Gardner Lake, Connecticut, USA

Gardner Lake spreads its shoreline through Bozrah, Montville, and Salem, Connecticut where many residents call the lakefront home. Although the shoreline is heavily developed with private homes, visitors gain access to watery adventures through public access points and state parks located on the northeastern and southern shores. As you are enjoying a day of boating or fishing on Gardner Lake, don’t be surprised if you hear hauntingly…
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    • All About Gardner Lake, CT

    Lake Locations: USA - US New England Region - Connecticut - Mystic Country Region, CT -

    Gardner Lake spreads its shoreline through Bozrah, Montville, and Salem, Connecticut where many residents call the lakefront home. Although the shoreline is heavily developed with private homes, visitors gain access to watery adventures through public access points and state parks located on the northeastern and southern shores.

    As you are enjoying a day of boating or fishing on Gardner Lake, don’t be surprised if you hear hauntingly beautiful piano music rising up from the lake bottom. In February 1895, Thomas LeCount decided he wanted to move his house from one side of the lake to his newly purchase lot across the lake. He decided that if he waited until the lake froze, contractors would be able to slide the in tact house across the lake and reset it on his new plot of land. By the time the contractors had prepared the house for its move and pulled the house 100 yards off shore, darkness overcame the workers and prevented anymore moving that day. They decided to leave the house where it was and return to their project the next morning.

    Upon arrival the following day, the workers were embarrassed and horrified to see that the weight of the house had cracked the ice and the house was leaning to one side and taking in water. The workers tried to salvage as much as possible but was forced to leave large items in the house as they had no way to haul the huge house to safety. As a constant reminder to the community, the house remained only partially submerged for years. Local stories proclaim that in the summer children would row out to house and play in the attic which was still above water. Years later it finally settled to bottom of the lake where it is still an attraction for scuba divers to enjoy exploring the old house and the majority of its furnishings including the upright piano which is said to be the origin of the mysterious music.

    In the middle of Gardner Lake is Connecticut’s smallest park with an area of .88 acre named Minnie Island where the water is the deepest at 39 feet. Whether you enjoy lazing on the beach, swimming, boating, jet skiing, camping or fishing, this lake is sure to please. Residents and visitors alike have access to marinas that provide boat storage and rentals. During early fall, the lake is typically drawn down two to four feet to protect docks from the freeze and in preparation for spring thaw and rain. But this does not decrease the fishing opportunities for bluegill, pumpkinseeds, calico bass, yellow perch, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, brown bullhead, trout and walleye.

    The lake area has a wide range of houses that provides real estate opportunities for those wishing to settle here or purchase a vacation home. For a visit to Gardner Lake, vacation rentals range from camping, motels, bed and breakfasts to home rentals along with shopping and dining venues make this an ideal getaway.

    In fact, Gardner Lake is located in Eastern Regional Tourism District of Connecticut that is also known as Mystic Country that boasts three distinct regions for you to explore. The quiet corner of Mystic Country is the country area where rural beauty and untouched wilderness entice visitors to outdoor adventure of hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and camping. The Casino country is the second region and boasts a range of vacation rentals from economical hotel rooms to four star suites and villas for your stay at the exciting gaming location or perhaps for a romantic getaway. The third region is the coastal region where you can explore the beaches, lighthouses, and landscapes from the air in a hot air balloon, by ground through automobile or bus tours, or by water when you travel aboard a steamboat. Here vacation rentals include bed and breakfasts, inns, motels, resorts with water views or even water bound lodging if you choose to rent a sailboat with living quarters.

    Gardner Lake and the Connecticut Eastern Tourism Region offer visitors and residents a chance to experience a wide range of adventure all within a short ride of each other. Whether you come for the lake, the country, the casinos, or the coastline, it really does not matter as long you visit soon.

    Things to Do at Gardner Lake

    These are some activities in the Gardner Lake, CT area visitors can enjoy:

    • Vacation Rentals
    • Fishing
    • Boating
    • Sailing
    • Swimming
    • Beach
    • Canoeing
    • Kayaking
    • Jet Skiing
    • Scuba Diving
    • Camping
    • Hiking
    • Biking
    • State Park
    • Shopping
    • Casino Gambling

    What Kind of Fish Are in Gardner Lake?

    Gardner Lake has been known to have the following fish species:

    • Bass
    • Black Bass
    • Bluegill
    • Brown Bullhead
    • Largemouth Bass
    • Perch
    • Smallmouth Bass
    • Sunfish
    • Trout
    • Walleye
    • Yellow Perch
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    Find Places to Stay at Gardner Lake

    If you’re considering a Gardner Lake lake house rental or hotel, we’ve made it super easy to find the best rates and compare vacation accommodations at a glance. Save time using this interactive map below.

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    More Sites to Book a Gardner Lake Vacation

    Our interactive Gardner Lake lodging map above is an easy tool for comparing VRBO rental homes and nearby hotels with Booking.com, but there could be times when you need to expand your search for different types of accommodations. Here are some other lake lodging partners we recommend:

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    Gardner Lake Statistics & Helpful Links

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    Lake Type: Natural Freshwater Lake, Dammed

    Water Level Control: Connecticut Department of Enviromental Protection

    Surface Area: 529 acres

    Average Depth: 14 feet

    Maximum Depth: 39 feet

    Trophic State: Mesotrophic

    Gardner Lake Map
    Local Weather Forecast
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