Free & Cheap Things to Do in Bangor

Arts & Culture

Maine's only collecting institution dedicated to modern and contemporary art, located in a beautiful downtown Bangor building on the University of Maine campus. Admission is completely free, with five galleries displaying rotating exhibitions in diverse media alongside a permanent collection of significant contemporary works. One of the most underrated free art museums in New England.

Address: 40 Harlow St, Bangor, ME 04401

Tip: Open Tuesday–Saturday 10am–5pm. Free street parking nearby on Harlow Street. The museum is a short walk from downtown Bangor's restaurants and shops — easy to combine with an afternoon exploring the waterfront district.

Outdoors

A remarkable free 680-acre urban forest on Bangor's northern edge with over 9 miles of trails for hiking, running, mountain biking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. The forest feels genuinely wild despite being minutes from downtown — dense hardwood stands, a floating boardwalk through a wetland, and wildlife sightings are common. One of the largest city forests in the northeastern US and entirely free to explore.

Address: Tripp Dr, Bangor, ME 04401

Tip: Two entrances: Tripp Drive (main) and Kittredge Road. The floating boardwalk through the bog is a highlight — don't miss it. Trail maps are available at the Tripp Drive entrance kiosk. Dogs are welcome on leash.

Arts & Culture

A free Bangor landmark and genuine piece of American roadside folklore — a towering 31-foot fiberglass Paul Bunyan statue claiming the lumberjack was born in Bangor, standing bold as life in the heart of downtown next to Bass Park. The surrounding Bass Park complex includes the Bangor Waterfront, a paved riverside trail, and green spaces along the Penobscot River. A fun, quirky, totally free stop that takes about five minutes but makes for a great photo.

Address: 519 Main St, Bangor, ME 04401

Tip: The statue is right downtown on Main Street — easy to spot and impossible to miss. Combine with a walk along the Bangor Waterfront just a few blocks away for a pleasant free afternoon along the Penobscot River.

Quirky Landmarks

The Italianate-villa former home of Stephen King, ringed by a black wrought-iron fence with bats, spider webs, and a three-headed dragon. Built in 1854 and now earmarked to become an official Stephen King Archive and writers' retreat. The Kings have moved out but the house remains private — view and photograph from West Broadway only.

Address: 47 W Broadway, Bangor, ME 04401

Tip: It's a private home in a residential neighborhood — stay on the public sidewalk, don't block driveways, and keep noise down. October has the strongest Halloween-light atmosphere. For paid in-depth tours of It / Pet Sematary / Salem's Lot inspirations, SK Tours of Maine runs guided van tours.

Historic Sites

America's second-oldest garden cemetery, founded in 1834 — 264 hilltop acres of winding carriage roads, ponds, and Victorian monuments overlooking the Penobscot. Civil War general Joshua Chamberlain's family is buried here, and Stephen King's Pet Sematary was filmed on the cemetery grounds, which is what most modern visitors come for.

Address: 1048 State St, Bangor, ME 04401

Tip: Open dawn to dusk daily, free, with no entrance gate. Pick up a self-guided cemetery map at the front office during business hours, or download from the website. Fall foliage (early-mid October) is the peak time. Drive through slowly — funerals always have right of way.

Parks & Waterfront

A multi-block riverside park along the Penobscot's downtown bank with a paved promenade, picnic tables, seasonal food trucks, and the Maine Savings Amphitheater (15,000-seat outdoor venue) for big-name summer concerts. The walkable, free part of the waterfront stays open year-round and is the city's go-to sunset stroll.

Address: 1 Railroad St, Bangor, ME 04401

Tip: Free to walk anytime; food trucks and the cruise-ship dock typically run May through October. Free parking in the gravel lot off Railroad Street. The American Folk Festival in late August is free admission and turns the whole waterfront into a music venue.

History & Museums

A 200+ vehicle collection of Maine's land transportation history housed in a 60,000-square-foot building near Hogan Road — antique cars, fire engines, snowplows, logging trucks, military vehicles, and the only surviving Maine Central Railroad rotary snowplow. Founded by Galen Cole, a Bangor industrialist and WWII veteran.

Address: 405 Perry Rd, Bangor, ME 04401

Tip: Open seasonally May 1–November 11, daily 9am–4pm. Kids 18 and under are always free, making this a strong family budget pick. Allow 90 minutes; the WWII Veterans Memorial wing is meaningful and substantial. Free parking on site.

Arts & Culture

The University of Maine's free anthropology museum in the Collins Center for the Arts, twelve miles from downtown Bangor on the Orono campus. Permanent collections feature Maine Wabanaki basketry, beadwork, and birchbark canoes; Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican ceramics; and rotating exhibits drawing from a 9,000-piece global ethnographic holding.

Address: 2 Flagstaff Rd, Orono, ME 04469

Tip: Open Monday–Friday 9am–4pm, plus during Collins Center performances; closed weekends and holidays. Free visitor parking in the Collins Center lot off Flagstaff Road. Pair with a campus walk; UMaine is a 25-minute drive each way from downtown Bangor.