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 Paul Bunyan statue in Bangor is a massive, colorful monument that is super fun to see up close…read more Stephen King fans instantly recognize the giant from his famous horror novel "IT". In the book, Pennywise brings the friendly-looking statue to life to terrify young Richie Tozier. Standing right beneath his giant boots is both impressive and a little bit spooky. It is a quick, memorable stop that brings a legendary piece of Maine history and pop culture to life.

I knew there was a giant Paul Bunyan statue in Bangor. I had no intention of making a special…read moretrip, but it turned it was a mile away from where we had lunch and it was generally in the direction we were traveling. If you find yourself in that situation, you may get 4 Star enjoyment out of looking at the Paul Bunyan statue. I'm no PB expert, but it seems consistent with images I've seen. Based upon quick internet research, it seems to be tied with Portland, OR for the second tallest PB statue in the US. The tallest is 49 feet and is in Klamath, CA. I've got to downgrade one star for the absence of Babe the Ox.

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!

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.

So much fun! Can't believe I didn't know this was in Bangor. There are 3 floors of super fun…read moreactivities for kiddos

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.

Wanted to check-out the latest "Mission Impossible" and was gonna see it in Orono, but it turned…read moreout the Movie Rocket cinemas had "re-opened," so we thought we'd see it there since we've never been to that theater. Well, driving up to the theater complex was not promising, with a parking lot that was barely asphalted, and a building that truly looked like a warehouse masquerading as a cinema, with a façade that didn't even have a marquee, much less anything appealing to lure anyone inside! (See my pics.) Inside, the entryway was dull and out-of-place, with a handful of sad-looking arcade machines -- do kids even have an interest in these antiquated thing-a-ma-jigs?!?! Anyway, no one was making use of any of it. We paid for our film at the concession stand. I always buy popcorn and soda, no matter what movie I see (or even if I just had lunch prior to the film!), just because.... That said, their popcorn was lackluster, but edible. Tom Cruise was delegated to one of the back theaters (there were only us two for the entire film!); it wasn't looking promising.... The house itself was very basic like any other mainstream theater complex: rectangular room with a flat, rectangular screen. Surprisingly, the seats were very comfortable, roomy, with a lot of legroom. (It made the film immensely more enjoyable!) Unfortunately, there was a lot of "bleeding" of soundtrack from adjoining houses -- not horrifically, but it was there throughout, even with all the explosions in our film. Overall, I will say that we probably will drive a little further to Orono for any future films; nevertheless, our experience at Movie Rocket was decent and OK. (And, too, it was cheaper in Orono for matinees....) ;)