![]() More than a dozen parks dot the city of Bangor, featuring water fountains, gazebos, swimming pools, playgrounds, and plenty of shaded areas for just laying back and enjoying the outdoors. Here is a list of city parks, where they're located and what they feature. Bangor also offers a variety of hiking and biking trails.
Knox Avenue. Bass Park: Home of the Bangor State Fair each July, Bass Park offers harness racing in the summer with free admission. Bass Park is also home to the Bangor Auditorium and Bangor Civic Center. Broadway Park: On both sides of Broadway, one of Bangor's major thoroughfares, Broadway Park features a playground on the east side and towering trees on the west side that are just right for kicking back and reading a book under, watching life pass by, or playing a game of catch or fetch with your dog. (Just remember that Bangor requires dog owners to take their pet's calling card with them from parks when they leave.) Brown Woods: Far removed from Bangor's busy streets, Brown Woods offers 28 acres and 4,000 feet of walking trails.
State Street, past Eastern Maine Medical Center. Chapin Park: A simple park on the city's east side, Chapin Park offers children a playground, an expansive green, a summer recreation program for children, and ice skating in the winter. Coe Park: This small neighborhood park features a basketball hoop, a playground, and a summer recreation program for children. Dakin Park: Somewhat out of the way on the city's east side, Dakin Park is home to the city's east side swimming pool during the summer. The park also has a basketball hoop.
Corner of Main and Cedar streets, close to downtown. Essex Street Recreation Area: Recreation enthusiasts who are up for a challenge can try their hand at maneuvering their mountain bikes through the 70-acre Essex Street Recreation Area. Or, in the winter, sledders can slide down Essex Street Hill. The park features an asphalt basketball court, an outdoor volleyball court, and a Police Athletic League activities building for children. The walking trails, which are shaded, wind around a bog. Fairmount Park: A neighborhood park, Fairmount Park features a playground, a basketball hoop, some shade, a summer recreation program for children, and ice skating in the winter.
Union Street and 13th Street (off Union and Hammond streets). Kenduskeag Stream Park: Only a minute or two from downtown Bangor, Kenduskeag Stream Park is a perfect place to take a break for a few minutes sitting on a bench or at a roofed picnic table. The park also features a 2 1/2-mile walking trail that overlooks the stream from Franklin Street, along Valley Avenue, and just after the Interstate 95 bridge. The trail is perfect for unwinding after a stressful day and for gathering one's thoughts. It was also one of Henry David Thoreau's favorite places to explore nature when he visited his cousins in Bangor. Norumbega Parkway: An ideal location for lunch or a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack in downtown Bangor, Norumbega Parkway was the site of Bangor's original Customs House, post office, and Norumbega Hall, all of which the Great Fire of 1911 destroyed. Today, it is the home of the War Memorial, a statue by Brewer native Charles Tefft that commemorates the lives of all those who have died in war for the United States. The park is actually an island in the Kenduskeag Stream.
Prentiss Woods: Named in honor of former Bangor mayor Henry E. Prentiss, Prentiss Woods offers 35 acres of walking trails. Riverview Park: On the banks of the Penobscot River, Riverview Park is at the city landing, next to the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge. The park is the site of free weekly concerts during the summer. Stillwater Park: A simple park with an expansive green, Stillwater Park features a basketball hoop and a playground. In the summer, the park hosts a recreation program for children, sponsored by the city. A portion of the park is flooded in the winter for ice skating. Summit Park: Summit Park is an untapped treasure in Bangor's park system. It is home to the Thomas Hill Standpipe, which can be seen for miles around, especially on clear nights because of the lights that surround the top. The park is a quiet little getaway just seconds from a busy downtown. Williams Park: A small park overlooking the Penobscot River on the east end of the city, Williams Park features a basketball hoop, a small playground, and tennis courts. |