On
the Penobscot River in east-central Maine, Bangor is still a
large pulp- and wood-producing city. Be sure to stop downtown
and see the Paul Bunyan statue (31 ft/9 m tall). You might also
want to take a peek at author Stephen King's residence on West
Broadway -- look for the wrought-iron fence in front of a large
Victorian house (you'll know it when you see it). The Bangor
Historical Society Museum is housed in a Greek Revival house
built in 1836 and nicely restored. Also of interest is the Cole
Land Transportation Museum, which displays more than 200 vintage
vehicles from the 19th and 20th centuries -- fire engines, cars,
tractors, military vehicles and more.
Optional
half-day trips can be made to Orono (a few miles north of town),
home to the University of Maine; the Penobscot Indian Reservation
(a few miles farther north, just past Old Town); the Colonel
Black Mansion (about 25 mi/40 km southeast, near Ellsworth),
a house built in 1862; and Bar Harbor. Nearby Fort Knox State
Historic Site is a riverfront fortification built in the 1840s
to protect Bangor during the boundary dispute with New Brunswick
called the Aroostook War. 135 mi/215 km northeast of Portland.
