Top Groton Venues

• Spaces for 200 Guests

• Spaces for 50-175 Guests
• 2 Museums
• 2 Historic Spaces
• 2 Art Galleries

The Mystic Museum of Art has served as a focal point for the arts in southeastern Connecticut for more than 100 years. Founded by landscape painter Charles Harold Davis in 1913 as the Mystic Art Association, the institution opened its Water Street building in 1931 and has anchored the creative life of historic downtown Mystic ever since. In 2016, the Mystic Arts Center was renamed the Mystic Museum of Art, reflecting its expanded identity as a museum of American art. Set along the Mystic River, the museum houses four gallery spaces highlighted by the Charles H. Davis Gallery, a 1,920-square-foot room with 16-foot skylighted ceilings that fills the space with natural light. A stone terrace overlooking the river offers an outdoor setting ideal for cocktail receptions and can be tented for year-round use. The adjacent 15 Water Street Gallery, housed in a renovated landmark building, accommodates more intimate gatherings of up to 60 guests. In addition to rotating exhibitions and a permanent collection of over 250 works spanning early American Impressionism through the early 2000s, the museum hosts studio classes and workshops for adults and children. Its gallery spaces are available for private events including weddings, corporate dinners, and fundraisers, with in-house catering available and outside caterers permitted.

• Spaces for 200-250 Guests

• Spaces for 250 Guests

• Spaces for 50 Guests

• Spaces for 20 Guests

• Spaces for 40-175 Guests
• 3 Museums
• 2 Outdoor Spaces
• 3 Total Spaces

Anchored at Steamboat Dock in Essex, Connecticut, the Connecticut River Museum occupies a restored 1878 steamboat warehouse — the last of its kind on the river and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum sits on a 1.5-acre waterfront campus overlooking Essex Harbor, where the North Deck stretches directly over the Connecticut River and sailboats drift past year-round. The campus offers several distinct event spaces. The Boathouse Room, a program and exhibition space at the back of the museum building, opens directly onto the North Deck and accommodates up to 55 guests for cocktail-style gatherings. The Samuel Lay House — built in the 18th century and once home to the original Dauntless Yacht Club — suits intimate celebrations and corporate luncheons of up to 40 guests. For larger tented receptions, the Lay House Lawn overlooks the river and accommodates up to 150 guests. Events are available after museum hours, beginning at 5:30 PM. The venue is ADA compliant throughout, and outside caterers are welcomed for all event types.