Why visit Gardiner
Townapedia lists 11 museums and landmarks, 9 parks and trails, 12 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Pearl Harbor Remembrance Bridge, Johnson Hall Opera House, Capt. Nathaniel Stone House and Colburn School.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 81°F; January lows average 9°F, and about 69 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Gardiner
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Gardiner
Gardiner is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,961 at the 2020 census. Gardiner is a nationally accredited Main Street America community. It is included in the Augusta, Maine micropolitan New England City and Town Area.
From the Wikipedia article Gardiner, Maine (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do4
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Bridge
Bridge · 2.9 mi
Bridge over Kennebec in Maine, USA
Museums and landmarks11
Capt. Nathaniel Stone House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
House in Farmingdale, Maine
Colburn School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
Historic schoolhouse on Arnold Road in Pittston, Maine
Edwin Arlington Robinson House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
Historic house in Maine, United States
Gardiner Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.6 mi
Historic district in Gardiner, Maine
Gardiner Railroad Station
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.7 mi
Historic former railroad station in Gardiner, Maine, United States
Laura Richards House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.5 mi
Historic house at 3 Dennis Street in Gardiner, Maine
Major Reuben Colburn House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.0 mi
Historic house in Maine, United States
Oaklands
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.9 mi
House in Gardiner, Maine, United States
Peacock Tavern
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.2 mi
Historic tavern in Maine, United States
Peter Grant House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
Historic house at 10 Grant Street in Farmingdale, Maine
Parks, trails and playgrounds9
Restaurants and cafes12
The Cat's Familiar & Cat Coven
Restaurant · 2.6 mi
318 Water Street, Gardiner
Th-Sa 11:00-18:00; Su 11:00-16:00
Dave's Diner
Restaurant · Diner · 1.2 mi
390 Brunswick Avenue
Mo-Tu, Th-Fr 05:30-13:30; Sa-Su 05:30-13:00; We 05:30-18:00
The Depot Pub
Bar and pub · 2.6 mi
14 Maine Avenue, Gardiner
Mo-Su 11:00-22:00
History
Located at the head of navigation on the Kennebec River, Gardiner was founded as Gardinerstown Plantation in 1754 by Dr. Silvester Gardiner, a prominent Boston physician. Dr. Gardiner had made a fortune as a drug merchant, with one apothecary shop in Massachusetts and two in Connecticut, and became a principal proprietor of the Kennebec Purchase within the old Plymouth Patent. He proved a tireless promoter for his development, which once comprised over 100,000 acres (400 km2).
Dr. Gardiner induced a gristmill builder, saw millwright, house carpenter and wheelwright to settle here, as well as a man he enslaved named Isaac "Hazard" Stockbridge. Houses, mills, a church and a blockhouse were built. Situated at the confluence of the Kennebec River and Cobbosseecontee Stream, which has falls that drop 130 feet, the location was recognized by him as ideal for water-powered mills. Gardinerstown, set off from Pittston in 1760, became center of the regional economy.
The city became known for exporting ice. Each winter men cut large blocks from the Kennebec River, then covered the ice with sawdust in warehouses to keep it frozen into summer. It was loaded year-round on large vessels for shipment throughout the United States and world. Gardiner was noted for its pristine Kennebec ice, harvested at the furthest point upriver that deep-draft vessels could reach.
From the History section of Gardiner, Maine on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship7
Christ Episcopal Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 2.4 mi
Pittston Congregational Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 2.4 mi
Saint Joseph Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 2.3 mi
110 School Street, Gardiner
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Pittston-Randolph Consolidated School
School · 2.6 mi
1023 Pittston School Street, Pittston
Healthcare2
Map of Gardiner
68 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30°F | 9°F | 3.6 in | 17.6 in |
| Feb | 33°F | 10°F | 3.0 in | 20.0 in |
| Mar | 42°F | 21°F | 3.7 in | 12.7 in |
| Apr | 54°F | 33°F | 4.2 in | 2.8 in |
| May | 66°F | 44°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 75°F | 54°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 81°F | 60°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 80°F | 58°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 72°F | 50°F | 3.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 60°F | 39°F | 5.4 in | 0.2 in |
| Nov | 47°F | 29°F | 4.5 in | 2.3 in |
| Dec | 36°F | 18°F | 4.4 in | 13.3 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Gardiner Hcn (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Kennebec County has had 15 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2024-01-30: Severe Storm And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2023-09-14: Hurricane Lee (Hurricane)
- 2023-07-06: Severe Storm And Flooding (Flood)
- 2020-04-04: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2018-01-02: Severe Storm And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Augusta State Airport (AUG) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 9 miles away.
- Randolph 4 mi northeast, about 6 min by car
- Farmingdale 4 mi north, about 6 min by car
- Hallowell 6 mi north, about 10 min by car
- Richmond 7 mi south, about 11 min by car
- Augusta 10 mi north, about 16 min by car
- Winthrop 12 mi northwest, about 19 min by car
- Bath 18 mi south, about 30 min by car
- Lisbon Falls 18 mi southwest, about 30 min by car
- Topsham 19 mi south, about 30 min by car
- Lewiston 20 mi west, about 32 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Water Street, Looking West, Gardiner, ME, Unknown photographer, Public domain
- PittstonME FormerFirstCongregationalChurchPittstonSchoolRoad, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- PittstonME ColburnSchool, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- FarmingdaleME CaptNathanielStoneHouse, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- GardinerME Downtown, Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0
- GardinerME EdwinArlingtonRobinsonHouse, User:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- GardinerME LauraRichardsHouse, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- GardinerME RRStation, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Christ Episcopal Church, Gardiner, Mark C. Bisgrove, Public domain
- RichmondME PeacockTavern, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Colburn House State Historic Site, Iverjm, CC BY-SA 3.0
- FarmingdaleME PeterGrantHouse, Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0
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