Gander, Newfoundland

Gander sits in central Newfoundland, 330 kilometres west of St. John’s on the Trans-Canada Highway. The town has about 11,500 residents, a regional hospital, a modest main street, and an international airport whose runway is absurdly long for a community this size. That runway — and the story of what the people of Gander did when 38 wide-body jets were diverted here on the morning of September 11, 2001 — is why travellers from Tokyo, Texas and Tel Aviv detour to this otherwise unassuming town. The story became the Broadway musical Come From Away, which has played in more than twenty countries, and it has given Gander a global profile that the airport engineers who chose this location in 1936 could not have imagined.

This guide covers why Gander’s story matters, what there is to see connected to it, and how Gander works as a practical base for exploring central Newfoundland — Twillingate’s icebergs, Fogo Island, Terra Nova National Park, and the Bonavista Peninsula are all within reasonable driving distance.

Why the Gander story resonates

On September 11, 2001, when United States airspace closed mid-morning, air traffic controllers redirected dozens of transatlantic flights to Canadian airports. Gander received 38 of them. The town’s population nearly doubled overnight — roughly 6,600 passengers and crew, from 95 countries, descended on a community of 9,000.

Over the next five days, the people of Gander and surrounding communities (Gambo, Appleton, Glenwood, Lewisporte) housed these strangers in schools, legion halls and private homes, fed them, did their laundry, walked their pets, provided phone lines and prescription medicine, translated languages and kept children entertained. They accepted no payment. When the planes finally left, many of the “plane people” wept at the departure gate.

The story has been told repeatedly — in Jim DeFede’s book The Day the World Came to Town, in the CBC documentary record, and most prominently in Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s 2013 musical Come From Away, which draws most of its dialogue directly from interviews with Gander residents and the passengers who were stranded there. The musical has earned more than 200 awards globally and brought hundreds of thousands of people to watch and, increasingly, to visit.

The reason the story resonates is that it is not a story about heroism in a crisis. It is a story about what ordinary small-town practices — feeding your neighbours, opening your doors, minding your own business in a way that leaves space for others’ needs — can accomplish when scaled up to meet an extraordinary situation. Gander did what Newfoundland outports always did. The context made it historic.

North Atlantic Aviation Museum

The North Atlantic Aviation Museum on the Trans-Canada Highway at the edge of town is the primary aviation heritage attraction. The museum covers Gander’s long history as the refuelling hub for transatlantic flights before the jet age made nonstop crossings possible — in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, virtually every flight between North America and Europe passed through Gander, and the airport was one of the busiest in the world.

Exhibits include a preserved DC-3, a Hudson bomber, archive photographs from the wartime ferry command, and a detailed section on the events of September 11, 2001. The 9/11 exhibit includes artefacts donated by “plane people” after their return and a model of the tarmac showing the 38 aircraft as they were parked during the five days of grounding.

Allow 1-2 hours. Admission is modest. The museum is a short drive from downtown and has its own parking.

Gander International Airport

The airport terminal itself is a kind of living exhibit. The international passenger lounge (accessible to the public when not in use for flights) is a preserved example of 1959 mid-century modern design — terrazzo floors, teak panelling, a sweeping mural by Kenneth Lochhead called Flight and its Allegories, and the original furniture. The room has been described as the most significant surviving example of late-1950s Canadian airport design, and it has hosted the Queen, Marilyn Monroe, Fidel Castro and countless other travellers on the long refuelling stops of the propeller era.

The tarmac where the 38 diverted aircraft sat on September 11 is visible from the observation area. The terminal interior has a small display acknowledging the 2001 events.

The Come From Away connection

There is no dedicated Come From Away museum, but several sites referenced in the musical are accessible to visitors:

The Salvation Army Hall (used as a shelter for plane people) and the Lions Club building are both operational community buildings in Gander.

Gambo, a small community 40 kilometres east of Gander on the Trans-Canada, sheltered a contingent of passengers and is referenced in the musical as the home community of Beulah Davis (one of the real-life volunteers portrayed in the show). Gambo has a small interpretive sign at the community centre.

Lewisporte, 50 kilometres north on the road to Twillingate, hosted over 700 passengers during the grounding. The high school there was one of the larger shelters.

The Gander Historical Society and the Come From Away Education Centre at the College of the North Atlantic campus offer occasional talks and walking tours during peak season. Check local tourism listings for current programming.

Using Gander as a base

Gander’s central location makes it a practical base for exploring the surrounding region. Most visitors spend one night here as part of a larger Newfoundland trip — it is the natural break between St. John’s and Gros Morne, or the staging town for a Twillingate/Fogo loop.

Twillingate (140 km / 1.75 hours north) — iceberg viewing, puffin colonies, whale watching. Our Twillingate guide covers the iceberg season in detail.

Fogo Island (100 km to Farewell + 45-minute ferry) — the world-renowned Fogo Island Inn and some of the most striking coastal landscape on the island. See Fogo Island.

Terra Nova National Park (70 km east) — the eastern national park, good for short coastal hikes, kayaking and wildlife. See our Terra Nova National Park guide.

Bonavista Peninsula (160 km east) — Trinity, Elliston puffins, Cape Bonavista lighthouse. See Bonavista.

Grand Falls-Windsor (90 km west) — a larger regional centre, useful for services but not a visitor destination in itself.

Browse Newfoundland tours and experiences that connect Gander to the island’s major sites

Where to stay

Gander has the usual roster of roadside chain hotels — Comfort Inn, Sinbad’s, the Albatross, the Hotel Gander. Quality is functional rather than memorable. The town exists to serve travellers on the highway and is not a place where accommodation is the point of the stop. Rates are reasonable compared to St. John’s or tourist-oriented coastal communities.

If your schedule allows, consider pushing 90 minutes beyond Gander to Twillingate or Trinity for overnight — both offer more characterful lodging and set you up for the next day’s exploration. Gander works well as a late-evening arrival point when driving from elsewhere.

Where to eat

Gander’s dining reflects its role as a highway town: several reliable chains (Jungle Jim’s, Tim Hortons, Mary Brown’s) along the Trans-Canada, and a smaller number of independent options in the downtown core. The Iceberg Restaurant at the Albatross Hotel serves dependable local food. Bistro on Roe offers a step up in ambition, with a proper wine list and a menu that uses Newfoundland ingredients thoughtfully.

For travellers particularly interested in the Come From Away story, several small businesses in town embrace the musical’s legacy — look for the Come From Away-themed coffee at local cafes, and the limited souvenir items at the airport terminal shop.

Getting to Gander

By car: Gander is on the Trans-Canada Highway (Route 1) exactly 330 km west of St. John’s (approximately 3.5 hours) and 425 km east of Deer Lake / Gros Morne (approximately 4.5 hours). The drive itself is pleasant rather than spectacular — boreal forest, bogs, and a succession of small communities.

By air: Gander International Airport (YQX) has daily flights to St. John’s, Halifax and Toronto via Air Canada and PAL Airlines. Flying into Gander and renting a car is a practical option for travellers whose primary interest is central and northeast Newfoundland (Twillingate, Fogo, Bonavista) rather than the Avalon Peninsula.

Car rental is available at the airport from Budget, Enterprise and National, though availability in summer is tight — reserve well in advance.

Related destinations

St. John’s is 3.5 hours east by road. Twillingate is the closest major visitor destination to the north. Fogo Island and Bonavista complete the central Newfoundland loop. Gros Morne and the Viking Trail are the natural continuation if driving west.

Frequently asked questions about Gander

Is the Come From Away story really about this Gander?

Yes. The musical dramatises actual events that took place in Gander and surrounding communities between September 11 and September 15, 2001, when 38 aircraft carrying 6,579 passengers and crew were diverted here after US airspace was closed. Most of the characters in the show are real people, and much of the dialogue comes directly from interviews recorded by the musical’s creators.

How long should I spend in Gander?

One full day is sufficient to visit the North Atlantic Aviation Museum, see the airport terminal lounge, and explore the Come From Away-related sites in town and in nearby Gambo or Lewisporte. Most visitors arrive in the afternoon, stay one night, and continue to Twillingate or Fogo the next morning.

Is there a Come From Away museum?

There is no single dedicated museum, but the 9/11 exhibit at the North Atlantic Aviation Museum covers the events in detail, and several community buildings that served as shelters during the five-day grounding are open to visitors on an informal basis. The Town of Gander’s tourism office can provide a short walking tour map on request.