Downtown Orono

Things to Do

• Ride the shuttle: Skip the hassle of campus parking on busy game days and campus visits by riding the Black Bear Orono Express around town!
• Check out the region's best cluster of restaurant & Bars: Black Bear Brewery, Family Dog, Harvest Moon Deli, Margarita's, Pat's Pizza, Thai Orchid, Woodman's Grill, Marsh Island Brewing, Yamas
• Partake of coffee, sandwiches, baked good, groceries: Circle K, Subway, The Nest, The Store-Ampersand.
• Don't forget the veggies: Orono Farmers' Market - "Winter" market in Downtown; "Summer" market at University Steam Plant parking lot
• Browse for special items: Mainely Succulents, Rose Bike Shop, Shaw and Tenney (wooden oars and paddles)
•  Feel like a new you: Dick's Barber Shop, Erv's Barber Shop, Fringe Salon
• Fix the car: Murray's Campus Service Center
• Treat yourself to fine wines and hand-crafted beer: Black Bear Microbrew, Burby and Bates, The Store-Ampersand
• Get one with nature: Walk the Stillwater River trail; kayak or canoe from hand-carry landings on the Stillwater River at the end of Summer Street, at University Inn, or at Brownie's Park along the Stillwater River trail
• Enjoy a summer concert: Every Tuesday evening during the summer on the Orono Village Green
• Learn and connect: Orono Public Library, Keith Anderson Community Center
• Experience history: Walk the Orono Main Street Historic District with twenty-nine 19th Century and turn-of-the-century buildings covering all of the major styles of a hundred years
•  Take a dip at the Town's outdoor pool next to the Orono school campus

Downtown Plan

Orono's current Downtown Plan dates back to 1995 (PDF), with significant updates through 2011. The updates included a new market analysis (PDF) and a fresh look at facade improvements (PDF).

Investing In Downtown

Downtown Orono - with its mix of longstanding businesses and newcomers, college youth and senior citizens, riverfront and trails - is the dynamic core of Orono. It is a strong address for restaurants, businesses catering to a University market, and professional and R&D offices. More than a decade ago, the Town, in cooperation with Downtown merchants and residents, reaffirmed its commitment to a healthy Downtown. It has since:

• Built a new, LEED-certified public library in Downtown
• Established a Downtown Development District, which is jointly administered by the Town and the Orono Village Association
• Initiated the Black Bear Orono Express, a shuttle bus between Downtown and the University of Maine campus - jointly developed by the University, Town, Orono Village Association, Maine DOT and BAT Connector
• Established a fund for capital investments in Downtown and to help pay for the shuttle bus
• In cooperation with Orono Village Association, engaged the University of Maine Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center to help market Downtown
• Established a Downtown riverfront park on the banks of the Stillwater, as part of an evolving in-town trail system

To learn more about Downtown business opportunities, contact Belle Ryder, Assistant Town Manager.