Skip to main content

I Went on a Stephen King Tour


Hi! This is a little different than my usual posts but I went on a Stephen King tour and I just had to tell you about it! If you subscribe to my newsletter then you'll know that I am visiting with family in Maine. Now I've known about Stephen King tours but never really thought about going on one. You know how it is to do something touristy in the place you live...you just never think to do it. Also, I thought I knew a good bit of what was around and related to SK so I didn't think I really needed to go on a tour. And boy, was I humbled. 


I was gifted a seat on the SK-Tours of Maine Derry Tour and will not stop raving about it for the foreseeable future. It was so much fun and our guide, Jamie, was incredibly knowledgable. I saw the spots that I've seen and have known about but I also learned so much more. Not only did I get to see places from Stephen King's stories but I got to see places from his personal life and learn more about the history of a town that I've been in so many times. If you are a Stephen King fan this is a *must* for your bucket list. But honestly, if you live in the Bangor area, I'd recommend it just to learn some of the history of your town. 


Now I won't upload all of my photos because I want you to experience this tour for yourself but I will share a few. We went to Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center which is where Juniper Hill is based on. I didn't take any photos of the actual asylum out of respect but...and this is so lame...I literally got chills. If you live in the area, I definitely recommend taking a drive up here because, wow. We also went by Flagg's which I have been by before and had to stop myself from facepalming because of course that is where King got the name for Randall Flagg. This is a perfect example of why, even if you live in the area, you should book a tour. You never know if something you've passed by a hundred times is something lurking in a King book, it could even be the Man in Black, himself.

            

Of course we made a stop at Mount Hope Cemetery. We got to see filming locations from Pet Sematary as well as gravestones that gave King inspiration for the names of some of his most famous characters such as Georgie and Carrie. Now, if you live in Bangor, I definitely would recommend taking a walk through Mount Hope. It is absolutely beautiful. It is the second oldest garden cemetery in the United States. If you take the tour, you also get a little history lesson about this spot and it is definitely worth it. 

               

In addition to some very cool King facts, you also get to learn some history about Bangor (in relation to King, of course). Some of this included the town library (which I still can't believe I've never been inside), the radio station, the Ronald McDonald House, and a little league field...just to name a few. The tour also keeps Charlie Howard's spirit alive by discussing how a character in IT was inspired by his true story. We visited the place where Charlie was murdered and learned about some of the darker parts of Bangor's history. 
     
         

And, of course, because Derry is Bangor and Bangor is Derry, we visited some very iconic IT locations. Do you recognize these spooky spots?


No Stephen King tour would be complete without stopping by the King house. It was a very warm summer day and there were so many tourists parked along the road and taking pictures in front of the house. This was the perfect end to an amazing two and a half long hour tour through Derry...I mean Bangor.


If (when) you do go on the SK-Tour be sure you take a look through their awesome gift shop. I definitely had to control myself and only buy a few things, but I could have done some serious damage to my bank account in there. 

I cannot recommend this tour enough. It went above and beyond my expectations. I learned so much and had fun and a great time while doing so. Do yourself a favor and book this tour if you're in the area. You'll regret it if you don't!






 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

RanKING

I have randomly decided that in addition to reading these books, I'm also going to rank them from my most favorite to least favorite. I will do this as I read and I will add in the books I've already read after I re-read them. I also apologize for the horrible pun in the title but I couldn't pass it up :) All right! Here's my ever-changing list: The Long Walk It The Shining Pet Sematary The Institute Misery The Dark Tower: Wizard and Glass The Dark Tower Black House Needful Things Dolores Claiborne The Green Mile Duma Key The Regulators The Dark Tower: The Waste Lands Insomnia Firestarter The Talisman The Dark Tower: Wolves of the Calla Christine The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah The Outsider The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three Desperation Rose Madder Lisey's Story Bag of Bones Cujo The Dark Half Different Seasons Salem's Lot The Stand Hearts in Atlantis The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Just After Sunset Cell From a Buick 8 Gerald...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Long Walk (1979)

Before Reading:  I could go on and on and on about The Long Walk and I will (after I re-read it). For now I’m just going to keep it short and sweet. Remember when I said that I love Rage and have it on my bookshelf? Well I really love The Long Walk and have TWO copies of it on my bookshelf. The Long Walk is my absolute number one favorite book...ever. I even rank it above Harry Potter (which, if you know me, is saying a lot). When I was younger I was drawn to The Long Walk because it mentioned my hometown. But oh my God, this story is so great. You cringe, cry, laugh, and everything in between when you read it—or at least I do. It takes a lot for me to get emotionally invested in a book (or anything, really) but I feel so attached to this story. All of the characters and their lives are so real to me when I read this one. Also, Hunger Games-esque dystopia is my absolute favorite genre and The Long Walk is one of the best. I’m very much looking forward to re-reading this one, as I a...
2 comments
Read more

What am I doing?

Being a true Mainer, while my mother was pregnant with me, she was reading a book by Stephen King. Specifically she was reading The Dark Half by Stephen King. In that book there is a character named Shayla and that is where my name came from. Growing up in Maine already gives you a sense of closeness with Mr. King but having him be the reason for my namesake always drew me even closer to him. In fact, for my 23rd birthday I was gifted with Stephen King’s personal copy of The Dark Half that he signed for me.  I grew up watching many Stephen King shows and movies and read a few books. My favorite book of all time being The Long Walk by Stephen King, himself. All in all, however, I’ve only read about 5 of Mr. King’s books in total. I feel like this weird connection and fascination I have with him has ultimately only led me to one place. And that place is right here, preparing to read all his books. With all honesty, I get crazy ideas like this all the time but only seldom do I see ...
1 comment
Read more