Tommyknockers & More Bus Tours
The Greater Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau proudly presents the Tommyknockers & More Bus Tours periodically* throughout the summer and fall months.
Join your guide on a air conditioned motor coach for a tour of Bangor as seen through the books of Stephen King.
You'll see where Ellie saw the "Skinny Santa"
You'll see the "Sematary" where Stephen King presided over the funeral of Missy Dandridge Do you dare stop in "the Barrens"?
 The schedule for 2011 is:
Monday, July 4th at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 21st at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 18th at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 16th at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets are $20 per person Tour is on an air conditioned motorcoach bus.
All reservations must be pre-paid prior to space being confirmed. (The Greater Bangor CVB accepts Visa and Mastercard for payment).
For more information, to reserve space on the tour or to book a tour for your group, call 1-800-91-MOOSE (1-800-916-6673).
*WE WELCOME GROUP BOOKINGS! Call to arrange special rates and dates for your group of 15 or more! Motorcoach Tours? School Groups? Spouse Activities for Convention Groups? We can arrange a step-on tour to accommodate almost every group and interest.
*Space on every tour is limited and advance reservations are required. Interested In Tickets???
Fill out our online form and we will do the rest!
Recognized as the Best Tour of Stephen King-dom
Editors' Choice in
Yankee Magazine's 2010 Travel Guide to New England
DIRECTIONS TO THE TOUR:
From the North
From I-95, take Exit 184. Make a left onto Union Street to the 4th light and then take a Right onto Main Street. Follow Main Street to the 2nd light. At that light, take a left and go straight toward the river. There will be a large parking lot on the right. Look for the bus.
From the South
From I-95, take exit 184. Make a right onto Union Street to the 3rd light and then take a Right onto Main Street. Follow Main Street to the 2nd light. At that light, take a left and go straight toward the river. There will be a large parking lot on the right. Look for the bus.
From the East
Take route 1A or route 9 to I-395. Take I-395 West to Exit 3 (Main Street). Take a Right and follow Main Street north to the 4th light. At that light, take a left and go straight toward the river. There will be a large parking lot on the right. Look for the bus.
From the West
Take Route 2 or Route 15 into Bangor.
Route 2 becomes I-395 at the Junction of I-95 in Bangor. Take Exit 3B on I-395 to get to Main Street. Follow Main Street to the 5th Light. At that light, take a left and go straight toward the river. There will be a large parking lot on the right. Look for the bus.
All proceeds to benefit the Greater Bangor CVB's mission of stimulating economic vitality by promoting the Bangor Region as the preferred destination for meetings, conventions and visitors!
 
As you may know, Bangor has the honor of being the home to the world renowned horror author Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha. We are very fortunate to have the Kings residing in Bangor. One of the reasons the Kings choose to live in Bangor is because the local residents and business community work hard to respect their privacy.
For this reason, we, at the Greater Bangor CVB, will not reveal the address, nor will we give directions to, the King's home. We hope you understand how important it is to us to respect the King's privacy!
Stephen King was born in 1947 in Portland, Maine and was raised in Durham, Maine. His father walked out on his family leaving his mother to care for two year old Stephen and his older brother David. Their family grew up poor and there are even stories about how King spent time "contemplating his life" in the blue outhouse behind his home.
King began writing as a child, completing his first short story at age 7. After graduating from Lisbon Falls High School he then moved to Orono, just north of Bangor, to attend the University of Maine in 1966. King made a point to make the most of his college experience and was very active with the campus newspaper and student productions. He was a zealous writer by this time and published fiction and poetry in college literary magazines. King also wrote his first novel "The Long Walk," but it was rejected and shelved until 1979 when it would be published under the Stephen King pseudonym "Richard Bachamn."
He graduated in 1970 and although King was a serious writer by this point, but he was forced to make a living pumping gas for $1.25 an hour.
He later landed a full time teaching job at nearby Hampden Academy where he worked from 1971 to 1973, and was inspired to write Carrie. The stories of his publishing sagas are enough to sideline any aspiring writer, but he persevered. It was around this time that he sold his breakthrough novel, Carrie. The novel began as a couple of pages, but was trashed[. Tabitha saved the writings and pressued King to finish the story, which he did.
The sale of Carrie enabled King to leave his teaching job and finally work full time as a writer. To date King has written countless works, with 300 million copies in 33 different languages, many of which have been made into motion pictures. Some of those movies have been filmed in Maine and some scenes right here in Bangor! Bangor is also the basis for Derry, Maine, a fictional town that is the setting for many of King's novels, such as It, Insomnia and Dreamcatcher.
Tabitha Spruce was born in Old Town, Maine, on March 24, 1949. She has seven siblings. Her parents are Raymond and Sarah Spruce. She attended St. Mary's Grammar School in Old Town, graduating in 1963, and John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, from which she graduated in 1967. She attended the University of Maine in Orono from1967-1971, where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in History. While working in the University of Maine's Fogler Library, she met Stephen King. Stephen and Tabitha were married January 2, 1971.
The Kings' Generous Nature
Stephen and Tabitha King are heavily involved in the community. They are very generous supporters of the many, many public and private ventures in Bangor. Below are just a few of the many great things they have supported through the years.
Mansfield Stadium:
This Stadium, known locally as the "Field of Screams" was built with a 1.5 million dollar contribution from the Stephen and Tabitha King foundation. It is a first rate baseball stadium with modern lighting, a sprinkler system and seating for over 1,500 spectators. King is a big fan of Little League baseball and the Boston Red Sox. Bangor has hosted the Senior Little League World Series in this facility for many years.
Beth Pancoe Pool:
The Stephen and Tabitha King foundation has made generous donations over the years to many organizations and endeavors in and around Bangor. Recently they made a donation to the city to build a spectacular community swimming pool complex.
The Barking Foundation:
"The Barking Foundation is a private, non-profit foundation that provides grants for accredited post-secondary education of meritorious State of Maine residents, based on their demonstrated financial need. Scholarships are awarded in the spring of each year and they vary in number from year to year." (From the Barking Foundation Website)
Bangor Public Library:
The beautiful Bangor Public Library underwent 8.5 million dollars in renovations and expansion in the mid 1990's thanks to the help of the Stephen and Tabitha King foundation which donated 2.5 million dollars to the project. Just as important as their donation of money was their donation of time. Tabitha headed up the Executive Committee overseeing the fundraising effort.
Old Town Public Library:
The library was established in 1892 in the Alderman's Room at city hall. In 1904 the library acquired its own building, thanks to Andrew Carnegie, and a donation of land. In 1991, after an amazingly successful fund drive, including $750,000 from the Kings, the library was expanded by the addition of the Tabitha Spruce King Wing bringing the size of the building up from 3,700 to 12,000 square feet.
Additionally, Stephen King has led his own personal crusade to bring motion picture filming to the state of Maine and he worked tirelessly to have a government funded film commission established here. Several of his books that have been turned into movies have had scenes filmed in Maine including Creepshow 2, Graveyard Shift, The Langoliers, Storm of the Century and Thinner and as a matter of fact, the rights to the movie Pet Sematary were sold with the condition that the entire film would be shot in Maine. The economic impacts to the communities in which the movies are shot are immeasurable.
There are two local bookstores in Bangor, Betts Bookstore & Book Marc’s, which specialize in Stephen King books and collectibles, including autographed books. The bookstore owners in each store are very knowledgeable and we'd suggest that you make a point to stop at either, especially if you are a serious Stephen King fan.
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