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For Stephen King fans, Bangor is the essential stop: the real Maine city helped shape the fictional Derry, but Derry itself is not a place you can visit. These ten stops combine Bangor landmarks with sites elsewhere in the state, while distinguishing documented film and biographical connections from associations described as reported or widely believed.
Plan a Maine trip around Bangor, not fictional Derry
Maine’s tourism office describes Bangor as King’s former hometown and notes its association with Derry, the fictional town in his stories. Visit the real streets and landmarks that inform the fiction; there is no real-world Derry, Maine to put into a GPS. For the broader literary context, see Maine’s Authors & Literary Scene.
These ten stops are not all confirmed inspirations or filming locations. Some are biographical landmarks, some connect to screen adaptations, and a few are associations that travel guides qualify as reported or widely believed. The first seven are in or near Bangor; the final three take you farther afield.
Seven Stephen King stops in Bangor
1. The former King house, 47 West Broadway
The distinctive house is a recognizable fan landmark, but plan only to view it from a public place. It is used by the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation and is not open to visitors. SK Tours also says its tour does not enter the property. Do not trespass, knock, or try to contact the family. The SK Tours public-tour page explains the tour’s limits.
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2. Mount Hope Cemetery
Visit Maine identifies Mount Hope Cemetery as a location in the 1989 film Pet Sematary and says visitors can make a self-guided visit. Check the cemetery’s current hours and rules before going, and treat it as an active burial ground rather than a movie set. The 36 Hours in Bangor guide includes the cemetery in its local itinerary.
3. The Paul Bunyan statue
The large Paul Bunyan statue stands in front of the Cross Insurance Center on Main Street. It is a public-facing Bangor landmark and a convenient photo stop; the statewide King road-trip guide connects it with IT. The guide’s connection is a useful fan association, not proof that every detail of the fictional scene comes from this statue. See Visit Maine Network’s Stephen King road-trip guide.
4. Kenduskeag Stream
Walk the downtown stream trail for a sense of the waterways and urban landscape associated with Derry in IT. Visit Maine Network links the stream with the novel’s scenes and atmosphere; that does not establish each stretch of trail as a specific filming or story location. Keep to public paths and follow posted access rules.
5. Thomas Hill Standpipe
The standpipe is associated with the water-tower imagery in IT. It is not generally an anytime interior attraction: Visit Maine Network says it normally opens for guided public tours only a few times a year. Check for a current opening before making a climb part of your itinerary.
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This active Bangor restaurant is widely understood to have been a model for Jade of the Orient in IT and IT: Chapter Two, according to the statewide road-trip guide. It remains a working business, not a fan attraction: confirm that it is open, consider making an ordinary dining reservation if appropriate, and be considerate of staff and other guests.
7. Bangor International Airport
The airport appears among the Bangor-area King-related stops in Visit Maine Network’s statewide guide. Treat it as a functioning airport first: follow airport rules, do not enter restricted areas, and verify which public spaces are accessible before going out of your way to visit. It is a brief stop rather than a substitute for the downtown landmarks.
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Three stops beyond Bangor
8. University of Maine, Orono
King attended the University of Maine, making the Orono campus a biographical stop rather than a fictional location. The road-trip guide also points readers to Hearts in Suspension, his book about his time at the university. Visit public campus areas and check campus access information if you hope to enter a building.
9. Lisbon High School, Lisbon
King attended Lisbon Falls High School, now Lisbon High School, according to Visit Maine Network. The school also appears fictionally in 11/22/63, and its library is dedicated to Stephen and Tabitha King and houses their work. Verify whether the school or library is open to visitors before planning an interior stop; do not assume a school building is publicly accessible.
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10. Thomaston Green, Thomaston
The original Maine State Prison site in Thomaston is associated with the inspiration for Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The prison closed in 2001, and the guide recommends walking Thomaston Green, where the original prison stood. This is not the current Maine State Prison: the relocated facility is in Warren, and it is not a visitor attraction.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to fit the stops into a trip
Bangor works best as the anchor, with its downtown landmarks grouped into a walk or short drives. Orono is nearby; Lisbon and Thomaston require separate legs of a wider Maine itinerary. Do not treat all ten as one compact city tour. Some recommended King-related locations elsewhere in Maine are private homes, active businesses, or seasonal sites, so the public-facing stops above make a more practical selection.
If you want a guided overview, SK Tours of Maine lists a narrated Derry/Bangor bus tour lasting about 2.5–3 hours at $62.50 on the page accessed in 2026. Both the fare and schedule can change; check the current tour listing before booking. The tour does not enter the King house. For a flexible visit, make your own route among public landmarks and confirm access details directly, especially for the cemetery and standpipe.
What is confirmed—and what is an association
Bangor’s relationship to Derry is a broad geographic and biographical connection, not a claim that every fictional street or scene maps neatly onto a real address. Mount Hope’s connection is specifically to the 1989 Pet Sematary film; the university and Lisbon school are biographical as well as literary stops. Other links vary in certainty. For example, Visit Maine describes the Union and Jackson Street drain as the drain associated with Georgie’s scene in IT, while the statewide guide cautions that King has not confirmed that exact drain as the inspiration. King has discussed Bangor’s sewer network as a catalyst, but do not present that particular drain attribution as settled fact.
For additional ideas, Visit Maine Network’s guide lists other locations around the state, including sites tied to Salem’s Lot, The Stand, The Dead Zone, and the Storm of the Century adaptation. Its wording distinguishes direct connections from places described as reported, believed, or speculative. Check property access carefully: a connection to a story does not make a private residence or active facility open to visitors.
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