The old whaling port of New London (pop. 29,000), now the seat of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, has preserved a number of handsome old 17th, 18th and 19th c. buildings. Other features of interest are Monte Cristo Cottage (home of the playwright Eugene O'Neill), the Lyman Art Museum (dolls' houses) and the Arboretum, on the campus of Connecticut
College. Ocean Beach Park is a popular recreation area. From New London there are ferries to Block Island, Fisher Island and Long Island, which attract many visitors. The town of Groton is an important American submarine base. In the Submarine Museum the nuclear submarine "USS Nautilus", the first to pass under the Arctic, lies at anchor.