Anything I shouldn't miss in Orono, Maine?

[MyKneesHurt]

I'm bopping around mid-coast Maine, and plan to head up to Orono/Old Town/Bangor area for a day or two. Hotels are so expensive that I just bought a hammock setup and sleep where I can, so I'll head to a state campground outside Orono tonight.
Besides Shaw and Tenney, Old Town canoes, and the Penobscot itself, is there anything I should try to hit that way? Interests include anything outdoors, museums, fun factories or stores, and death metal.

 

[Benson Gray]

The Old Town and Penobscot museums have some interesting canoes. Both will probably require that you make an appointment to see them since they don't seem to have regular hours. The Hudson museum at the University of Maine can also be good but I haven't been there in a long time. The links below have more details. Good luck,

Benson

OTM Website

www.theoldtownmuseum.org

Penobscot Nation Museum - Hudson Museum - University of Maine

Penobscot Nation Museum museum@penobscotnation.org Facebook

umaine.edu

Home - Hudson Museum - University of Maine

Explore a world of culture and cultures of the world here, at the Hudson Museum! Come check out our collections and our interactive displays!

umaine.edu

 

[bark-eater]

Well your 20 years late for the Oronoka......

Chick Hill is a good local hike with an overlook.

If you head down to Bucksport the bridge is cool, as is Fort Knox. Of course Bucksport is the only place I've seen proto Hitler youth playing dress up, but that was also 20 years ago... Never hurts to be polite to the locals....

 

[MyKneesHurt]

Thanks folks. Shame about the Oronoka. Chick Hill is exactly the nice easy day hike I'd like, where I won't have to commit all day to it, but still get a look around and a chance to stretch the legs.
I'll check out the museums, maybe buy a paddle I don't need...it's a vacation!

 

[sweeper]

Maine Forestry and Loggers Museum

Maine Forest and Logging Museum – Find Your Place in the Woods

 

[yellowcanoe]

Lumbermens Museum in Patten
We go. there twice a year for the fiddlehead festival and the beanhoke festival

 

[MyKneesHurt]

Thank you all - I hate to say it was something of a disappointment, all around.

Chick hill was a lovely hike - easy, with the reward of a great view, and on a perfectly beautiful summer's day, thank you @bark-eater .

Shaw and Tenney had no time for me. A man met me in a hurry, told me they only made-to-order in a hurry, and watched me leave in a hurry. I guess it was a good reminder that I've rarely used a paddle I didn't carve myself, and I don't need to drop 300 bucks on someone else's, especially when I can't even see or touch what I'm buying. Won't be ordering one soon. (I mean, don't put "come on by for a visit" on your website if you don't mean it.)

Old Town was closed (at least the visitor/store part was), so I didn't get to see that, although looking at sit-on-top kayaks wasn't the Grail of the trip anyway.

The Penobscot Nation Museum was overgrown and to all appearances deserted. Didn't even knock on the door.

But, on the plus, I got to knock around Maine for a few days, consume a probably unhealthy amount of blueberries, and check out the Shelter Institute south of Camden, which was a super cool place to visit.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Did you contact the Penobscot Nation beforehand? The museum is open by appointment with a guide. It is not a drop in tourist attraction. Neither is Shaw and Tenney right now. You do know that ownership transferred just two weeks ago ?
Not sure what you were expecting in Old Town. They still sell wood canvas canoes made by Rollin Thurlow in Island Falls. Not in Old Town. That factory is long gone.
The Shelter Institute helped us design and build ( cut the timbers) for the AMC Knubble Bay Camp which we helped run for years.

 

[MyKneesHurt]

Why on earth would I keep track of the ownership of a company I didn't know existed a week ago?

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Not sure what you were expecting in Old Town. They still sell wood canvas canoes made by Rollin Thurlow in Island Falls.

Actually, some of Old Town's wood/canvas canoes are now made by Jerry Stelmok at Island Falls Canoe in Atkinson, Maine, which isn't far from Rollin Thurlow's shop, Northwoods Canoe Co., which is also in Atkinson.

 

[Crazy Trout Craft (CTC)]

Hey bud… have fun! Glad you getting some time up in that area!
Cheers

 

[yellowcanoe]

Actually, some of Old Town's wood/canvas canoes are now made by Jerry Stelmok at Island Falls Canoe in Atkinson, Maine, which isn't far from Rollin Thurlow's shop, Northwoods Canoe Co., which is also in Atkinson.

I always get Jerry and Rollin all mixed up.. Jerry is a talented painter ; I remember when the town of Old Town had an auction of hand painted eight foot canoes. Jerry actually had become in love with his contribution and out bid the crowd . Some $2000 worth Some of the canoes were painted by locals and some by kids.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I always get Jerry and Rollin all mixed up

Yes, it's confusing for a few reasons. Jerry and Rollin used to own Island Falls Canoe together from the early 70's to the 80's, which one or both bought from a fellow named Clint Tuttle, whose shop was actually originally in Island Falls, Maine. But somewhere along the line the shop got moved 90 miles to Atkinson but kept the Island Falls name, and at some point Rollin left to start his own business down the road in Atkinson.

How Two Rival Maine Canoe Makers Nursed a 50-Year Friendship

Jerry Stelmok and Rollin Thurlow started as partners and became competitors.

downeast.com