Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Bridge won’t show up on lists of popular Maine tourist attractions, but I’ve been wanting to visit for a while. Located along the banks of Maine’s Penobscot River, Fort Knox was originally built in 1844, after repeated British incursions into the area. The beautiful Penobscot Narrows Bridge came later, with the current bridge being completed in 2006. I had read about the Penobscot Narrows Bridge a while back, and knew I had to visit after seeing pictures. The bridge is an engineering marvel, and certainly benefits from the surrounding scenery. But there’s something else that makes Penobscot Narrows Bridge truly unique, it’s home to the tallest public bridge observatory in the world.
Take a look at the picture below, and you’ll notice the bridge’s glass observatory. Not only is the Penobscot Narrows observatory the tallest in the world, it’s the only bridge observatory in the United States. There are only 4 in the world, with the others located in China, Thailand, and Slovakia. The observatory is 420 feet high, which also makes it the tallest structure in Maine. While the bridge’s engineering and design are impressive, they are somewhat overshadowed by the views from the observatory. With unobstructed 360 degree views, the scenery is quite breathtaking.
After taking in the views from the observatory, you can head next door to Fort Knox. I’ve toured my fair share of historic forts, and Fort Knox is probably the most impressive one I’ve seen yet. Not only is it wonderfully preserved, but the fort is humongous. The size is actually deceiving. I had originally allocated an hour to tour Fort Knox, but I needed closer to two hours to see everything. Fort Knox is somewhat unique in its multi level design. There are multiple gun batteries, located on different levels, both inside and outside of the fort’s main structure. There are also plenty of tunnels connecting the different levels, which were pretty cool to explore.
As you would expect, there were plenty of displays explaining the fort’s history. I’ll spare you the details here, but will say that if you’re a history lover, Fort Knox should be on your short list. Maine has a significant military history, and that history plays a role in explaining why Fort Knox was built. Even if you’re not particularly interested in the historical aspects, Fort Knox is beautiful, and a pretty cool place to explore.
For those of you who enjoyed my thoughts on Acadia National Park, note that Fort Knox is only 45 minutes outside the park. I actually visited Fort Knox first, before continuing on to Acadia National Park, and you can easily do both in one day. A former colleague recently said he liked my “weird stuff”, and I suppose you can put Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Bridge into that category. However you want to categorize it, it’s a cool stop, and something unique that not everyone sees. If you’re looking for something different on your next Maine vacation, consider making a stop at Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Bridge.
The Penobscot River makes a brief appearance in “The Hunt for Red October.”
I considered adding that as my fun fact. Although I’ve always taken issue with the idea that was the “best” place to hide a submarine.
400 ft glass observatory!?! Not for this girl!! The stuff on the ground sounded great!! 😂 You have a complete Maine visitors guide on the blog now. It’s pretty great!!
I like your “weird stuff,” too, Zach. That’s what makes your blog so fun to read. I feel as if I’m on the ride with you, seeing a lot of things I’ve never seen, nor will I ever see. Keep it up!