Riverside Park Conservancy

Riverside Park is a lovely 18-acre wooded open space that rises from the Thames River to the Northeast New London neighborhood and the Winthrop Elementary STEM Magnet School. Created in 1893, the park was a popular recreation spot - for games, picnicking, swimming and viewing the annual Yale-Harvard Regatta - for generations of New Londoners, until it became isolated due to the construction of I-95 and urban renewal. It remains a hidden gem whose unique landscape and sweeping views offer peaceful respite from the stresses of everyday life. Directions to the park.

Join us at our annual Neighbor Day celebration at Riverside Park. We'll have pizza, grills will be fired up, and artists of all ages are invited to paint en plein air, taking advantage of the park's unique landscape and native plantings. Art supplies, in a variety of media, will be provided for New London's young artists.

Riverside Park Conservancy is in the process of making plans for this area across from the pavilion, where historically there was a small playground that was removed when the old equipment became unsafe. A rain garden is in the works at the north end, near the US Coast Guard Academy fence, but there is ample space for recreational amenities to be added to the rest of the parcel.

A couple benches have been ordered, but we are seeking public input on what sorts of recreation should be provided (creative play? adult fitness? nature trail? for visitors to the north end of the park.

Please complete our online survey, or download a pdf document that you can mail (or email) to us. Thank you!