Ledyard, CT Real Estate and Homes for Sale

Ledyard, Connecticut, covers about 40 square miles on the east bank of the Thames River, north of Groton and about 15 minutes from Naval Submarine Base New London. This guide covers Ledyard Center, the Highlands, Gales Ferry and the neighborhoods near Foxwoods and Mashantucket: what it is like to live here, things to do, places to eat, and what to know before buying or selling a home.

Ledyard covers about 40 square miles on the east bank of the Thames River, north of Groton and about seven miles southeast of Norwich. Preston, North Stonington and Stonington are its other neighbors.

The town's main communities are:

• Ledyard Center. The town center on Route 117, with Town Hall, the Bill Library, the town green and the Ledyard Congregational Church.
• The Highlands. A neighborhood begun in 1961 by the developer Lifetime Homes, with about 660 ranch and raised ranch houses, Gallup Hill School and Highland Lake.
• Gales Ferry. The village along the Thames River and Route 12, just north of the submarine base. It has its own page on this site.
• Mashantucket and the Foxwoods area. Foxwoods Resort Casino is on the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation in the northeastern section of town, where Route 214 meets Route 2.

Ledyard's housing is mostly single-family houses on larger lots, and much of it was built from the 1960s through the 1980s. Colonial-period houses stand along some of the narrow, winding roads.

Route 117 runs north and south through Ledyard Center, and Route 12 does the same through Gales Ferry. Both reach Interstate 95 in Groton about 2 miles south of the town line. Route 214 crosses the town from Route 12 through Ledyard Center to Route 2 beside Foxwoods. Just over the Preston line, Route 12 meets Route 2A, which crosses the Thames on the Mohegan-Pequot Bridge to Interstate 395 in Montville.

The northern half of Naval Submarine Base New London is in the southwestern corner of Ledyard. Other major employers within commuting distance are Electric Boat and Pfizer in Groton and Foxwoods.

Ledyard's town walking trails are free and open from dawn to dusk. Places to know:

• Ledyard Up-Down Sawmill. A water-powered sawmill from 1869 at Sawmill Park on Route 214, with a mill pond, blacksmith shop and playground. It runs for visitors on Saturday afternoons in spring and fall.
• Nathan Lester House and Great Oak Park. A 1793 farmhouse and farm tool museum on Vinegar Hill Road, on more than 100 acres of town land with over 2 miles of trails.
• Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. The tribal nation's museum at 110 Pequot Trail, with a recreated 16th-century Pequot village.
• Glacier Park. 21.5 acres of glacial boulder terrain with two trails of about three-quarters of a mile each.
• White-Hall Park and Forest. 38 acres of rocky upland, fields and two ponds on Shewville Road, with marked trails.
• Colonel Ledyard Park. Soccer and baseball fields, a pavilion and a playground on Blonder's Boulevard.
• Tri Town Trail. A 14-mile trail in progress from Bluff Point State Park in Groton through Ledyard to Preston Community Park. The northern section opened in 2021, with a trailhead on Route 117 at the Preston line.

More ideas: Things to do in Ledyard on Tripadvisor.

Ledyard Center, on Route 117, has the town green and the town's small group of shops and places to eat. The Ledyard Farmers Market sets up on the lower green on Wednesdays from June to September, with farms, bakers and dinner trucks. Maugle Sierra Vineyards has a tasting room and live music on Sunday afternoons. In the northeast corner of town, Foxwoods Resort Casino lists dozens of restaurants, bars and food court counters. A weekend can include a town trail, the Up-Down Sawmill or the Mashantucket Pequot Museum.

• Valentino's Restaurant. Italian restaurant and pizzeria on Colonel Ledyard Highway (Route 117) in Ledyard Center.
• Maugle Sierra Vineyards. Winery on Colonel Ledyard Highway (Route 117) with a tasting room and live music on Sunday afternoons.

More places to eat: Restaurants in Ledyard on Tripadvisor.

Wells and septic systems. Ledyard's public sewer system is small. The town's Water Pollution Control Authority runs the Ledyard Highlands Wastewater Treatment Facility and about 6 miles of gravity sewer, and Groton Utilities manages its water and sewer operations. Public water reaches only some neighborhoods. A home outside those service areas has a private well, a septic system or both. Buyers should confirm the utilities for each address, have the septic system inspected and test the well water.

Flood zones. FEMA maps Special Flood Hazard Areas along stretches of the Thames River and along brooks that include Flat Brook, Pine Swamp Brook, Shewville Brook and Williams Brook. Flood insurance is required on government-backed mortgages for homes in high-risk zones, so buyers should check the map for any property near a brook or pond.

Commute to the base. The submarine base's main gate is on Crystal Lake Road in Groton, off Route 12 about 2 miles north of Interstate 95. From Ledyard Center, the usual route is Route 214 west to Route 12 and then south, about 15 minutes.

VA loans. For eligible buyers, a VA-backed purchase loan can mean no down payment and no private mortgage insurance, and the buyer must live in the home.

Schools. Ledyard Public Schools serves the whole town, including Gales Ferry. Its schools are Gallup Hill School, Gales Ferry School, Juliet W. Long School, Ledyard Middle School and Ledyard High School. School information is available from the district. For school profiles from an independent source, see Ledyard School District on Niche.com.

Pricing a Ledyard home starts with a comparative market analysis that weighs it against recent sales nearby. The buyer pool includes people who work at the submarine base, Electric Boat, Pfizer and Foxwoods, and some of them first see a home online from outside the area, so professional photography, video and a 3D tour let them study the layout before visiting. Drone footage suits Ledyard's larger lots because it shows the land and how the house sits on it. Sellers with a well and septic system can help buyers by gathering pumping and water test records before listing.