Conning Towers-Nautilus Park occupies the northwest corner of the Town of Groton, where Naval Submarine Base New London sits along the Thames River. The neighborhood gets its name from the conning tower of a ship, its highest point, where a “conning” team can scan the area. This military town is also home to the USS Nautilus, the nation’s first nuclear-powered submarine, and Nautilus Park, a wooded area between military housing developments.
“It’s a bedroom town that supports the naval base,” says Greg Hanner, a Realtor and broker-owner of Garden Realty with 35 years of experience in the area. “You’ve heard of a ‘bedroom community’? This is a town with housing and services for military staff and enlisted.”
In Conning Towers-Nautilus Park, drivers can get their vehicles cleaned at Submarine Car Wash. “I get the Captain’s Package,” Hanner says. “It takes care of the outside, and the car is wiped off inside and out. A good deal.” Military visitors can stay at Navy Lodge New London, and military families can use the Navy Child Development Center for daycare needs, and Subase Youth Center for before- and after-school care. “The naval community is tight,” Hanner says. “Active-duty personnel go out on three-to-six-month deployments, leaving their families behind, so there is a lot of support for this community.”
With shopping and restaurants nearby, Interstate 95 along the southern border and public transportation available, Conning Towers-Nautilus Park offers all the necessities for people who live and work on the subase.
Conning Towers-Nautilus Park is part of the town of Groton from the Submarine Base to the interstate highway.
Submarine Base New London is the anchor for Conning Towers-Nautilus Park.
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A housing market driven by the submarine industry
It is no coincidence that Electric Boat, one of the country’s premier makers of nuclear subs, is downriver from the submarine base. With so many military and civilian workers supporting the submarine industry in the area, housing near the base is at a premium.
“Electric Boat’s hiring of 5,000 new employees has driven up demand,” says Groton native Adam Mancini, broker-owner of Ann McBride Real Estate, a company once owned by his grandmother. Mancini remembers the market crash in 2008 and the steady decline in home values that followed. Today, the situation is much different. “After Covid hit, places like Mystic became Kennebunkport. People could work remotely in smaller, more picturesque places. That interest plus all the new hiring at EB has raised prices.”
The median price of a single-family home in Conning Towers-Nautilus Park is $360,000, still lower than many areas of Groton. Homes range in style from vintage Cape Cods with views of the Thames to contemporary colonial styles built within the last 10 years. Condominiums are also available at Groton Landing, near the start of the Submarine Force Greenway, which takes cyclists along Route 12 to the submarine base entrance.
The need for housing has also prompted the building of a new apartment development called Triton Square next to I-95 and Route 12. The new complex will feature upscale residences with easy access to major employers, shopping and entertainment in the area.
Conning Towers-Nautilus Park has several condominium developments that offer low-maintenance living.
Vintage homes in Conning Towers-Nautilus Park range from early 19th century to more modern replicas.
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Route 12 commercial corridor and shopping centers
Route 12 is the main commercial corridor in Conning Towers-Nautilus Park. For a hearty breakfast, lunch or dinner, Groton Townhouse Family Restaurant serves a range of American favorites that are also easy on the wallet. Game Time Sports Bar and Restaurant up the road has a full bar, shows sports programming on its flat-screen TVs, and gives customers a chance to unwind with pool tables, darts and arcade games. People who want to learn more about the history of submarines can visit the Submarine Force Library and Museum, where visitors can board the historic USS Nautilus submarine.
Military families can shop at the subase’s commissary, get their hair cut at its barber shop, bank at the Navy Federal Credit Union, and grab a bite at Wayback Burgers, which offers thick hamburgers and hand-dipped milkshakes.
The Groton Square shopping mall sits at the juncture of Route 12 and I-95. It features a Walmart, a Stop and Shop, a Kohl’s and several other retail stores and fast-food chains. Route 12 turns into Route 1, taking drivers and bus riders to the Long Hill area of Groton, where shoppers will find more restaurants and retail stores.
Looking across Conning Towers-Nautilus Park along Route 12, many of the homes are set back from the busier roads.
Enjoy fresh coffee any time at the Groton Townhouse restaurant in Conning Towers-Nautilus Park.
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From Groton parks to Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos
Groton has many parks available for residents to explore. Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park overlooks the Thames River and is where British forces led by Benedict Arnold captured the fort in 1781. Bluff Point State Park, an 800-acre peninsula on Long Island Sound, offers rocky beaches, woodlands and bluffs.
The Mohegan Sun, 10 miles north, offers two casinos, live concerts, entertainment and sporting events, like WNBA basketball featuring the Connecticut Sun. East of there, Foxwoods attracts people with its seven casinos, luxury hotels, restaurants and outlet mall.
Now clean enough to wade in, the water around Bluff Point State Park in Groton had been poluted.
Mohegan Sun Casino offers year-round destination fun for residents of Conning Towers-Nautilus Park.
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Groton public schools that serve the area
Conning Towners-Nautilus Park is served by the Groton School District, which earns a B from Niche. The district offers five themed magnet elementary schools, including Charles Barnum Discovery Magnet, the closest to the submarine base. Groton Middle is recognized as an international baccalaureate world school, and Robert E. Fitch High offers AP and UConn Early College Experience courses. UConn Avery Point is south of Conning Towers on Long Island Sound. The campus enrolls approximately 800 students who often transfer to the Storrs campus to finish their degrees.
Dr. Charles G. Barnum School is well loved for it's quality staff.
Grades 9-12 are taught at the Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School.
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Public transportation and healthcare resources
Southeast Area Transit (SEAT) buses stop along Route 12, connecting Conning Towers to the submarine base and commercial and recreational parts of Groton, Mystic, New London and Norwich. Interstate 95 runs along the southern end and takes drivers to New York City, 130 miles west, Providence, 50 miles northeast, and Boston, 100 miles northeast. The closest train stations are New London and Mystic, and travelers can pick up flights at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, 60 miles away, or Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport in Providence.The nearest hospital is the Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Unit Groton on the submarine base. It offers emergency care and other medical services to eligible military personnel and their families. The Emergency Department at Pequot Health Center is part of the Yale New Haven Health System. Patients who need to be hospitalized are transferred to either Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London or Westerly Hospital in Westerly, Rhode Island.
Busses trace routes through Conning Towers-Nautilus Park mostly along Route 12.
Interstate 95 crosses the southern side of Conning Towers-Nautilus Park.
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Crime and climate numbers for the Groton area
According to FBI crime data, violent and property crimes have steadily decreased in the Town of Groton over the past five years, with the lowest number in 2023. The Connecticut State Police’s annual Uniform Crime Reporting Program confirms this downward trend, with crime numbers dropping from 615 to 546 in the last two years of reporting, an 11% reduction.
Newcomers to the Town of Groton can expect warm and humid summers and cold, snowy and windy winters in Southeastern Connecticut. Temperatures typically range between an average winter low of 23 and summer highs that can reach up to 80 degrees.
Community policing is part of the Town of Groton Police who patrol the Conning Towers-Nautilus Park area.
Winter in Conning Towers-Nautilus Park may mean a quick trip to a favorite ice-fishing spot nearby.
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Written By
Christopher Kopczynski
Photography Contributed By
Jonathan Coon
Video By
Charlie Lingner
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Tracy O'Donnell,
an experienced agent in this area.
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