A fixture of Bangor’s downtown since 1959, the Paul Bunyan statue is a favorite (and, at 31 feet tall, hard-to-miss) local landmark.
Photo Credit : EWY Media/ShutterstockBy Virginia M. Wright | Sponsored by Renys
The giant Paul Bunyan statue presiding over Bangor’s Main Street is both a nod to the city’s historic lumber industry and a symbol of its enduring connection to the great outdoors. Besides serving as a gateway to the North Woods, Bangor hosts 15 leafy parks, a 680-acre city forest, and boat access to the Penobscot River. Just outside town, scores of trails await hikers and bikers, and Pushaw Lake draws paddlers and anglers. No wonder this community is so laid-back and vibrant — and with the University of Maine campus just 10 miles north, it’s youthful, too. Nearly a third of residents are 20 to 40 years old, and they’re a big reason for the unpretentious cool of their city, whose downtown hums with eclectic boutiques and terrific brew pubs and restaurants.
Photo Credit : Denis Tangney Jr./iStock.com
Plan Your Trip
Antiques Shopping
Greater Bangor is home to several standout antiques shops, including two biggies: downtown’s Antique Marketplace, with more than 50 dealers, and the rambling Central Maine Antique Mall, located near the airport and hosting 60-plus dealers. antiquemarketplacecafe.com; centralmaineantiquemall.net
Waterfront Concerts at Maine Savings Amphitheater, Bangor
Launched on the banks of the Penobscot River in 2010, this concert series has made Bangor into northern New England’s live-music capital. Every summer the lineup of top-tier rock, pop, and country talent—Michael Franti, Lainey Wilson, and Smashing Pumpkins, to name a few — sells out Maine Savings Amphitheater, the largest performance venue north of Boston. waterfrontconcerts.com
Photo Credit : Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
SK Tours of Maine, Bangor
Bangor is the inspiration for the fictional town of Derry, the setting for several novels and short stories by best-selling author and longtime resident Stephen King. Over the course of about three hours, SK Tours owners Jamie Tinker and Jennifer Millar will take you by tour van to the creepiest spots, including the storm drain from the novel It where 6-year-old Georgie meets Pennywise, the razor-toothed clown. sk-tours.com
Hudson Museum, Orono
Located on the UMaine campus, the Hudson displays a marvelous collection of ethnographic and archaeological objects from around the world, with a particular emphasis on the 19th-century crafts of Maine’s Wabanaki tribes. December brings the Wabanaki Winter Market, which features contemporary basketry, beadwork, and wood carvings in New England’s largest holiday gathering of Wabanaki artists. umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum
Photo Credit : Courtesy of Maine Forest and Logging Museum
Maine Forest and Logging Museum, Bradley
The reconstructed late-1700s milling settlement of Leonard’s Mills sits alongside burbling Blackman Stream within a UMaine experimental forest. The museum hosts demonstrations of blacksmithing, bean-hole bean baking, pack-basket making, and other heritage activities throughout the summer, but the grounds—with their nature trails, water-powered mill, and covered bridge — make for a bucolic (and free) outing year-round. maineforestandloggingmuseum.org
Timber Kitchen & Bar, Bangor
With its rough-wood walls, red-flannel upholstery, and chef’s table overlooking a wood-burning oven, Timber puts a sophisticated spin on Bangor’s lumber heritage. Offerings include smoked-seafood chowder, wild-mushroom pizza, and the Woodsman Surf and Turf: butter-basted lobster tail, hardwood-fired beef tenderloin, and wild asparagus. The Paul Bunyan statue at the adjacent Cross Insurance Center awaits your after-dinner selfie. timberkitchenandbar.com
“Head of Tide” Kayak Tour, Bangor
Explore the longest river within the state of Maine on this guided tour from Bullfrog Adventures. Traversing the Penobscot from Eddington to Bangor, the trip can be timed to coincide with high tide (plenty of gentle, flat water) or low tide (quick water with intermediate rapids). Either way, it ends in Bangor near the Sea Dog Brewing Co., where tasty pub food and microbrews await. bullfrogadventures.com
Photo Credit : Courtesy of Mason’s Brewing Company
Mason’s Brewing Company, Brewer
With a covered patio overlooking the Penobscot, Mason’s could get by on atmosphere alone, but its crew turns out brews and food worthy of the location. Choose from more than two dozen terrific craft brews and a menu filled with tempting offerings such as the Truffle Pig, a white-sauce pizza topped with candied bacon, wild mushrooms, and sauteed spinach, all drizzled in black truffle oil. masonsbrewingcompany.com
Maine Discovery Museum, Bangor
Kids can guide boats down a model of the Penobscot River, dig up fossils, and perform “cat” scans in a pint-size vet clinic at Maine’s largest children’s museum. The focus is learning through play, with exhibits that begin in the Maine woods, then span the world and soar into space. mainediscoverymuseum.org
Orono Bog Boardwalk, Bangor
This one-mile boardwalk provides rare access to the otherworldly beauty of peatland, a highly acidic type of wetland that harbors unusual flora like tussock cottongrass, hot-pink-flowering rhodoras, and carnivorous purple pitcher plants and sundews. cityforest.bangorinfo.com/boardwalk.htm
Meet the Renys Team: Bangor
Name: Nick Tripp
Title: Regional manager
Store location: Bangor
Employed at Renys since: 2000
What’s your favorite part about working in Bangor? “The customer reaction to us being in Bangor. As someone from the area, I know how long people have been waiting to have a Renys here. It’s awesome to see the genuine excitement and happiness from those customers.”
What is one thing you’d recommend to someone visiting Bangor for the first time? “The Orono Bog Walk. It’s in the Bangor City Forest, only about five minutes from the store, and is full of unique plants and wildlife. Afterward, grab lunch at one of the many fantastic places to eat, like Utopia — a delicious place downtown that offers a wide variety of Mediterranean cuisine.”
What products at your store go great with Maine adventures? “Any adventure needs snacks, and Little Lad’s popcorn, Bixby chocolate, Maine Needhams, and Fox Family chips are some of my favorites. Great brands like Brooks sneakers, Oboz hikers, and Columbia sportwear are also perfect for any Maine adventure.”
Where do you personally like to go for a Maine adventure? “Baxter State Park. I try to hike Mount Katahdin at least once a year — Baxter Peak is my favorite place in Maine. Baxter State Park also has lots more trails, rivers, and lakes to enjoy. It’s just as beautiful as Acadia, but quieter and more relaxing.”
Renys, 46 Springer Dr., Bangor; 207-203-9078. Visit renys.com for summer store hours.
