Gales Ferry, CT Real Estate and Homes for Sale

Gales Ferry, Connecticut, is a village in the Town of Ledyard, on the east bank of the Thames River and about 10 minutes north of Naval Submarine Base New London. This guide covers what it is like to live here, things to do, places to eat, and what to know before buying or selling a home.

Gales Ferry occupies the southwestern corner of Ledyard. It is not a separate municipality: town government, tax bills and public schools all come from Ledyard. The village does have its own ZIP code, 06335, along with a volunteer fire company, a branch of the Ledyard Public Library and a small marina. Its name comes from a Thames River ferry that started in 1740.

• The old village. Hurlbutt Road runs west from Route 12 about three-quarters of a mile to the river. Two National Register historic districts line it, with Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate and Queen Anne houses and a few kit cottages from Sears, Roebuck. Yale's boathouse is at the old ferry landing.
• Route 12 corridor. Route 12, the U.S. Submarine Veterans Memorial Highway, is the main road. Three of the town's public schools and the Holmberg Orchards farm market are on it.
• Subdivisions. Neighborhoods off Route 12 include Birdland, Glenwoods, Sherwood Forest, Christy Hill and Presidential Estates. Houses range from mid-century ranches and Colonial-style homes to 18th and 19th-century houses closer to the river.
• River and coves. Long Cove, Mill Cove and Clark Cove open off the Thames, and a rail line follows the shore on an embankment. Riverside Place has houses directly on the riverfront.

Route 12 leads south to the submarine base, Interstate 95, and Electric Boat and Pfizer in Groton. To the north it meets Route 2A in Preston, where the Mohegan-Pequot Bridge carries traffic over the river toward Interstate 395. Route 214 (Stoddards Wharf Road) heads east to Ledyard Center and Foxwoods.

Recreation here centers on the Thames River.

• Erickson Park. A town park at 114 Military Highway with a boat launch, a walking trail, picnic tables under a canopy and benches along the cove.
• Stoddard Hill State Park. 55 acres on the Thames off Route 12, with a car-top boat launch, fishing and a trail to the hilltop.
• Yale boathouse and the Harvard-Yale Regatta. Yale's crew trains here before its four-mile race against Harvard, first rowed in 1852 and held on the Thames between New London and Gales Ferry since 1878, usually in June.
• Gales Ferry Community Center and Library. Basketball courts, an event room and the library branch share 18 Hurlbutt Road.
• Pfizer's Field. Baseball, softball and soccer fields and a playground on Stoddards Wharf Road.
• Holmberg Orchards and Winery. Pick-your-own fruit, a winery and cidery on Orchard Lane, and a farm market with a bakery on Route 12.
• Poquetanuck Cove. A two-mile tidal estuary on the Preston line, north of the village. The Nature Conservancy's 234-acre preserve on Avery Hill Road has a 1.5-mile loop trail.

More ideas: Things to do in Gales Ferry on Tripadvisor.

Shopping and meals in Gales Ferry center on Route 12, where the village's restaurants and stores are found. Holmberg Orchards runs a year-round farm market with a bakery on Route 12, and its orchard on Orchard Lane has pick-your-own fruit in season and a seasonal wine and cider barn. The Thames River is the other focus of village life. Erickson Park and Stoddard Hill State Park both have boat launches, and the Harvard-Yale Regatta is rowed between New London and Gales Ferry, usually in June.

• Fireside Brick Oven. Wood-fired brick oven pizza restaurant on Route 12 with a dining room, a patio, carry-out and delivery.
• Puerto Lima. Peruvian and Puerto Rican restaurant on Route 12 serving empanadas, hot pressed sandwiches and saltado dishes.
• Holmberg Orchards Farm Market. Farm market on Route 12 selling the orchard's own fruit and vegetables, with an in-house bakery and prepared foods.

More places to eat: Restaurants in Gales Ferry on Tripadvisor.

Town taxes and services. A Gales Ferry address is taxed by the Town of Ledyard. The State of Connecticut's list of special taxing districts also names a Gales Ferry Fire District, so buyers should ask the Ledyard tax collector whether a district tax applies to a property.

Distance to the base. The main gate of Naval Submarine Base New London is on Crystal Lake Road in Groton, off Route 12 about 2 miles north of Interstate 95. The junction of Route 12 and Route 214, at the north end of Gales Ferry, is roughly 5 miles from the gate, about 10 minutes by car.

Flood zones. FEMA maps stretches of the Thames River and Clark Cove as Special Flood Hazard Areas, and houses on Riverside Place have shoreline protection structures. A buyer using a government-backed mortgage in a high-risk zone must carry flood insurance, so check the FEMA map and get a quote before making an offer.

Wells and septic. Public water and sewer do not reach every street in Ledyard. For each property, ask whether it has public water or a private well and whether it uses a septic system, and plan for testing and inspection where they apply.

VA loans. A VA-backed purchase loan lets an eligible buyer purchase with no down payment and no private mortgage insurance, provided the buyer lives in the home.

Schools. Gales Ferry is served by Ledyard Public Schools. Gales Ferry School, Juliet W. Long School and Ledyard Middle School are next to one another on Route 12 in the village, and Ledyard High School is on Gallup Hill Road. School information is available from the district. For school profiles from an independent source, see Ledyard School District on Niche.com.

Pricing a Gales Ferry home starts with a comparative market analysis of recent village sales of the same kind: a river or cove property, a historic district house or a home in a subdivision off Route 12. The buyer pool includes people moving on military orders or for jobs at Electric Boat and Pfizer, and some tour a house online first. Professional photography, video and a 3D tour show them the rooms before they travel, and drone footage shows a riverfront lot or the distance to the water.