The Heath, Saco Maine

Have you ever “discovered” a place that is right in your backyard?  I love when that happens, except that it creates this questioning feeling in me.  I find myself thinking “how could I have missed this?”  I grew up in Biddeford which is Saco’s twin city and had never even heard of the place.  Being familiar with the Orono Bog, I was interesting in seeing what it was like and how it compared.

So, I’m going to tell you about this, just in case you’re living nearby and don’t know about it, yet.  It’s equally helpful if you’re visiting Saco, Maine and have a bit of time that you’d like to spend surrounded by beauty and stillness.  We all need that once in a while.

The place I’m talking about is called the Saco Heath and it’s just off Route 5 in Saco, Maine.  From the Saco Bay trails website: 

 Joseph Deering (1894 - 1987), Saco's greatest conservation benefactor, donated 475 acres of the Great Saco Heath to The Nature Conservancy in 1986. Subsequent acquisitions increased the preserve to more than 1,000 acres.

Walking the whole trail will take about 90 minutes, but it’s worthwhile to stop and linger a bit along the way. There are two benches along for this very purpose.  It’s important to note that this is not a regular walking trail.  This is a boardwalk that actually floats on the peat bog.  The day we went was mild and bright.  The boardwalk can be soft at places, lending to the whole experience.  The website says that at times the boardwalk is at times is as much as 20 feet over the bottom of the bog, but it doesn’t feel that way.  The grasses and growth are classic bog, short and rugged and the birds swoop around. 

My father was 77 years old when we visited the Heath last September.  He grew up in Saco and had lived in the area all of his life.  In fact he worked for many years just down the road from the entry to the Heath, but never visited. My father is the curious type, so it surprised me that he had never been.  The night before, we had dinner with my parents at their home in Biddeford, and had invited a friend of ours who lives in Saco.  My dad and our friend got to discussing neat places to go and this was one of them.  it was one of those “I’ve always wanted to check that out” statements that solidified our plans to go the next morning.  And we did.  I’m thankful we took the time to explore and spend some time together. 

Often we find little wonders around the corner from our very doorsteps.  I have many more to tell you about.  There are places to take your kids when you just have an hour or when you have the whole day to spend.   Each week, I will be writing about a new place within the State of Maine that fits the bill.  I’ll tell you about some of the places I’ve “discovered”.  I’d love to hear stories about finally checking out something that’s right in your own back yard, or stumbling upon just such a place, as I did. 

Sometime soon, I’m going to write about this place.

Maine Travel: Bangor Like a Local (by a local)

Thomas Hill Standpipe, Bangor Maine

If you would have told me five years ago that I would be living in Bangor, Maine, I would have squinted my eyes and said something that would have included some choice swear along the lines of “no *&^%ing way.”

Yet, here I am. And I love it.




I grew up in the southern part of the state, which is where the bulk of Maine’s population resides, where the big city of Portland is, and as far north as I had ever expected to live. I had been to Bangor once, in college, merely passing through on a geology class field trip to Baxter State Park. I think we stopped at the mall to pick some one up. I didn’t even get out of the van. Bangor held no interest.

I moved out of Maine in my early twenties, first to New Hampshire, then to Connecticut for a twelve year stint. During that time, my friend Joe moved from the same area in southern Maine where we had met back to his home turf in Bangor. I figured we’d never see each other again, and if we did, he was going to have to travel because no way was I going THAT FAR NORTH. 

Well, I fell in love with my friend Joe and married him last summer.  I moved to Bangor more than four years ago. 


Reality is that Bangor is only two hours from Portland and well worth checking out. Its proximity to the flagship campus of the University of Maine in nearby Orono gives the area a diversity that’s unexpected. It is also the city that serves as central point to a large part of eastern and northern Maine, Washington and Aroostook counties. The lack of large cities in those counties gives Bangor the responsibility of providing social service offices, hosting regional tournaments, and maintaining a civic center and auditorium that affords the area the ability to enjoy concerts and conferences that would otherwise be inaccessible to many. It’s got the largest high school in the state. Each July, Bangor hosts the Bangor State Fair, the http://www.bangorstatefair.com/ and in August, Bangor is home to the American Folk Festival, which is a 3 day event, closing down streets near the city’s waterfront and attracting world class music acts on multiple stages. The food is fabulous and the whole thing is free. Please make a donation to keep it so. Here’s more info on the Folk Festival: http://www.americanfolkfestival.com/

Bangor resident Stephen King's home.

The city really is the cultural and commercial hub for eastern and northern Maine.



So enough about the history of the city. What do you do when you live here? How do you do the Bangor area like a local?

Start downtown. From one end of Main street, just off interstate 395, you can:



1. ATTEND an event (concert, garden or other trade show) at the Bangor Auditorium and Civic Center http://www.basspark.com/.

2. TAKE a gamble (adults only, of course) on the slots and the state’s only casino, Hollywood Slots http://www.hollywoodslots.com/.

3. EAT - Geaghan’s for awesome burgers and onion rings, Paddy Murphy’s Irish Pub for some brew and grub, Central Bagel, the Friar’s Bakehouse, just to name a few downtown establishments worthy of your dining dollar. 

4. ENJOY: live theater by the Penobscot Theater at the Bangor Opera House http://www.penobscottheatre.org/. 

5. SHOP:   some of my favorites are The Grasshopper Shop http://www.grasshoppershop.com/
Metropolitan Soul http://www.metsoul.com/, The Briar Patch, and Rebecca’s – all within walking distance of each other and all very cool places.  Side note:  Look for my photo cards at shops downtown!

7. DISCOVER: The Maine Discovery Museum resides on a large block of Main Street and remains one of my daughter’s favorite places to go. Three floors of children’s exhibits that are interactive and educational and just plain fun. if you’ve got kids and you’re in Bangor, GO. Admission is reasonable and you can spend hours http://www.mainediscoverymuseum.org/.

8. ART: the University of Maine Museum of Art is on Harlow Street and exhibits contemporary artists. Check out http://www.umma.umaine.edu/.

All this is just downtown. Thursday nights this summer the city offers live concerts in Pickering Square. Also this summer, the Arts & Crafts fair on the waterfront, the city’s Downtown Bangor Art Walks. You can find more info right here at www.maine.info/cities/bangor/events.php

If you’re looking for some outside activities check out Bangor’s City Forest for some hiking and biking trails http://cityforest.bangorinfo.com/index.htm. While you’re there, take a nature walk on a peat bog boardwalk http://www.oronobogwalk.org/.

Bangor International Airport will welcome you if you're flying. 



Interstate I95 will get you here if you're driving. 



Hotels and accommodations:


Any of the usual aggregators will find you a room. There are dozens of hotels in Bangor. Do be aware, though, that it’s not always easy to get a room, so don’t think you can drive into town and find one. There are many area events that bring people to town. For example, this weekend is the Special Olympics Summer Games on the University of Maine campus and participants come from around the state, book rooms, eat out, shop, etc. I had a friend who thought that of course he could get a room, it’s only Bangor, right? Wrong. He got a room, but miles out of town at a boutique hotel and twice the cost of a regular room in the city. His arrogance in thinking – as I had so many years ago – that there’s nothing here, cost him.

So if you’ve got time in Bangor, whether an overnight for a sports event or driving through on your way to maritime Canada or just looking for a new place to check out, surprise yourself with what Bangor has to offer.