Five Things to Do in Bangor, Maine and Holden, Maine

One. Breakfast at Wicked Brew Cafe

Every good day starts with a fantastic breakfast, and you won’t find a better one than at Wicked Brew. A dog-friendly (yes, even inside!) coffeeshop on Park Street, Wicked Brew sells great coffee, regular and gluten-free pastries made in-house, and full plates with fried eggs and some of the best griddled potatoes around.

Top tip: The shop opens at 8 a.m. as of July 2024, but if you go later—say, around 10 or 11—you can pop by the shops across the street as well: Maine Yarn and Fiber Supply and One Lupine gift shop.

Two. Photo Opp at Stephen King’s House

Just down the road at 47 W Broadway sits Stephen King’s family home. The famous horror author’s former residence appropriately boasts a wrought iron gate with plenty of bats and other creepy-crawlies, plus an intricately carved wooden tree trunk. While the King himself doesn’t live here anymore, it will eventually be the site of a writers’ retreat and the repository for his extensive archives.

Three. Walking to Lunch at Central Bagel

There are three ways to get your morning walk in.

You can meander along the Bangor waterfront on the Brewer side of the river, which has an extensive paved and landscaped walking trail.
You can walk around downtown Bangor, taking in the many local shops.
You can peruse the Zillman Art Museum, notable for its modern and contemporary art collections. This last one is my top recommendation, especially if the weather isn’t cooperating, because it sets you up perfectly for lunch at Bagel Central. While this large cafe serves breakfast, too, we love the The Opera House sandwich on the lunch menu (chicken salad with rosemary and garlic), accompanied by a hearty side of homemade potato salad, made extra delicious by its inclusion of sweet potatoes and Maine red potatoes.

Four. Shopping or Gambling in the Area

Marilyn’s This ‘n That (pictured below) is an antiques and oddities roadside shop on S Main Street in Brewer. — ***Marilyn’s This ‘n That*** *is an antiques and oddities roadside shop on S Main Street in Brewer, Maine.*

If you like shopping: Bangor and the neighboring towns of Holden and Brewer are pretty well spread out, so pick the area you head to next based on your personal interests. We like the Bangor LL Bean Outlet for gear, Bangor Reny’s for a local Maine-centric shopping experience, Webb RV in Holden for camper-related merchandise, and Charmed in Brewer for all your witchy needs. Marilyn’s This ‘n That (pictured at right) is an antiques and oddities roadside shop on S Main Street in Brewer. You never know what you’ll find there! Of course, there’s always the Bangor mall, too, and all the big box stores along Stillwater Avenue.

If you like gambling: The Hollywood Casino in Bangor is a clean, fun slots-and-table-games venue. Smoking indoors has been outlawed in Maine, so you won’t leave smelling like cigarettes, and the slots appear moderately loose. (I played with $20 and walked away with $100 two hours later.)

Five. Dinner at Pat’s Pizza

If you end the day at Webb RV in Holden, you’re close to Pat’s Pizza, a Downeast Maine chain with several locations all serving the same terrifically cheesy pie. May we recommend pepperoni, hot sausage, and green pepper, extra baked?

Honorable mentions:

Yoshi in Brewer sells passable take-out sushi and fried rice. If you sit inside, you can try the tatami-style service.

The Holden, Maine KOA is super cute if you’re traveling through in a camper or RV and need a quiet place to hook up. Lots of pretty trees, and the pizza and sandwiches in the camp store are surprisingly yummy.

The Bangor Aviator Hotel, attached to the Bangor airport, has everything you need to make your early-morning or late-arrival flight that much more comfortable.