About this venue
The Garde Arts Center is one of New London's distinctive historic performance venues, centered on the 1,420-seat Garde Theater. Opened in 1926 during the great era of movie palaces and vaudeville, the venue preserves the character of a theater from Hollywood's golden age. Its architecture is especially notable for the richly restored Moroccan-inspired interior.
Entering the auditorium brings the atmosphere of a classic movie palace, with decorative ceilings, balconies and bas-relief wall scenes creating a strong visual identity. The theater is also known for its excellent acoustics, while expanded lobby areas, refreshment spaces and restored facilities make the experience more comfortable before plays, concerts, film screenings and other events.
The venue is located at 325 State St, New London, United States, with the main entrance and box office directly accessible from State Street. On-street parking in the immediate downtown area can be limited, so visitors arriving by car can use permitted street spaces or public garages nearby and complete the final part of the journey on foot. For broader transport options and getting around New London, see the city information further down the page.
About the city
New London, a port city on the Thames River and Long Island Sound in Connecticut, combines a strong maritime tradition with a compact downtown filled with restaurants, galleries, music and cultural attractions. For visitors arriving for concerts, performances or sporting events in the city and the wider southeastern Connecticut area, a major advantage is that the Historic Waterfront District, Garde Arts Center and the main transportation hubs are located relatively close to one another. The city is small enough to navigate easily, yet offers enough to see and do to turn a trip to an event into a full-day or multi-day stay.
Transportation connections are one of New London's greatest practical advantages. New London Union Station is the city's main intermodal transportation hub and is served by Amtrak Northeast Regional and CTrail Shore Line East trains, connecting the city with New Haven and the rail corridor toward New York, Providence and Boston. Local and regional bus transportation is operated by the Southeast Area Transit District (SEAT), with numerous routes also meeting at Union Station, while ferry services through the harbor provide additional connections to destinations across Long Island Sound. For visitors arriving by air, Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport is one of the practical options for scheduled passenger flights, with onward travel to New London possible by road or a combination of rail connections.
Before or after an event, it is worth exploring the Historic Waterfront District and walking along the Thames River, where historic architecture, city piers and harbor views combine with New London's distinctive maritime character. Thames River Heritage Park connects a series of historic sites along the river, while Fort Trumbull State Park offers a waterfront promenade, harbor views and one of the city's most recognizable places for discovering its military and maritime past. The combination of a historic downtown, waterfront, cultural attractions and convenient transportation connections makes New London a practical destination for visitors looking to combine a concert or sporting event with a short exploration of coastal Connecticut.
