Hail to the (Stephen) King, Baby: My Experience Visiting Stephen King locations in Maine
Disclaimer:
This is NOT A GUIDE but the mad ramblings of a compulsive traveler with ADHD.
Introduction
I mean, this is a pretty iconic photo….
If you were a '90s baby like me, there’s a good chance that you were also traumatized by the spooky tales of Stephen King. During my childhood, I spent the entire school week counting down the days to the movie nights I had with my dad on a regular basis. He was a horror fanatic and naturally, bestowed his love of horror onto me – his very peculiar, spooky 7-year-old. My weekends were filled with an abundance of horror films, with Stephen King often being in rotation.
For those who didn’t have the opportunity to experience the 90s firsthand, oh, what a privilege it was! We had made for TV movies like IT (1990) and The Shining (1997), Dolores Clairborne, the Mentos commercials with their insanely catchy jingles, dope horror television theme songs (looking at you X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and incredibly spooky commercials (Stephen King promoting libraries, for example). Now, as I get older, I often feel homesick for these experiences. Not just because I’m a sucker for nostalgia (which I am), but because I genuinely believe that nothing will ever be as good as those days.
There was a charm to a less technologically dependent, social media-driven world. People enjoyed real life; they were present, and we talked face-to-face instead of screen-to-screen. Even commercials and movies had a special charm. I suppose you could say that things felt as though they were created with human beings in mind. The people and the things they created certainly had heart to them. Now, most things feel empty, unoriginal, and superficial. Life itself feels like a caricature and authenticity feels dead. Which, to be honest, is why I think so many experience the feeling of anemoia, but that’s a topic for another day.
Chasing Nostalgia
Two years ago, when my father passed away, I made a promise to never let go of those moments with my dad. I vowed that I would enjoy life and create opportunities for myself, no matter the inconvenience. Most importantly, I would never give up on creating nostalgia and magic for myself, no matter how old I get or how hard life gets. That brought me to the impromptu decision to drive 20+ hours to Maine during a brief 5 day period of paid time off (PTO).
It was September of 2024, and Halloween had already made itself known in my heart. So naturally, I impulsively decided to visit as many Stephen King locations as I could squeeze into such a short amount of time. The first two days were spent driving to Maine, making pit stops in every New England state that we passed (except Rhode Island – I will come back for you).
Bangor, ME
How freaking gorgeous is his house? [47 W Broadway, Bangor, ME 04401]
Stephen King’s House
On day three I awoke in Stephen King’s old stomping grounds – Bangor, Maine. My mom and I walked there in the early morning so I could take photos to avoid potential hoards of people competing for a good shot. Thankfully, our AirBnb was less than a five minute walk away. When we left, I noticed how crisp the air was. The sky was moody, yet colorful since the sun had almost finished rising. The air greeted us with a cool, gentle morning breeze. I pulled out my phone, the two of us crossed the street, and I looked down at my phone to follow the GPS towards 47 W Broadway. As we walked, I couldn’t help but admire the neighborhood itself, which was quaint, quiet, and beautiful. A few houses down from his cranberry colored house was a home with a Little Free Library in the front yard. Once we approached his house, I couldn’t help but notice how artfully the trees framed his eclectic Victorian home.
Luckily, the only people there were two fellow fans taking selfies in front of the iconic gothic spiderweb iron gates. Their joy made me happy and I was glad to be a silent observer of our shared collective love and appreciation for Stephen King’s work. Once the two early birds left, it was just my mom and I. She took photographs of me and I took some photos of his house trying to take in every detail.
The bonus Stephen King house!
Years ago, I read that his home was going to be turned into a writer’s retreat. I haven’t seen many updates and with my brief research, have only read conflicting statements. However, there is a home next door that he also owns and it’s equally as beautiful. A married couple showed up shortly after, excitedly telling us about this being their last day in Maine. They drove there from New York and were on their way out, but wanted to make this their last stop. To give them their own moment with this literary monument, we headed to our next destination.
Mount Hope Cemetery
Excluding Stephen King’s home, there were three other Stephen Kingiverse locations that I would visit in Bangor. The next stop however, would be Mount Hope Cemetery where some of the scenes in Pet Sematary (1989) were filmed and is the resting place of Caroline M. “Carrie” Curtis Hesseltine. While I have not confirmed the information myself, some say her gravestone inspired the name for Carrie White. The drive there was peaceful and I loved how stress free driving in Maine felt. I don’t usually mind driving, but sometimes experience anxiety that stems from losing three classmates in a car accident around the time I was learning to drive.
By the time we approached Mount Hope Cemetery, the sky transitioned from its colorful morning greeting, to a more gloomy, cloudy atmosphere. It felt appropriate considering where we were. Passing acres of green grass sprinkled with tombstones, I turned left into one of the entrances where there were six parking spots and colorful flags billowing in the wind. It’s a large cemetery and breathtaking in its own right. As a frequent cemetery visitor, this would’ve been a place on my list regardless of its ties to Stephen King.
My mom and I parked near a tomb near the Superintendent's Building and took in the beauty of the entire place. While I had videos and blog posts to guide me, I still got turned around and spent most of my time roaming around. With how large the cemetery was paired with my lack of directional awareness, trying to navigate where exactly these landmarks were was a little tricky. I had very minimal luck and was only able to find a few areas that were pretty close to the screen grabs I saved to my phone. While I couldn’t find “Carrie” or “Georgie”, I was glad to have visited.
Paul Bunyan in the flesh.
If I weren’t strapped for time, I probably would have spent an entire day at this cemetery. There were so many tombstones I wanted to read. Especially those that were over 100 years old. I climbed a rather large hill and found a tree that must’ve fallen over during a recent storm. I sat on top of it, taking everything in. While I can be impulsive (mainly with buying things), I rarely go on trips due to the anxiety I sometimes struggle with, despite traveling being my only dream. While sitting on that giant tree in the middle of Mount Hope Cemetery, I thought about how I drove 20 hours to be there and how my dad would’ve loved it too. I couldn’t have been more proud of myself.
Paul Bunyan Statue
In the horror universe, the Paul Bunyan statue is most famous for appearing in both the IT novel and the Bill Skarsgård version of the film. If you’re reading this, you probably already knew that. Since it was in Bangor, I knew I had to make a stop here. It’s located at 519 Main St, which is next to a Circle K gas station and in front of the Cross Insurance Center. I wasn’t sure where the best place to park was. Naturally, I overthought this and drove in a circle, finally opting to buy gas and snacks at the Circle K next door. I ran across the street to take a few photos of Paul Bunyan, then left. Overall, I spent less than 5 minutes here.
To be entirely honest, it wasn’t a high priority on my list. I’m not an American folklore enthusiast and didn’t feel as emotionally connected to the newer IT films (like I said, I’m very nostalgic). However, after seeing it in person, I’m glad I stopped by. Thanks to the promise I made to myself about creating my own nostalgia, I have an entirely new appreciation for it. Now, when I rewatch the movies, it’s easier to picture how terrifying a giant Paul Bunyan stomping after you would be. It’s a pretty tall statue, especially if you’re only 5’2” like me.
Thomas Hill Standpipe
We went to the Thomas Hill Standpipe on a different day, which is slightly amusing as it’s only a 2 minute drive away from Stephen King’s house (If only I had taken the extra time to better plan). What can I say? You live and you learn. The drive there was brief, but pleasant. The houses in the neighborhood leading up to the Thomas Hill Standpipe were cozy residential homes and charming historical houses with a quality that simply does not exist where I live in the Midwest. Nearing the end of the road, were trees that camouflaged the standpipe making the drive seem unassuming. When I rounded the corner, the standpipe made itself known, almost humbly.
While modest, it stood profoundly before me. The minimal research I conducted stated that it was built in 1897. You can definitely see that in its unique architecture, but at the same time, it’s surprising that it was built 127 years ago (as of today) because of how well taken care of it is.
There was something about the structure that felt both ominous and storybook-esque. Perhaps because of how tall it stood, or knowing it inspired the Derry Standpipe in the Stephen King Universe. I sat in the grass and took it all in. There’s something very special about Maine that I wish I could experience everyday. With Welcome to Derry being out, looking back at that time makes it all the cooler knowing that the characters in the show conspired against Pennywise up in that very tower.
Hancock, ME
Creed Family Home
On one of my last full days in Maine, my mom and I had spent a full day in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. The morning started off dreary, cold, and rainy; but by the time it was time to head out, the sun was bright and the weather was pleasantly cool. With our stomachs full of seafood and our legs tired from all the hiking we did in Acadia, we knew it was time to head back to our AirBnb in Bangor…but not without seeing the Creed and Crandall homes from Pet Sematary (1989) first. Thankfully, the two homes are conveniently located across the street from one another and was only a 38 minute drive away from Bar Harbor. We loaded into the car and enjoyed the quiet, yet scenic drive there.
The Creed house is everything my heart desired in the 90s. I often spent time at my friend’s mid-century modern house that her grandfather built by hand. It was in a rural part of town and full of the best memories. While the Creed house looks nothing like my friend’s childhood home, the outside truly looks like the most comforting place on Earth. It felt like a familiar place to me. Not just because I knew it from the movie, but because of how it maintained its classicness and personality instead of feeling the need to be modernized.
As I approached the house, it felt like I teleported right into the movie, like the plot of Pleasantville. As I neared the house, I was thankful there was enough room to pull over to the side of the road. I didn’t want to be an inconsiderate visitor, nor did I want my car to suffer the same fate as Gage. Eerily enough, where I parked was roughly around the same spot Gage succumbed to the semi that struck him. I pulled out my phone and tried finding still shots from the movie that I could use to line up my photos. I was blown away with how the house all these years later looked exactly the same.
The Crandall house on the other hand, looked to be entirely remodeled. The only thing about the house that remained identifiable was the detached garage. Knowing it was across the street made it fun and a little eerie to see just how easy it was for little undead Gage to sneak inside Jud Crandall’s house (let’s have a moment of silence for his achilles tendon). Unlike the movie, there weren’t any high speed semi trucks looking to strike unsuspecting people. Even so, I hurried across the street because…well…you just never know. Not wanting to be a creep, I snapped a few quick photos. A few steps down from the house was an apple tree with a few apples that fell along the street which only added to the loveliness to the area.
We headed back into the car and concluded our very brief spooky tour of Maine. I do hope to go back and take more time to fully immerse myself in Maine’s glory. Not just to properly tour Stephen King’s world, but to discover the lovely quaint towns of these areas. It truly is a lovely state where time seems to stand still.
Resources I used to loosely plan my trip
As mentioned, I can be incredibly impulsive. Although there are equal moments where I am obsessively detail-oriented. Sometimes it’s to the point where I feel like Danny Tanner, creating itineraries by the exact minute. This was not one of those moments. Throughout the days leading up to our arrival in Maine, I was frantically mapping out where to go. The links below are what helped me have a general idea of where I was going.
Exploring Bangor: 10 Places Every Stephen King Fan Must Stop While Exploring Bangor, Maine (Z 107.3) *It was updated again in 2025
Note: I wish I had the time to do the Stephen King tour linked below. If anyone has enough time to do it please tell me how it was! I hope to go to Maine again when I have more than 5 days to get there. It seems like you’ll be able to get a proper look at Stephen King landmarks throughout Bangor, ME. You can book the tour here.
