Bangor with Kids
Family travel guide for parents planning with children
Top Family Activities
The best things to do with kids in Bangor.
Maine Discovery Museum
Three floors of hands-on exhibits packed into an old department store downtown. Kids can sail a mini tugboat, build dams in the water table, or dress up as forest animals.
Bangor City Forest & Bog Boardwalk
Six miles of flat trails with a stroller-friendly boardwalk floating over a peat bog. You'll spot carnivorous pitcher plants and, if luck strikes, a turtle or two.
Pickering Square Farmers Market (Wed & Sat)
Small but lively market stocked with donut peaches, blueberry lemonade, and maybe a busker. Kids chase honey sticks and crowd the guy carving wooden whales.
Hollywood Casino Raceway & Bass Park
Friday-night stock-car races that feel like vintage Americana. Noise-canceling headphones are essential. But kids go wild for the neon lights and popcorn scent.
Riverwalk & Sea Dog Brewing
Flat paved path from the library to the brewpub. Let the kids tally tugboats, then celebrate with root-beer floats and a basket of fries.
Cole Land Transportation Museum
Warehouse crammed with snowplows, fire engines, and a 1920s logging camp. Kids climb into most vehicles and yank the bell on the antique fire truck.
Best Areas for Families
Where to base yourselves for the smoothest family trip.
Everything is walkable: the library, ice-cream shop, playground, and the Saturday market all sit within three blocks. Sidewalks welcome strollers and benches appear just when you need them.
Highlights: Maine Discovery Museum, Riverwalk, Pickering Square, Sea Dog Brewing
The commercial strip where you'll find Target, chain restaurants, and the zoo-like pump station with 20 flavors of slushies, good for last-minute kid supplies.
Highlights: Bangor Mall (small but has a play area), City Forest trailhead, Cinemas 10 with booster seats
Technically its own city. But only a two-minute drive. Quieter neighborhoods, river views, and the bulk-goods store where locals grab swimming noodles for $2.
Highlights: Brewer Riverwalk, bulk candy shop, big-box stores
Family Dining
Where and how to eat with children.
Bangor's restaurants expect kids. Most hand over coloring sheets, high chairs, and menus listing both mac-and-cheese and lobster rolls. Portions run Maine-size, so splitting is normal.
Dining Tips for Families
- Order the 'small' ice cream at Gifford's, it's still two scoops.
- Sea Dog and Timber Kitchen open at 11 a.m.; ideal if your crew eats lunch early.
- Many places close 2, 5 p.m.; stash snacks or you'll crash into the dreaded between-meals shutdown.
No-frills spots like Mason's Brewing where kids can nibble french fries while you crush a lobster roll. Paper plates and outdoor picnic tables forgive any spill.
Nicky's Cruisin' Diner keeps booster seats handy and will flip Mickey Mouse pancakes on request. Opens at 6 a.m. for early risers.
Bangor Mall's food court lines up Subway, pizza, and Chinese, perfect when everyone wants something different and you need a quick, air-conditioned break.
Tips by Age Group
Tailored advice for every stage of childhood.
Downtown sidewalks are narrow and brick, pack a compact stroller or carrier. Most restaurants have high chairs. But bathrooms are tight. The Maine Discovery Museum hosts the best changing table in town.
Challenges: Early closing hours (many places shut at 8 p.m.) and limited nap-friendly spots besides your car.
- Stay at a hotel near the waterfront, easy retreat for naps
- Pack a picnic blanket for impromptu breaks along the Riverwalk
Bangor nails the sweet spot for 5, 12 year-olds: an interactive museum, short hikes, and the thrill of a real logging camp. Kids can circle the downtown loop without yawning.
Learning: Maine Discovery Museum runs STEM demos at 11 a.m.; Cole Museum staff are retired loggers who'll break down how chainsaws work.
- Grab the combo ticket for Discovery Museum and Cole Museum, cuts roughly 20 percent off the price.
- Let them try the 'lobster grilled cheese' at Sea Dog, it eases them into Maine seafood without the claws.
Teens crave a bit more freedom. The Riverwalk is safe for solo biking, and the mall movie theater reclines the seats. They may scoff at Paul Bunyan. Yet the stock-car races feel legitimately cool.
Independence: Downtown is compact enough that 14-plus can roam with a set check-in time. Most hotels sit within five blocks of the action.
- Slide them $20 and send them for bubble tea at Hokkaido Ramen, it's the teen hangout.
- Load the City Forest trail map offline. Cell service is spotty
Practical Logistics
The nuts and bolts of family travel.
Downtown is compact, if you're staying near the waterfront you can walk everywhere. For City Forest or the mall you'll want a car. All rental agencies sit at the airport. Uber exists but can lag at night. Buses run but lack seat belts for car seats, so most families skip them.
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center is 5 minutes from downtown. The ER has a separate pediatric entrance. CVS and Walgreens sit on every major intersection and stock diapers, formula, and swim diapers. Hannaford and Shaw's pharmacies can fill prescriptions same-day.
Request a ground-floor room if you have a stroller. Many Bangor hotels were built before elevators. Pool hours usually run 6 a.m., 10 p.m., good for burning off energy before bed. Suites with sofa beds let you put the kids down and still keep a light on.
- Light fleece even in summer, river breezes are chilly after sunset
- Rain jackets because Bangor weather changes fast
- Sandals for the splash pad at Pickering Square
- City Forest and Riverwalk are free, use them daily
- Split entrées at restaurants. Portions are large
- Check the library for free passes to the Discovery Museum
Family Safety
Keeping your family safe and healthy.
- ! Riverwalk railings are solid. But toddlers can wriggle through gaps, keep a grip near the water.
- ! Sun reflects off the river. Pack hats and sunscreen even on cloudy Bangor days.
- ! Mosquitoes swarm at dusk in City Forest, spray before stepping onto the boardwalk.
- ! Stock-car races roar. Pack child-size earmuffs or noise-canceling headphones.
- ! Crosswalk lights downtown give you about 15 seconds, hold hands and hustle.
- ! Tap water is safe. Yet the flavor shifts with river levels. Kids may want bottled.
Book Family Activities
Top-rated family experiences in Bangor.
Bangor Blitz Scavenger Hunt
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