Stephen King Tour: October Fun in Bangor, Maine
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You probably have heard of Stephen King if you live in the United States or like to watch movies or read books. Many of the famous author’s books have been turned into blockbuster films. In 2019 alone there has been a remake of Pet Sematary and currently just released in theaters is It: Chapter Two, the follow-up to the record-breaking 2017 remake, It. So, for fans of the bestselling horror author such as myself, why not take a Stephen King tour in his hometown of Bangor, Maine? Yes, that’s right…a Stephen King tour exists!This tour can, of course, be done any time of year. However, I highly recommend it in October because what else makes for better Halloween fun than touring filming locations and learning about the personal life of perhaps the greatest horror author in history? Nothing. Yep, that’s what I thought too. So let’s get to it. Allow me to show you how to get your Stephen King tour on!
Bangor, Maine-Discovering Stephen King
I have visited Bangor, Maine a couple of times as my cousin lives in the area. Even though I’ve been reading Stephen King books since I was a teenager and I’ve seen most of the movies, I had not previously heard of Bangor and knew almost nothing about the personal side of the author behind the highly-engaging books-turned-films.
So when I visited my cousin in the month of October and learned that it was the home of Stephen King where I could take an entire Stephen King tour that included visiting filming locations and even seeing his home, I was 100% in! My cousin’s husband is also a big SK (as he is commonly known) fan too so he joined me on the tour and we made it an SK day!
SK Tours of Maine
Stu Tinker made a Stephen King tour of “Derry” possible with his SK Tours of Maine. The Bangor native and his wife, Penney (name coincidental), owned and operated Betts Bookstore for twenty years where they specialized in all things Stephen King. For the last nine years of their ownership, their entire stock was Stephen King only. The Tinkers received support from the Kings and became known as the premier place to go for Stephen King memorabilia.
After selling the bookstore, Stu and Penney concentrated on giving Stephen King tours in Bangor. The decision proved to be a smart one as the tours became quite popular and have been taken by visitors from all over the world.
Stephen King Tour-Bangor, Maine
The following are some of the places you will see on the tour.
Mount Hope Cemetery
Mount Hope Cemetery is where the original Pet Sematary was filmed. I am aware that a remake was released earlier this year for the movie’s 30th anniversary, but it was filmed in Canada.
If you recall (or don’t recall but are interested in knowing), Mr. King makes a cameo appearance in Pet Sematary as a minister conducting Gage’s funeral. The location is at the top of this hill’s stone staircase (on the State Street side of the cemetery).
This is the location in the film where they buried Gage the first time.
Fun Facts: Mr. King got a lot of his character names (such as Carrie) from the graves in this cemetery. It is the second oldest cemetery in America and the only one in the state built into a hill. The oldest grave dates back to 1777.
Mount Hope Cemetery
SK Work: Pet Sematary (1989)
1048 State Street, Bangor, Maine
R.M. Flagg
Does the name Randall Flagg sound familiar to anyone? To Stephen King fans, it should. It’s the name of Stephen King’s “bad guy” and has appeared in as many as nine of his books.
On the tour, we learned that the villain’s name came from the R.M. Flagg on this kitchen store’s red building. Mr. King has apparently never done business with the store. However, he drove back and forth on Route 2 from Bangor to University of Maine, Orono campus and wrote about a lot of the things he saw along the way for the entire four years!
R.M. Flagg
SK Work: Multiple
1212 State St, Veazie, ME 04401
Bangor Water Works Apartments
The Bangor Water Works Apartments served as the rat-infested textile mill in the film Graveyard Shift. 500 rats were used in the scene and when they moved film production, two individuals had to round up all of the rats for Jackson Labs. Because the rats were biting, the task took the guys three extra days to complete!
Fun Fact: Formerly the Bangor Waterworks building constructed in 1875, the property was empty for 40 years before becoming home to 35 residential efficiency apartments for homeless teens as it is today.
Bangor Water Works Apartments
SK Work: Graveyard Shift (1990)
1 Waterworks Rd, Bangor, ME 04401
East Maine Medical Center
To my knowledge (if anyone knows differently, let me know), the East Maine Medical Center in Bangor isn’t a film location. However, it probably is my favorite story pertaining to the personal side of Mr. King.
Stephen read bedtime stories to the kids in the pediatric wing. No one knew for 3 of the 4 years he read to the children except his family and the staff who would sneak him in.
He also started a fundraiser for many improvements such as painting rooms and installing TVs. This raised 1.8 million dollars and Mr. King personally matched the amount. He and his wife, Tabitha, were also behind the establishment of a Ronald McDonald House allowing parents who couldn’t afford to stay in Bangor the ability to stay with their kids while they were hospitalized.
Fun Facts: The only rules were no clowns and no balloons! CRY ALERT: Bunny rabbits and teddy bears were placed in the neonatal wing but when Tabitha realized the babies were always looking straight up at the ceiling she had all the ceilings painted with bunny rabbits and teddy bears! 😍😢🐰🐻
East Maine Medical Center
489 State St, Bangor, ME 04401
WKIT Radio Station
Stephen King owns his own radio station WKIT (well, of course!) 100.3 FM or Stephen King’s Rock Station. The “K” is for King and the IT…well, come on now. 🤡🎈
Fun Facts: It is the only radio station in Bangor that still has the presence of an in-house DJ (part-time) and is the only sign that bears Mr. King’s name.
WKIT Radion Station
861 Broadway, Bangor, Mane 04401
KidsPeace National Center
What is now the KidsPeace National Center was Stephen King’s business office for years. The address, 49 Florida Avenue, would come up as his residential address and people would flock to it only to realize that he did not, in fact, reside there.
KidsPeace National Center
49 Florida Avenue, Bangor, Maine 04401
Shawn T. Mansfield Stadium
“…this is a field that a King built” is one of many things upon which Shawn T. Mansfield Stadium prides itself.
Way before Mr. King built a 1.2 million dollar stadium on the property which he donated to the city of Bangor, it was just a grassy field. This grassy field served as the inspiration for the park in Mr. King’s book, Thinner.
Left: Stephen King was a coach of the 1989 Maine State Little League Champion team Right: Stephen and Tabitha King’s name appears on the home plate since they donated the money to fund the park.
Fun Facts: Mr. King’s house backs up to the scoreboard and in the winter you can see the house after the leaves fall.
Shawn T. Mansfield Stadium
SK Work: Thinner (1996)
115 13th St, Bangor, ME 04401
Stephen King’s House
Cruising by Stephen King’s house is a treat for anyone, fan or not. It’s quite the unusual, quirky house and definitely fits Mr. King’s personality. In addition to the house number of 47, the black wrought iron gates also feature spiders as well as a “K” with a three-headed dragon looking over it!
Fun Facts: The famous author has been seen waving and even coming out to greet fans occasionally. And, for the release of It in 2017, he even put a red balloon in one of his windows!
Pay attention to the detail on the wrought iron gates!
Stephen King’s House
47 West Broadway, Bangor, Maine 04401
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IT Locations-Stephen King Tour
The Infamous Drain
Say hello to the drain that gave Mr. King the inspiration for It. The infamous drain at the corner of Union and Jackson Streets looks like any other ordinary drain in the city but not like the one featured in the 1990 film.
Did Pennywise show up to say hi??? 😱🤡🎈
Infamous Drain
SK Work: It (1990)
Corner of Union and Jackson Streets, Bangor, Maine
Thomas Hill Standpipe
The Thomas Hill Standpipe was the inspiration for the haunted water tower in It. Constructed in 1897, the wrought iron tank has a wooden frame and holds 1.75 million gallons of water. The tank stands 50 feet high and has a diameter of 75 feet.
The park bench in “Memorial Park” where Mr. King is said to have written most of the book, It, which was published in 1986.
Fun Fact: The tower opens four times a year to allow visitors to enjoy the beautiful views from its promenade deck.
Thomas Hill Standpipe
SK Work: It (1990)
41 Thomas Hill Rd, Bangor, ME 04401
Meet Me at the Sewers
This cement structure built into a small hill is the location where the kids meet in the movie, It, before they head into the sewers.
Sewer Meeting Spot
SK Work: It (1990)
Unknown
Paul Bunyan Statue
That giant Paul Bunyan statue that came to life in It and attacked Richie? Yep, this is it…no pun intended although it would have sounded cooler with intent, right?
Paul Bunyan Statue
SK Work: It (1990)
519 Main St, Bangor, ME 04401
Bangor Public Library
The Bangor Public Library appeared as the Town Hall building of “Derry” in It. Derry is, of course, fictional but Mr. King has stated that Bangor, Maine served as his inspiration for the famous fictional town.
Fun Fact: Another good work here, Mr. and Mrs. King donated 2.5 million dollars back in the 90s towards renovations that funded the library’s new wing.
Bangor Public Library
SK Work: It (1990)
145 Harlow St, Bangor, ME 04401
Fantastic Fun Facts:
- Stephen and Tabitha King are known affectionately as “Steve and Tabby” to family and friends. As I am relaying stories told to us by our tour guide, Stu, a friend of the Kings, I will refer to them as “Steve and Tabby”.
- Carrie: The novel went into a publisher’s bidding war for paperback rights between Bantam and Signet. Steve’s editor (Kirby) put them into a bidding war and locked Signet for $400,000 even though at the time, most bids locked in at $4,000.
- Since Steve didn’t have a phone, Kirby sent him a telegram saying congrats on the $400,000. The Kings thought it was a misprint and they would be getting $2,000 (half of what they thought was the original $4,000). Steve sent back a telegram asking when they could expect the $2,000 check. Kirby responded with “It’s $200,000, not $2,000, dummy!” and didn’t even sign his name. He knew Steve was an English major and not a math major! 😂
- Tabby read the telegram and called Steve at work. Since she never did this, Steve thought one of his kids had died. Tabby had to read the telegram to him four times before it sunk in and he didn’t remember much after that. But, he went to buy her a handheld blow dryer as a gift to give her that very night to thank her for sticking by him. It was $8.99 plus tax which was all he had at the time. They no longer wondered how they were going to pay their $65 rent. However, they did budget out $10,000 per year to make the money last for 20 years.
- The Shining: The spooky novel was conceptualized in Colorado about 43 miles outside of Boulder. The Kings wanted to stay a couple of nights at a hotel and were told the hotel was only open one more night as they were closing for the winter. Steve thought of The Shining right then.
- Tabby was hungry and wanted to eat before they made the one-hour return drive to Boulder. So, they ate at a restaurant where they were the only patrons. Only three tables were set. All the others had the chairs upside down, covered with sheets. Classical music began playing as soon as their food arrived and Steve came up with the entire outline of the book at that moment. They wound up staying in the area while he finished writing out the details.
- Steve and Tabby’s older son, Joe, was the youngest person to fly on the Concord. The Kings had tried living in the United Kingdom but became so homesick that they returned home six weeks later, losing all the money on their rental house. Steve spent $14,000 on Concord tickets and they were back in the USA within four hours. Though at the time they were unaware, Tabby returned home from the UK pregnant with their younger son, Owen.
- Stephen Edwin King just turned 72 on Sept 21. He was born on 9.21.47 but it is thought to just be a coincidence that his address (displayed so prominently on his gate) is 47.
PIN IT!
Okay SK fans, pretty interesting stuff, right? I loved what all I learned about Mr. King. I was already in love with his writing but I totally have a newfound appreciation for him after learning more about his personal life. If you are an SK fan, a movie buff, or just looking for cool Halloween fun, I definitely recommend this Stephen King tour!
Hungry after getting your SK on? My guide to Maine-ly eating will give you ten options to solve that problem!
Have you been to Bangor? Are you a Stephen King fan? What is your favorite movie? What location on this tour would you be most excited about?
‘Til next time…
Trimm Travels,
How interesting! I love Stephen King as an author and this looks like such an interesting tour about him. I loved the fun facts also.
Hi Sam-It’s a really fun and unique tour. He’s a great guy and has done so many things for his community I never knew about. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Stephan King is one of my very favorite authors. I am pretty sure I have read almost everything he has wrote. This sounds like a super fun tour. I had no idea it existed. I love that Stu Tinker’s wife s named Penney, that is a great coincidence. This is a tour I would love to take.
Hi Wendy-I know, I loved that name coincidence too! Isn’t he a fabulous author? You would love this tour and I hope you get to take it one day! Thanks for reading! 🙂
We had no idea there was a Stephen King tour let alone in Maine. I absolutely love old cemeteries though so I would have eaten that visit up!
Hi Wildish Wander-Yes, there is and you would love it if you like old cemeteries! Thanks for reading! 🙂
I can imagine this tour would be so popular with SK fans. I love the house and in particular the gate with the spiders and bats.I didn’t realise he was that old, or that he used to read bedtime stories to kids in hospital. I just hope they weren’t scary stories though. Such a great idea doing this fun tour for Halloween.
Hi Tania-No they weren’t scary bedtime stories that he read to the kids. Scary didn’t come into play at the hospital. No clowns or balloons allowed either. He has such a softie side. And yes, it’s a great Halloween tour! Thanks for reading! 🙂
I love the books of King. I just read everything as a teenager, which I could get my hands on. I have never seen the films. I did not want to destroy the illusions of the thoughts I had reading.
Hi Susanne-I understand that. Some of the films though are really good! Thanks for reading! 🙂
As I was reading this through I wondered what Mr. King would think of the tours…but given that he occasionally waves to the tourists or comes out to greet them, he must be OK with it! I remember reading Pet Semetary and seeing the movie – it scared the CRAP out of me! I recognized Mount Hope Cemetery from your photos even before I read the description. 🙂
Hi Jim-Haha, great minds think alike. I wondered that same thing. What does Mr. King think about all of us taking photos at his house daily? But when our guide (who knows him) told us he comes out and waves/greets occasionally and even put a red balloon in his window for the release of It then I guess he doesn’t mind! He seems to very much be a people person. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Before few days, I returned from Midwest and could figure out how beautiful it might be in this Fall season. Stephen king tour in Bangor too looks interesting as the Stephen King’s house really looks quirky and especially that drain where the hand is coming out. I also loved that here Fall is significantly visible as many trees have yellow leaves. Also Memorial park looks very beautiful.
Hi Yukti-Yes, Maine is one of the prettiest states to visit in the fall for sure! Mr. King’s house is definitely quirky and fits him well. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Oh how cool! We both used to read Stephen King’s books when we were teenagers! While some of the movies are great, we must admit that we’re not into IT. Nevertheless, we like exploring old cemeteries and visiting film locations, so we’d definitely go to Bangour when we visit Maine someday!
Hi Mei and Kerstin-I hear you…I love all the books. Some of the movies are better than others for sure. I am NOT a clown fan. At all. Not the least bit. BUT…for some reason I like It and have seen them all. Funny how that works. If you’ve both read all the books, definitely check out this tour when you’re back in the US. Thanks for reading! 🙂
That’s a perfect match between house and author, isn’t it? I knew that SK was a philanthropist, but I’d not heard about Tabitha and the bear and rabbit ceilings; that’s such a great idea. It must be strange to have connections with R. Flagg and read how the name influenced so many powerful villains; that was a new story for me. I sometimes think I’d love to visit all the SK sites, and this would be a fantastic start.
Hi Bernadette-Is it not THE perfect match of a house for SK?? I love it! I had no idea he was such a philanthropist before this tour. I love how he and his wife are a solid team and weathered through so much together. The bears and bunnies is such a cute idea. I agree it must be interesting for R. Flagg to know about its connections throughout the books! I hope you get to do the tour when you’re in the US sometime and thanks for reading! 🙂
To be honest, I’m not a fan, but my husband is. And as he doesn’t do that much reading nowadays, anything that can motivate him is worth a try :)) Anyway, the US is still far away in our travel plans, but this is worth keeping in mind. And I’m happy to see that even for me, an outsider to Stephen King’s books, the tour looks interesting and amusing, so excellent suggestion. 🙂
Hi Mirela-Oh I get it, this genre isn’t for everyone but it’s nice to know that you find the tour interesting even if not a fan. His philanthropy side is worth it all by itself! Glad to hear your husband is a fan. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Hi. I am a huge SK fan. We will be taking the tour in August, when we visit there. I am super excited! I have waited for this trip since I was a teenager.
Hi Brenda-If you are a huge SK fan you will LOVE this tour! I’m excited for you because it’s such a cool and unique adventure. I would love to hear your thoughts after you take it! Thanks for reading! 🙂