Reviews of Submarine Force Library & Museum (Museum)

Ryan Conte

This is a great place for a day trip.

WH J

One of the best museums visited in the USA. The museum has a very thorough history of submarines that can be appreciated by any age older than three, and by any educational level beyond pre-K. We noticed that both kids and adults were very engaged looking at the exhibits and vessels. Free admission. Free parking. Parking lot RV accessible. Competent docents and active Navy submariners to answer questions. CLOSED ON TUESDAYS. SEE WEBSITE FOR OTHER CLOSED DAYS.

Raymond Ellis

This is a great museum. The exhibits were excellent and interesting. They detail the history of submarines and the crucial role they played in our military history. The self-guided tour of the Nautilus was also great. The audio device that was provided worked well and was very interesting

Shaunak Desai

Walking through USS Nautilus listening to Audio narration was truly great experience. The other exhibits were very informative and interesting for me and my young children.

Brian Bowers

A wealth of information about our submarine force. Well done! As a former nuclear fast attack submarine veteran, I enjoyed the museum very much!

Carrie Henninges

Great place for a rainy day. Seeing the inside of the sub is always a hit with my son, OH and best part IT'S FREE!!!

Kristi Kisler

We did not have much time but going down in the USS Nautilus was amazing. The Museum is run by donations, which makes it a great stop for families on a tight travel budget.

Mr McMaN

Not bad you expect more in a state that has the mortal world's largest Navy bases and will bit more submarine info in and things to do but no brawl knowledgebase is not a bad experience a good time

SlinkBasil 35355

awsome

Thomas Janik

Really cool museum and a submarine history /tour. Definitely worth the 90 minute stop and the price is perfect (it's free).

Franklin Henninges

shows conditions of submarine life, different artillery used, and different submarines

Russell Morley

This is a little treasure in Southeastern Connecticut. Kids love it, adults can learn from it, and it's free! Closed on Tuesdays.

Matt Rowley

A very informative and hands on museum of American submarine history. Our children enjoyed the experience. It is all free!

Kevin Foote

Free parking, free admission leaves little reason not to visit. A walk through the Nautilus is a cool feature of the museum. Plan to spend 60 to 90 minutes there.

Erie Louison

Enjoyed our visit. Educational for young and old. Tour the USS Nautilus!

Dawn Lichty

Great historic site...loved it! The audio tour of the sub is very well done and the museum captures submarine history in a nutshell! And it's FREE!

Robert Lafreniere

So much fun and is worth the drive out!

Jerry Brown

Nice place to visit and see a load of US Submarine History and tour the first Nuclear Submarine, the Nautilus. If you are lucky enough, you may see an operation submarine pass by as the go out to or come back from being at Sea.

Jacob Cheek

Very interesting museum on submarines in general, not just the Nautilus.

tom mitchell

Excellent. A proud and detailed look at our navy submarine force. From the beginning to now. A must see for all Americans !!!!!

Opal Walston

Our son is on the USS HARTFORD....we have been here numerous times all the way from Georgia. Now we are bringing our grandkids.

Sarah A

The staff was amazing, the tour comes with personal electronic device that explains each area and there are hands on for children. A memorable visit for sure. (Free too so no reason not to)

Rob Del Vento

Great stop to entertain the kids as a break from sitting in traffic during beach season on I-95. Interesting history of submarines.

Karen Gardner

You could spend a whole day here! The tour of the boat and other displays were very informative.

Robert Palmer

This museum is a great place to check out if you are interested in submarines. They have information dating back to some of the first submarines of the civil war.

Forza Horizon Youtuber

Great museum. Loved going in the submarine under the water

Corey Jarvis

Loved it..was here 30 years ago and just as good as I remember as a kid

Rechy Eva Paola

Para quienes no concebimos la vida en un submarino y sólo tenemos la imagen de Hollywood, esta es, una muy buena experiencia. Literal entras a la base de submarinos de Estados Unidos y eres atendido por personal naval, en activo, que esta apostado al museo mientras esperan su próxima misión. La entrada es gratis y estarás de hora y media a dos en el museo. Vale la pena.

James Brown

Could not get on the Nautilus, closed. On line said it was open.

Joe Sosik

Free museum and you get to tour the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear powered submarine. Depending on timing, you may even see a submarine passing by on it's way to the Naval Submarine Base New London. But even if the museum and tour are closed, there is an overlook where you can at least see the Nautilus and the river.

Theresa Gore

It was informative

Max Battles

I try to go here once every summer; the tour of the Nautilus never gets old, and reading the documents and looking at the models is always fun.

Jon Horton

Free and packed with great history of America's undersea Navy.

Zuleica Ramirez

You will see stuff that you never seen before...

Raymond Luhn

An outstanding museum of American submarine history with many artifacts on display both indoors and out. A self-guided tour aboard the USS Nautilus is the highlight and sure to please young and old. It is the first operational nuclear-powered submarine of the U.S. Navy and served from 1954 up until 1980. (Not recommended for small children) PS: Look for the model of Jules Verne's / Capt. Nemo's Nautilus hanging inside above the entrance.

WJ M

We love the museum!! Every time we come home my kids ASK TO GO VISIT!!! LOVE IT!!!

Cameron Best

Great museum, also free!

Maricris C

I brought my aunt here for a little getaway. Overall, we all had a great time! The tour guide is knowledgeable and quite funny!

Bernie L

Awesome history!

MattandClaire Campbell

Great maritime museum. My kids loved the statics out in the front of the museum and then all the hands on (ship's control station, periscopes and light up models) displays. Touring the Nautilus requires some effort with steep ladders and narrow passages, especially if you have carry a little one. I wouldn't recommend taking kids younger than 4 down on the Nautilus, but, that's up to you. Highly recommend to anyone visiting the area!

David Glants

Free admission is a huge plus. Submarine tour, free movie, and museum makes this place the perfect afternoon visit. Only reason I took of a star is the amount of people that visit this museum with only one employee to do crowd control. Movie showings and submarine tours get extremely crowded with big families that don't typically make sure they aren't bothering anyone. Other than that this place is worth a visit in off hours.

Christian Agagon

Good and informative

Steven Gebhardt

This museum is awesome. Touring the sub was fascinating! It was all free! The family had a great time. The sub will make you feel a bit claustrophobic, but it's well worth it.

Alek K

Spend half a day to visit this rare place. Submarines. Get inside one.

Ajinkya Dhamdhere

This sucks it closed and it no say

Namrata Shah

Wonderful experience and it's free!!

Scott Woodward

Whether you are a first time visitor, or a military veteran, you'll be hard pressed to find a year round indoor free place as good as this. Family friendly. The USS Nautilus is a decent bonus.

Jeff Grigg

Lots of artifacts. Quite educational.

Alberto Sartor

Very interesting if you are close plan for a tour!

Joao Bras-Jorge

Great place to spend a half day reading about mostly WWII submarines. Lots of infos about the weapons systems not so much about the submarines' technology. The Nautilus (major attraction) was closed even though it was announced opened on the website. Disappointing.

merrill feldman

Excellent exhibits and tour of Nautilus submarine

Katherine Piscopo

Fun self guided tours with lots of volunteers to answer questions!

Denise Smith-Fraser

Extremely interesting. Excellent tour guide, if desired. Free.

Jim Nicol

Nice place to go to get a deeper understanding of submarine development. Some cool features like periscopes that go up through the roof and a mock control room. It's all free, so you can't beat the value.

Fen Fang

Impressively memorable!:))

F Ellen WW

If you are into USN sub history, must do!!

Frank vC

Very interesting and educational. An awesome place to spend the day with your children.

Cheryl Diaz

Very interesting! Submarine tour was cool.

Sanjay Dutt

Great place!

Zoe Regenbogen

One of the neatest places I've been to in ages!

Bruce Gerfin

In need of upgrade, but DOES have vital antiques and documents pertaining to sub history. Children's interest may wane.

Pravin S

Excellent destination to learn about the submarine and it's free.

Cheryl Tavernelli

Such a great place, you can go inside the actual submarine. There is a self paced audio tour.

Scott Wheeler

Great tour of sub and very nice museum with many interesting items. Its a tight squeeze on the sub so be prepared.

Wasan Sritassanee

Good;)

Federico

Excelente museo! Entrada libre y gratuita. Se puede visitar el USS Nautilus, primer submarino nuclear, y observar infinidad de objetos relacionados con esa actividad. Muy recomendable!

hunter cyr

great submarine facts

Eli Acosta

My wife and I had an amazing time together on veterans day. The exhibits were very cool and the Uss Nautilus phenomenal. We would defiantly come back again.

Sara Gabler

Fantastic Displays! Handicap friendly!

Wayne Geiser

An interesting museum on the history of submarines, particularly in the US Navy. A film details the early submarines (from early gasoline to diesel/electric boats). It seems to hint that there is another film in the works that will likely talk about nuclear submarines. The museum is free and, with a tour of the USS Nautilus (docked right outside), expect to spend a couple of hours here.

Steve Frank

Friendly staff and a very interesting place to learn about submarines.

a. tina santana

Worth two days - kids had a blast! Check the movie schedule, and be sure to ask questions. Also - the guy at the welcome desk (entry) has served - they are a wealth of information and quite engaging. - THANK THEM for their service too!!

Patrick Crough

A really unique experience. Amazing exhibits and the Submarine walk through is incredible. Knowledgeable and friendly staff too.

John Kania

Excellent museum with much to see and very knowledgeable guides if you wish to have a guided tour. Or tour on your own.

Max Warner

Great place to learn about submarines

John Thorp

This museum was a lot of fun! Very interesting facts and figures, plus the tour of the Nautilus itself. The only thing I would add is some updated information from the present and a more interactive experience. Other than that, very entertaining.

Barbie Massengale

This museum was so much more interesting than I expected it to be. Tons of information. And I'm claustrophobic, so I was hesitant about going aboard. While I could never serve on a sub, there was more space than I expected. It was fascinating to go on the actual sub and to talk with men who have served on submarines. (We visited in May 2017 and loved it. I wrote this memory, but forgot to post it until now.)

James Wilson

Great to learn more Naval History of Submarine Forces and development/research. over the years

William Savoie

Very enjoyable couple of hours. Learned a lot about the history of submarines!

LI YI

Cool place to spend a hour and it is FREE. Kids friendly. They provide audio guide to see the submarine which have different language options. There is a small museum but awesome stuffs. Cute little gift shop with ok price. Clean bathroom. Plenty of parking.

Frank Bailey

I loved it. Even my 9 and 13 year old had fun.

Luke

Such a great museum for it being free. It took us 1.5 hours to get through but we did not watch the 50 minute movie.

Curtis Curcio

It was very educational. I learned more than I thought I would. It is very well presented.

LCD PLASMA INSTALLATION

GREAT MUSEUM - Free of Charge! Better understand submarines and our Navy. It it a must stop if your driving near by.

Clay Laughary

Well done displays. Informative for those interested in design and history.

Heather Rossi

Great place to take the kids!!!!

Crane Rose

Great museum. Rich naval history of our country. Kids loved it. A must visit

סאלי תדמור

very interesting place. it is free, and you can go into the Nautilus. there is a room with old machines taken out of submarines, and young kids (3,6) had a great time pressing on all the buttons.

MarkG

Enjoyed the visit, really very interesting. Quite amazing to tour the Nautilus, especially considering it is the first nuclear powered vessel. A great way to spend a few hours, lots of information, and informative displays.

Kev S.

Going inside the submarine is cool.

Jennifer Svensson

Beautiful place Part of History.

Ricky Sauer

Was a great experience

Russ Jd

Gone the way of the F-14 / P-51 / USS Arizona / (Just to name a few of the many and mighty) Defender of the USA. The Nautilus sits proudly at her final resting perch for all the world to see, mostly to help children understand the importance of defending this nation and as a warning to all who may plan harm to this great country.

Jeff Suter

Very interesting museum if one is interested in Submarine and undersea warfare technology. USS NAUTILUS self-guided tour is a winner!

Grisel DiMarco

Awesome place to come with the family. Beautiful view

William Campbell

Great time, Navy staff was great with my 3 year olds antics. Wish I had more time to read the information!

Naomy Rosario

Awesome! Small but fun for the entire family went on a rainy day with two children. Most is a two hour visit.

jim mark

Excellent history of the submarine servi ce with lots of items to view with good detail.

Avon Barnes

I had a great time

Roger Croft

Free admission and awesome stuff to see. Great for families. The staff is friendly and great with kids. The best part was going through an actual submarine. This is the coolest museum ever.

Travis Fowler

Highly up set with the USS Nautilus! After looking up the hours and days of operation and taking note that they are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. everyday except Tuesday, planned a Sunday trip from Wallingford, CT (from TX) to arrive at 9:30 Sunday morning 11/8/2015 to an illuminated sign that said, "CLOSED Will re-open Nov. 11, 2015". Do a better job of informing/updating information!

rene

heel interessant zeker het binnen kijken in de onderzeeër

pittgrad99

very interesting. increase your knowledge of submarines and visit here. can even tour the first us nuclear submarine. loved it.

Paul L

A must see while in Groton, great for a day trip.

Vernon Hobbs

Wonderful museum! Great exhibits!

Stephen Thompson

Very informative and well presented. Going through the Nautilus is awesome.

David Powers

Awesome museum about the history of submarines in the U.S.

jim catalfamo

VERY COOL PLACE. A MUST TO SEE

Jorge Paucar

Great place to go with family

Michael dickerson

historic

Michael Thompson

The Submarine Force Library and Museum is a fantastic place to spend a few hours learning more about the "Silent Service". Not only are there great displays about the history of subs, but the USS Nautilus is available to board and tour. Everything is free, but donations are accepted.

El Blazo

One of the best museums I've ever visited. It's also 100% free. The main attraction is the historic USS Nautilus which is the first nuclear powered submarine which you get to board. You're given a digital audio device for a self-guided tour. It's kind of cramped but being 6' 5" I was able to move around easily though. It may not be for all young toddlers due to the steep stairs and maneuvering through a few hatchways. However almost all kids would find going on a submarine cool.

Filipe Gomes

Gostei muito! Muito Interessante.

Steven Yackel

This museum is a great opportunity to learn about the submarine force of the United States of America. It is amazing that the museum is free, so you really should take time to visit it. The highlight of your visit will probably be the self guided tour of the USS Nautilus, a nuclear submarine that was decommissioned in 1980. On the tour you get to see the torpedo room, the officer and crew mess and the control room. Take time to watch the video in the exhibit area as it is very informative. The other exhibits were also helpful in understanding the role of the submarine during the cold war.

Catherine Incardona

Very interesting- kids loved going into the submarine.

Matt Parke

You get to go on a real nuclear submarine. Definitely worth a visit.

Tyrex220

It's a fun experience for the family as not only do they have exhibits that you can interact with but you can go down into the USS Nauticus and see how the first nuclear submarine and see how it was operated and best of all it is free

sheryl maldonado

Fue una experiencia unica en un ambiente familiar

Jack Stagna

Enjoyed the museum and wonderful that it is free!

Tracy Llewellyn

We loved this museum! The size and information was not overwhelming, perfect!

Jimmy Victor

Amazing museum with a lot of History

scott malone

It's very informative and a wonderful experience

Bert Victor Israelsen

Wonderful exhibition. Don't miss it.

Jeff Richards

This submarine was a pivot point in history. The self tour is so humbling - early 1950's technology and signs of hand-building that nonetheless, as the first nuclear submarine, forever changed the concept of submarines and their capabilities.

Tamera Ward

Such a unique place to visit and it's FREE

david zhu

Nice museum featuring history of naval submarine force. Best of all: FREE for all. Is located right off Groton base, so military ID not required

Michael Salvati

Free to enter, donation not required .

Lee Nieves

Great experience right here in Connecticut. 100% RECOMMENDED

Javier Ortega

The best....

Pam Whitehead

Had an amazing time.

Sam and Carmen

So much fun and very informative. Great for history buffs of all ages.

Kris Tutela

Incredible

Donovan Maguigan

Packed with great exhibits and information about the history of the Submarine Force. Free admission but I would recommend making a small donation to keep this great museum free. Be sure to check out the USS Nautilus which is docked outside.

Adam R

Cool little museum!

Alex Young

Outstanding musum. Great tour - by one if the great legends of U.S. submarine service. Fortunate to be at museum on day guest author was present. Self tour of Nautilus with help of phone/recordings for each of 5 sub stations fantastic. Mobile children (if they cannot walk, climb steep narrow steps, step through sub chamber passages, wait 'til they're oldet) will love this.

Konstantin Cherco

Great museum and free admission. Not too big but all the exhibits are interesting and well done. Should take you an hour to see most of it.

Ruth Carter

It's a wonderful place to learn about the history of submarines.

Christina Levitan

Submarines great and small!! Look at the size differences between the USS Ohio and the USS Holland! If you like to learn about submarines, this is the place for you! This was our second visit here. Some things have changed since the last time we were there. Santa is gone from the museum. There's a new NR-1 exhibit moving right along. One subtle thing noticed was the change made on the USS Nautilus. So, the USS Nautilus was the first ever nuclear powered submarine. It's so cool that it's right here on display for people to walk through, but obviously we won't be experiencing any nuclear one on ones with the submarine. So, last time we were there, we could walk through and basically half way through the submarine and the door would be closed so there would be no access to the other half of nucleur end of the submarine. The difference? Last time, we could peer through a tiny round window on the door. This time, the tiny round window was plated up. Glued down. Alarm on the door. A lot of extra precautions to keep people from looking at anything directly related to nuclear technology. When asked about the change on the way out and the gentleman wasn't really sure how to answer the question other than saying, even though it's old technology, there are still countries out there that would love to get their hands on certain information. I found that interesting.

Stark Madrigal

Informative and very visually stimulating, a lot too see and it's all free!

David Tab

Great place for all ages!

Mike C

We really enjoyed our visit. Stayed all day in fact! Really interesting going aboard a real nuclear submarine. How often do you get to do that? Great museum with lots of information. The only negative I can think of is that we couldn't see the powerplant or propulsion area of the submarine (it is still considered classified). Everything is free!

Anita Richley

Amazing

Bryan Player

Wow, gives a new perspective on the US's submariners and the extremr conditions they serve in. The self guided tour is good and well layed out with the personal listening devices. If you're in the area worth a detour.

James Clark

Great museum

du S.

Great for learning and the atmosphere is very relaxing.

VR Slick

i work for Bamsi and i do outings on Saturdays this place was great they all had alot of fun i highly recomend it

Kevin

Lots to see and a wide scope of the history of U.S. submarines. Scale models show the size differences. Full size missiles and torpedoes; as well as a phone/radio guided tour through the first nuclear submarine, SSN-571 Nautalis.

Mackenzie Barber

Good quality and well-maintained museum. Free admission is a big plus. The exhibits had a lot of text and reading. Touring through the Nautilus had portable audio players and was self-guided. Very interesting history about submarines. Would recommend.

John Doggett

Took the family there.. It was amazing.. Deff worth the stop.. the kids (2-4-9-10) loved it!

Nemesis Xacto

Very historical and good for kids to learn about submarines!!!

Tyler Lund

You can’t beat the price of admission since it’s free! The submarine museum is a nice place to spend a rainy afternoon. The museum isn’t huge, but is very interesting covering the history of the US submarine forces from literally the birth of the nation to present. The exhibits are interesting but the real draw is the USS Nautilus which can be accessed from the museum. It’s a great way to see what life aboard a fairly modern submarine is like and a very unique experience.

Rami Haxhi

Go!

Matthew Lautzenhiser

Very interesting, comprehensive history of both submarines and the sailors in them. We weren't able to visit the submarine itself though, and there was no warning or notice about it being closed on the website. Free parking and visit, with a tip jar in the front

Jack Beckwith

Totally incredible. Worth the visit

Jon Foster

Pretty good!