Holidays at the Custom House

• Catch a Special Exhibition

Our two temporary exhibitions disappear January 1!

Richard Stremme: The Scrimshaw/Tattoo Connection and Christian Fiedler: Beacons through Time. The pinhole photographs in Christian’s lighthouse exhibition are available for purchase through December 22.

• Pick out the Perfect Gift

We have your gifts covered.

Shop for locally made products, children’s toys, modern home decor, exceptional books, and more.

Photo, right: Hand-sewn Tea cozies and blackbird baskets.

Plus: NLMS members always enjoy 10 percent off.

• Bring the Whole Family

Kids, grandparents, maritime lovers or lifelong learners, they all can enjoy a visit to the Custom House and New London Harbor Light.

Support NL’s maritime museum this giving season. Visit. Shop. Become a member or gift a membership to someone you love.

Saturdays, Sundays, & by appointment year-round.

A popular destination for more than a century.

Visit Inside NL Harbor Pequot Light

Visit Long Island Sound’s oldest and tallest lighthouse. Tom and Emma at Harbor Light on Saturday. Photo: Ford Gerritt.

Climb 116 steps up into the lighthouse lantern. We offer tours every Saturday & Sunday at noon. The views are spectacular!​ Tours for up-to five people take approximately 40 minutes. To book a tour at other times, send us an email.

Thanks to our friends at the Chelsea Groton Foundation, New London residents may visit inside New London Harbor Lighthouse with a $5 ticket, and admission to the Custom House is free through 2024. Don’t miss this opportunity. Sign up today! For tour dates in 2025, Sign up here.

We’ve raised $4,999 of our $25,000 goal to cover the cost overrun on $250,000 of preservation work.

It’s over for the season. Photo, left: On Monday all scaffolding was removed by barge from Ledge Light.

The Custom House Museum Gift Shop is full of holiday treats!

New music boxes featuring the Beatles.

Photo, right: Stitch a cat kit!

Christopher Kervick writes: The attached article was just completed by my New London Stories class at Mitchell College, Thames at Mitchell Program. This semester’s topic is Frank T. Cable, New London Submarine Pioneer. Cable was a prime mover in the early days of Electric Boat.

The Thames at Mitchell Program is a one-year transitional program for neuro-diverse and other students who are “testing the waters” to see if a four-year college program is right for them and to develop the skills necessary to succeed in that setting. Eighty percent of Thames Students end up enrolling in Mitchell as four-year students. The idea of the New London Stories class is to develop in these students a sense of place, which is all part of developing a sense of self. It is a full semester group research and group writing project. We hope you enjoy the article.

J. Christopher Kervick, JD, Adjunct Faculty, Mitchell College, Thames at Mitchell

The NL HarborCam now has 6.7M views! It’s your 24/7 eye on the harbor.

Photos, above: a small ship motors up the Thames in the light of the setting sun on the NL HarborCam. Winter Solstice is Saturday, December 21.

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Photo, below: Yes, we’re 41! Thank you, Suzy Boada for the beautiful & delicious cake! She added the roof walk we plan to reconstruct. (You can find Suzy at the Social – her kitchen’s downstairs.)