We've been to Bangor two or three times over the years, it's such a quaint town. On our visits we…read morealso stopped here. Even though he's not lived him this house for several years, it's still something fun to do. I mean what's a trip to Bangor without swinging by for pics? The house is actually now used as a retreat for writers. There is a second large house on the property as well (white one). The architecture on both houses is gothic meets Victorian meets Maine. Well-maintained property; the grounds and home exteriors are in top condition. I can only imagine what the inside looks like. Many folks make the pilgrimage to Bangor because of Stephen and his relationship with the town. Our visits were for that very reason. This stop is definitely a must for any fan of his work.

Visiting Bangor and decided to stop by Stephen King's home. I was pleasantly surprised how…read morebeautiful the home is. The home sits on a quiet street. The lawn and home is very well maintained. The wood sculpture to the side of the home is amazing. The metal fence surrounding the home is very interesting and spooky. The home is now used as a writers retreat.

I am quite familiar with this hall and its history having worked occasionally within the primary…read moreschool which is now its proud master. The building is under the local guard of the South Eastern Education and Library Board with the school staff and children taking good care of the hall. The building was erected in 1914 as a fitting tribute to Thomas Andrews Jnr - the shipbuilder and one of the main men on the construction of the Titanic. His family were present at the opening with his daughter cutting the first sod and his widow officially opening the hall. The building inside is cold and drafty but only when it is empty! During the school year it is opened to host wonderful school productions, choir and musical practices, sporting lessons and art displays. The children's work adorns the stairwells and the upper hall is a magical place to come and see the local children show off their musical and dramatic skills. As a non-local I have only ever had lovely times in Andrews hall and associate the hall not only with history but with the friendly staff and kids of the adjoining school.

The famous Paul Bunyan statue sits in front of the Cross Center insurance build and across from the…read morecasino. Is on a busy street so we parked on the casino parking garage and walked over to a picture.

The Paul Bunyan statue is a fun quick stop. It's the type of place you'll go and get a selfie and…read morebe there for under five minutes. There are plaques that talk about how the statue came to be and one that talks about the history of Paul Bunyan. It explains that Paul Bunyan came from Maine and he's a real person that was born at 50 pounds. I feel really bad for his mom.

A lovely little park dedicated to my favorite historical figure of all time. If you don't know…read moreanything about Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Google his name and the Battle of Little Round Top. From the park you get a nice view across the river to Banfgor. Another fun fact about this site, Stephen King helped pay for it!

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.

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.

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.

We drove here from Bar Harbor on a rainy day to see Top Gun. The next day was rainy so we drove…read moreback to see Jurassic Park! Overall, the facility was clean and well kept. The ticket sellers were friendly. The seating could not be purchased beforehand and it was pretty packed. One thing: the first movie we went to had a series of 'commercials' which ran for a good 10 minutes at the start time of the movie. This was followed by another 10 minutes or so of coming attractions. It just seemed a little odd that the local commercials (volume MUCH too loud for some) would not be played as folks were waiting for the film to start (ie. before the start time of the film). There was one for a seat belt PSA which showed a mom being greeted by a trooper to say her son was killed; it was a little much for some of the patrons who complained loudly. Interestingly, this PSA, although relevant and a needed reminder, was not played the second day. Popcorn was good, but not hot. Seats were comfy. Overall, it was a nice way to spend a few hours during a downpour. There's a great restaurant, Timber, nearby which we'd highly recommend.

The seats were comfortable. But the film did not start at the advertised time. It did not start at…read moreall! So after ten+ minutes of enjoying the comfortable seats and staring at a blank screen, one of the customers went out into the lobby to get help. After she returned, the sound for the film eventually came on but there were no images and we all sat there in the comfortable seats and waited, but the images never started, so a customer had to go out and ask the manager to fix the projector. After a few more minutes of waiting, the images started to run but the movie was part way along so we had no idea how it started and we couldn't see the images on the screen very well because no one had bothered to turn off the house lights! So, yet again, a paying a customer got up from his comfortable seat and went out to get someone to turn off the house lights! So did the movie rocket staff apologize and restart the movie? No, they just let it run. I think something was also wrong with the projector or film itself because the colors were very dark and it was hard to make out what was going on, not to mention that we were lost because we didn't know how the story began! There was no staff to be found when we were exiting the theater, so I could not have a conversation. There has been no response to my contact with the theater from home. I'd been looking forward to seeing Indiana Jones for months. What a disappointment!

We did this tour and LOVED IT!!! Our guide was amazing and had lots of great personal stories to…read moreshare. There were lots of great photo ops, and even the bus had pretty comfy seats. I definitely recommend any Stephen King fans check out this tour when they're in Bangor!

Great addition to a Bangor trip - or a reason to book a trip!…read more If you are a Stephen King fan (or even if you aren't), do yourself a huge favor and book a tour with SK Tours today! The tour was absolutely phenomenal from start to finish. Not only do you get an incredible, deep-dive look into the life and inspiration of the King of Horror himself, but they also weave in fantastic history and local lore about Derry/Bangor. It turns out the town has just as much character as the books it inspired! Fun side note: I'm pretty sure I checked over my shoulder for Pennywise at least twice, but don't worry - the only thing truly scary about this tour is the thought of missing out on it! You will absolutely not be disappointed. Worth every single penny!