First time in Gander, Newfoundland! The town, located in the northeastern part of Newfoundland, has an international airport. Thanks to Winterset in Summer Literary Festival, who invited me out to their 2026 literary festival, my family I got to explore the town before heading to Eastport.

A great starting point! The visitors’ centre was attached to a lovely gift shop.

I always seek out bookstores in any town I visit. The owner showed me a copy of Signatures: Newfoundland Women Artists and Writers, which had been signed by several of the notable literary and artistic contributors including Lisa Moore.

For food and drinks, we went to places people recommended. Despite the long line, we waited to eat at Rosie’s. Had the fish & chips which was fresh, light, and crispy. The Newfoundland Tea Company impressed my daughter with their blends of organic loose-leaf teas. We ended up getting several different teas including peach apricot, mint chamomile, lemon ginger, and raspberry lemonade.

On September 11, 2001, the United States closed its airspace after the terrorist attacks. As a result, 38 international and military aircrafts with roughly 6,600 stranded passengers and crew were diverted to Gander. The town’s population of 10,000 suddenly grew by nearly 70%.

The people of Gander found themselves scrabbling to meet the cultural, dietary, medical, and religious needs of the passengers who had come from 95 different countries. Over the course of five days, the local residents worked around the clock to provide housing, food, and emotional support for their anxious and unexpected guests. The local pharmacy and townspeople donated clothes and essential toiletries as the stranded passengers did not have access to their stored luggage on the planes.

At the Visitor’s Centre, we learned that Gander had put up interpretive panels that provide details and first-hand accounts of the 9/11 events. The musical Come From Away references all of the sites.

The Gander Aviation Museum was a wonderful way to learn about town’s aviation history. Visitors can also further learn about the crucial role the town had following the 9/11 tragedy in the U.S. by listening to ATC audio recordings and see two pieces of the Twin Towers.

The play, Come From Away, captures this story. Watching the musical in Gander, where the actual events unfolded, was incredible. Before the play began, a local resident, a teacher who had helped coordinate housing and supply efforts at her school, came on stage and shared her account of what happened on Sept 11, 2001. Schools, churches, fire halls, and Legions were converted into shelters. People took strangers into their homes. Residents worked round the clock to feed the thousands of people daily meals.

The theatre walls are decorated with crocheted and knit granny squares made by locals. Some of them were used to make lap blankets that audience members could use to stay warm while watching the play.

The musical was held at the Steele Community Centre which hosts concerts, sporting events, conventions and more. As the sign states, the venue played a key role in the town’s efforts to support the stranded passengers.

School gyms, classrooms, and hallways were used to house hundreds of stranded passengers. Students and staff helped organize and distribute cots, sleeping bags, and other necessities.

This is an actual concrete piece of wall that once surrounded the World Trade Centre and the Twin Towers. It rests on top of a local granite boulder. The installation, headed by American artist Sandra Priest, as part of Project 911UP, rests outside the fire rescue (photo below).

Not every site mentioned on the Wayfinding Guide had signage. The SPCA cared for the stranded animals aboard the planes.

Another key location was the Elks Club which served as an emergency shelter and a gathering place for the stranded passengers. The Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 8, was also noted in the musical as having played a key role in supporting the stranded passengers.

We got this great guide at the airport helped us maximize our time in town. It includes a bit of history, population changes over the years, things to do, and fun facts about Gander.