Historic Ship Nautilus & Submarine Force Museum


Kids love this museum, home to Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine and the first sub to transit the North Pole. The brief audio tour of Nautilus is fascinating primarily for military enthusiasts. Other museum exhibits feature working periscopes and sounds of the ocean.

The ship closes for one week in October/November and one in April, so check ahead those months.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Connecticut College Arboretum

1.56 MILES

More than 750 acres of native plants, ornamentals and trees from around the world are spread over this college campus. Free guided tours happen at 10am on…

2. Lyman Allyn Art Museum

2.1 MILES

This neoclassical building contains exhibits that span the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, including impressive collections of early-American silver and…

3. US Coast Guard Academy & Museum

2.13 MILES

Located in Waesche Hall on the grounds of the US Coast Guard Academy is this small, unattended museum. Plans are afoot for the first National Coast Guard…

4. Little Pink House

3.24 MILES

Susette Kelo took on pharmaceutical giant Pfizer in 2000 when they tried to exercise eminent domain and tear down her little pink house. The case went all…

5. Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park

3.26 MILES

Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park is centered on a 134ft obelisk that marks the place where colonial troops were massacred by Benedict Arnold and the…

6. Hygienic Art

3.31 MILES

Done up in a Greek Revival style replete with a sculpture garden, a mural plaza, fountains and a large performance area, this not-for-profit art space…

7. Custom House Maritime Museum

3.38 MILES

Near the ferry terminal, this 1833 building is the oldest operating customhouse in the country, in addition to functioning as a museum. Its front door is…

8. Hempsted Houses

3.38 MILES

Part of a well-laid-out walking tour are two Hempsted Houses. The wood-framed older one (1678) is one of the oldest 17th-century houses in New England and…