Today the colony's afterlife is the town's main draw. The Griswold House at 96 Lyme Street is the Florence Griswold Museum — 13 acres on the Lieutenant River, the restored boarding house with its painted panels, a modern gallery, and gardens running down to the water. The Lyme Art Association, founded by the colony's painters, still exhibits in its 1921 gallery next door. Sound View and White Sand beaches fill on summer weekends along Long Island Sound, Rogers Lake anchors the town's northern half, and the sea captains' houses still line Lyme Street under the elms — the view down the street from the Congregational Church remains, recognizably, the one the Impressionists painted.
Old Lyme wears its history lightly: a town green the Impressionists painted, a museum where the art is on the walls because the walls are the art, and river light that has been drawing painters for more than a century. Our Old Lyme designs gather that identity — the clam shell, the 1636 emblem, the colony's light — into wearable form. Painting the light since 1899.
Why People Visit Old Lyme Connecticut
Old Lyme balances arts heritage with beaches and greens. Visitors find quiet museums, sculpture paths, and easy seaside stops. It is graceful, creative, and restful. Travelers find year round appeal in parks, paths, and public spaces. The setting combines natural beauty with accessible neighborhoods and landmarks. History and everyday culture sit side by side in a welcoming way.
