We were looking for things to do, and my wife came across the Cole Land Transportation Museum. She…read moresaid it had trains, and we both love trains (who doesn't?) so we made the trip. After paying the entrance fee, they do offer a free "scavenger hunt" placard divvied out by easy, medium, and hard. They each have photos of emblems or things for you to try and locate throughout the whole facility. You then write them down under the pictures with your erasable marker. The Cole family made their fortune in the trucking industry and eventually sold the business in the 90s. A very loving family, and after seeing and reading about Cole Transportation, seemed like a wonderful place to work for that treated their customers and employees right. The patriarch of the family eventually established the idea for the museum, and got to work. The museum has many aspects of transportation within, and lots of Maine background stories. There's Snowplows, Fire Equipment, Farm Equipment, Cars, Trains, Military, Construction vehicles, Sleighs, and so much more. The signage gives everything you'd want to know about the vehicles and artifacts, and if you want more info, any of the volunteers (most, if not all are military veterans) can probably answer your questions. If you have young children, you'll probably be in and out of here as I'd have to bet that most young children would be relatively quickly bored even with the variety of exhibits. But, my wife and I actually spent several hours slowly going up and down each aisle so we could get a good look at everything. The place was not full at all. The museum says they sponsor many school trips there and "be a friend to a veteran" talks. They sponsor essay writing contests with topics such as "What Freedom Means to Me." They have pictures of their former 18-wheelers with patriotic slogans painted on the sides entered by school children and voted on by committee. This museum shouts out loud that you're proud to be an American and able to live the American Dream. It's $7 for adults to enter, and all children are free. Well worth it and very happy to support local businesses. FYI, we ended up finding just over half of the "hard" scavenger hunt items. We'll have to look for more next time.

By no means am I a transportation enthusiast, but for $7, I got a lot out of it and had a good…read moretime. There is quite the collection of various modes of transportation (tractors, cars, sleighs, buses, train cars, etc.). Our group of twenty-somethings had a great time learning and enjoying the various photo ops. I can see people of all ages enjoying this museum.

A stunning theatre with an amazing cast and great directing. I cried in remembering my youth.read more

I spent a pleasant evening at the Penobscot Theatre Company as part of last month's Maine Book…read moreFestival. I was on a panel about suspense and the influence of Stephen King, and it was fun to have that event in the heart of Derry/Bangor. The theater was attractive, with a nice stage and a spacious seating area. There were some cool chandeliers that looked like crystal jellyfish. I gather that the theater is a town landmark and important cultural institution, putting on a full roster of shows when it isn't hosting one-off literary events. There was a little bar off to one side of the theater, apparently called The Stage Door. I hung out there with friends and new acquaintances before and after the panel. I got to try two cans of local beer, the Orono Tubular Hazy IPA and the Sacred Profane Dark Lager. Both were delicious beers that I never see at home. I had a lovely time at the Penobscot Theatre Company and am glad I got to visit on my first trip to Maine. I'd recommend it for all your Bangor theater needs, as well as any events about the great Stephen King.

I've lived in Maine most of my life yet have never been "IN" Bangor. I've passed through a hundred…read moretimes. Attended the annual Witches Walk yesterday at the Bangor Waterfront Park. The event itself was so much fun - we will definitely do that again! The waterfront park is beautiful. Clean. Pretty. Spread out. Convenient to downtown. I want to come back in the summer when the docks are in.

Great spot to unwind. Good mix of classic and newer games, everything worked well, and the vibe was…read morefun without being overwhelming. Easy to lose track of time here--definitely worth a visit!

This place is gold! Multiple arcade games, for everyone…read more Quite a variety to offer and will definitely keep you busy for a while. There is a mini golf course which is a glow in the dark fun. My grandchildren are 13 and 10. They had so much fun, and the prices are very reasonable. Comfortable and they had done a great job with setting it up. So many choices for everyone. Would highly recommend for the whole family.

We love taking the kids to this children's museum. The times we have gone, it hasn't been too busy…read more There are plenty of activities for kids of all ages. They even have an art room where my granddaughters had the opportunity to make something fascinating. They also love the medicine and kitchen sections. They can spend hours here. The museum has three floors. Staff is always accommodating and friendly. There is a good parking garage close by that charges minimal for parking (free for the first two hours and then 1.50 for each hour after that). There are also some restaurants and other snack places close by so you can certainly make a day of it if you wish.

Lovely little children's play museum located in the center of Bangor. Free admission with ASTC…read morereciprocal program which made it a lovely break on our drive to Bar Harbor. A lot of pretend play areas, three floors but easily done in about 60-90 minutes for our 5 and 7 year olds. Agree with the others who thought this was better for the preschool and early elementary crowd than older kids. Great also at the last hour of the day Saturday when it was mostly empty.

I can't believe that the BPD's Duck of Justice hasn't blown up Yelp's site.... why aren't all the…read moregood Yelpers visiting the DoJ?? After searching online for anything out of the ordinary to see in Bangor, I knew that the best must-see would be at the police department. Yes, you read that right: this is the residence of the duck's PR guy (and retired Lieutenant) refers to as the "marginally world famous" duck. Read the story online of how this stuffed duck was rescued and is now a community icon, not to mention awesome stories on their Facebook page. If you say you don't do FB, start reading the BPD's page anyhow. You can visit the duck 24 hours a day, but if you go during standard business hours you can meet the QOTFD (Queen of the Front Desk) Melody who will even take your photo with the duck. If you go and she is not there (like we did), you can take a selfie, email it and perhaps become famous as well. Or "marginally famous". The duck has a sign-in log, a family from Germany had been there earlier in the day and there have been 6,000 visitors since 2016; that makes me kind of speechless. Since we arrived at 8pm on a weeknight, Queen Melody was gone (not that I wanted a photo, but to meet her would also have been exciting) and we had to be buzzed into the building. Was my friend embarrassed by my "hi, we are here to see the duck!" response into the intercom? Of course he was. Did a nice (and good looking) officer come out to let us into the duck's lair? Yes. The room isn't large, but it has some cool stuff: photos from old crimes (beware: a couple of bodies), handcuffs that look like they weighed 5-10 lbs, a "tramp chair" and some other cool things. You can also pick up a duck sticker (now on my refrigerator) and if you really want to update your wardrobe, order a t-shirt and/or sweatshirt of the duck (proceeds go towards various community programs). In case you haven't figured it out by now, just go and see the Duck of Justice.

Had to visit the Duck of Justice as well as speak to Melody, Queen of the front desk. Melody is…read moreespecially fond of DOJ visitors and gladly enables access, she also points out that her usual cast of characters aren't the happy kind. When visiting the DOJ, mind the dangle to avoid undesirable reflections and spend some time with the other artifacts in the museum room.

My daughter has been dancing here for several years. Excellent instructors and studios. Changing…read morerooms are very small.

The President of the MAM, Chuck, was a sweet and knowledgeable veteran who told us some really…read moreawesome stories about his history (including time on the DOW Air Force base!). It's a cute little building but there is SO MUCH amazing history inside. Also you get to hear air traffic control transmissions from BGR as you walk around the museum so that's pretty cool. Definitely worth checking out while you're in Bangor.