Gardner Memorial Park

Centrally located along the mouth of the Clyde River, Gardner Memorial Park is a 20-acre community park in Newport, Vermont and one of the city's best-known gathering spaces. The park has hosted the Vermont State Men's & Women's Softball Championships since 1976 across its five softball and baseball fields, soccer field, basketball court, pickleball court, and lighted roller hockey rink, making it a regular site for local and regional tournaments. Beyond athletics, Gardner Park is a hub for community events. The Newport Area Concert Band performs free summer concerts every Thursday evening at the park's bandstand, and the Newport Farmer's Market sets up beside the bandstand every Wednesday and Saturday from May through summer, offering produce, goods, and handmade crafts from local vendors. The park also hosts the July 4th Celebration, Winter Festival, and Spring Carnival. Picnic tables, a pavilion, and a playground are available for family outings, and the riverside setting draws visitors for fishing and kayaking. In winter, the park transforms into an ice skating facility with a Hockey Rink for stick-and-puck and a Rec Rink for public skating, complete with free skate rentals, hot cocoa, and restrooms at the on-site Skate Shack. A state-of-the-art concrete skatepark, rebuilt in 2013, rounds out the park's year-round offerings. Groups planning school trips, birthday parties, or tournaments are asked to call the park office ahead of time to coordinate space.