It still stands but is now a private home.   There are no hotels or commercial buildings of any kind on the Thimbles now.  Later in the 19th century and into the 20th, wealthy families built substantial summer homes on the islands.

The trophy house of the Thimbles is on Rogers Island: a 27-room Tudor-style mansion built in 1902, with a caretaker's cottage, tennis and basketball courts, a swimming pool, a golf course and elaborate formal gardens.  Mrs. Christine Svenningsen bought the island in 2003 for $23.5 million and has collected eight Thimbles (all with houses) - at a total cost of more than $36 million!  The cartoonist Garry Trudeau and his wife, Jane Pauley, also own a house on 10-acre Governors Island.



Lunch is included at the historic Griswold Inn which has operated as an Inn and Tavern since 1776.  The famous Tap Room hosted many Revolutionary War patriots and today is one of the preeminent watering holes for east coast yachtsmen every summer.  Griswold Inn Covered Bridge RoomSituated in the historic hamlet of Essex, nestled on the banks of the Connecticut River "the Gris" is one of the oldest continuously operated inns in the country. (Griswold Inn).  After lunch we will have time to explore the quaint New England town of Essex including its shops and the Connecticut River Museum which includes a full size working replica of Bushnell's Turtle. (Connecticut River Museum)  The Turtle, designed and built in Connecticut during the Revolutionary War, was the first submarine ever used in combat.(Bushnell's Turtle)

2.) Wednesday, September 29th    $29 per person - US Naval Submarine Base Tour and Nautilus Museum. (Nautilus and Submarine Museum).

US Naval Submarine Base, Groton, CT Arial ViewUS Naval Submarine Base, Groton, CT Seal

Lunch will be at the Sub Base Galley(Sub Base New London)

3.) Wednesday, September 29th   $25 per person - Foxwoods Casino

We leave at 5:00PM and travel to Foxwoods Casino, (Foxwoods Casino) the largest casino in the western hemisphere.  Poker GameIn 1986 the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation opened the original high-stakes bingo hall.  Today Foxwoods comprises six casinos that offer more than 6,200 slot machines and an incredible 380 tables for 17 different types of table games, including 100 for poker.  There's a luxurious, high-tech Race Book, as well as the world's largest Bingo Hall.   The trip price includes coupons good for $15 in Keno bets and $10 towards food in any of the casino restaurants or it can be used as full payment for the buffet

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Our luxurious motor coach awaits at 10:30 PM to return us to our hotel and the ever popular hospitality room.

 

3.) Thursday, September 30th   Banquet tonight.  $45 per person - Today will be free to Explore on your own.  You can walk historic Main Street (or infamous Bank Street!) or explore some of the area's many attractions including: