Bangor Travel Guide
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These towns along the western banks of Penobscot River serve as gateways to the North Woods. Bangor is Maine's third largest city (after Portland and Lewiston), the last major urban outpost with a full-fledged mall. It's a good destination for history buffs curious about the early North Woods economy. Bangor was once a thriving lumber port, shipping millions of board feet cut from the woods to the north and floated down the Penobscot River. While much of the town burned in 1911 and has since suffered from ill-considered urban renewal schemes, visitors can still discern a robust history just below the surface. Orono and Old Town, two smaller towns to the north, offer an afternoon's diversion on rainy days.
Bangor is a major transportation hub and the commercial center for much of eastern and northern Maine. But, quite frankly, it's not much of a tourist destination. The downtown has a handful of buildings of interest to those intrigued by late Victorian architecture, and a new and fun children's museum, but overall the city has little of the charm or urbanity of Portland. Travelers may not wish to budget a significant amount of time for exploring Bangor.
I Left My Heart in Bangor, Maine--One of Bangor's claims to tourist fame is that an addled German tourist accidentally disembarked here during a trans-Atlantic refueling stop. He spent a few days wandering the city, believing the whole time he was in San Francisco. This would be an urban legend except for the fact that it's true. It's a wonder that a statue hasn't been erected of this man.
