Things To Do In Our Area

The Fine Arts Center
https://fac.umass.edu/Online/
The UMass Fine Arts Center seeks to engage audiences in the arts, embrace diversity, and uphold the highest standards for arts education. Comprehensive in scope, the Center offers the region’s only mix of classical music, dance, theater, jazz, Broadway, special events, and gallery exhibitions.

The Mullins Center
http://www.mullinscenter.com
Opened in 1993, the 9,000 seat Mullins Center is the University of Massachusetts state-of-the-art, multi-purpose facility. It contains an Olympic-size practice ice skating rink available to students for free skating. In addition to Ice Hockey, and the Men’s and Women’s basketball teams, the Mullins Center has hosted such diverse events as Sesame Street on Ice and David Copperfield; speakers Maya Angelou, Elie Wiesel, and Bill Cosby; and rock concerts ranging from Metallica and Smashing Pumpkins to Alanis Morisette, Phish, and the Indigo Girls.

The Northampton Center for the Arts
http://www.nohoarts.org/
The Northampton Center for the Arts is dedicated to providing a place where people can dance, display art, make music, perform theatre and be immersed in the creative process. We try to make low-cost, high-value performance and exhibit space available to a wide range of artists and audiences in the community.

The Basketball Hall of Fame
http://www.hoophall.com
The NEW Bigger, Better, Bouncier Basketball Hall of Fame includes 40,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, multi-media activities and basketball programs on three levels.

The Big E
http://www.thebige.com
Each September, one million plus guests enjoy free entertainment, major exhibits, a Mardi Gras parade, The Big E Super Circus, the Avenue of States, Storrowton Village Museum, animals, rides, a daily parade, shopping and foods from around the world for 17 glorious days during New England’s most colorful season.

The Iron Horse Music Hall
http://www.iheg.com/iron_horse_main.asp
The Iron Horse Entertainment Group (IHEG) presents live music and performing arts events in Northampton, Massachusetts at The Iron Horse Music Hall, The Calvin Theatreand Performing Arts Center, Pearl Street Nightclub, and an outdoor summer series at The Pines Theater. Iron Horse Presents produces a regular schedule of concerts at other venues throughout New England.

Snow Farm
http://www.snowfarm.org
Snow Farm is a special place where students can come for solace and rejuvenation while learning a craft from master craftspeople. The staff at Snow Farm embraces the creative magic that is the heart of the New England Craft Program. The artistic foundation and spirit of community that make Snow Farm a unique learning experience is at the center of life at Snow Farm.

Emily Dickinson Museum
https://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/
The Dickinson Homestead, where Emily spent all but 15 years of her life, was mentioned frequently in her intensely idiosyncratic and strikingly modern poetry. Devoted Dickinson readers visit the Homestead and The Evergreens, the Italianate home built next door by Emily’s brother Austin Dickinson, to walk today where Emily walked and to see what Emily saw.

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
https://www.carlemuseum.org/
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is a new museum celebrating the art of the picture book. Founded by Eric Carle and his wife Barbara, the Museum is for visitors of all ages: children and families, teachers and librarians, scholars, and everyone interested in the art of the picture book.

Fall Foliage
Greater Springfield/Franklin County
The secondary roads of Rt. 116 and Rt. 9 wind through rolling countryside and hill towns. Rt. 116 passes through the picturesque towns of Conway and Ashfield; Rt. 9 leads through the village centers of Cummington and Goshen and the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. Scenic routes 143 and 112 travel through rolling New England countryside in the towns of Goshen, Chesterfield, Worthington and Huntington.

The Berkshires
Follow Rt. 7 North from Sheffield to Williamstown. Rt. 8 runs from Sandisfield to Dalton and is a superb route between two state forests. Rt. 183, from Great Barrington to Lenox, follows the Housatonic River and passes through small villages. Take Richmond Rd., off Rt. 183, just south of Tanglewood, and stop at the overlook for views of Stockbridge Bowl and the southern Berkshire Hills. Rt. 43 East, off Rt. 7, is the lower road to Williamstown, and passes through lovely farmland. Rt. 23, from Great Barrington to Monterey, and then right onto Tyringham Rd., takes you through the Tyringham Valley and eventually to Lee.

Mohawk Trailhttps://www.mohawktrail.com
The Mohawk Trail, which runs 63 miles along Rt. 2 from Orange to North Adams, is one of the state’s most popular foliage routes. Excellent “up-country” viewing sites include: the Whitcomb Summit; the hairpin turn before North Adams; the 10-mile drive to the summit of Mt. Greylock; the French King Bridge, Millers Falls; the Bissell Covered Bridge, Charlemont; and the enchanting Bridge of Flowers, Shelburne Falls.

The Holyoke Mall
https://www.holyokemall.com/
Western Massachusetts’ premier shopping location is home to over 200 specialty stores. Located convenientally off Interstate 91 exit 15, the Holyoke Mall is home to such great stores as Macy’s, Sears, The Christmas Tree Shop, Target, Apple, Aldo, DSW, Forever 21, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Loft, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, and H&M.

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Center
https://www.jacobspillow.org
Celebrating its 70th season in 2002, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival attracts visitors from all over the world. Founded by dance pioneer Ted Shawn in the 30’s, the Pillow was recognized as one of America’s Irreplaceable Dance Treasures, and named to the National Register of Historic Places. Jacob’s Pillow is located in the Berkshires town of Becket in Western Massachusetts.

Jones Library
https://joneslibrary.org
This unique public library serves local residents and visitors in a colonial style building opened in 1928 with its much loved “living room” atmosphere. Recently renovated, the Jones Library contains Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Robert Francis exhibits and a wealth of historical information about Amherst and the Pioneer Valley.

Look Park
https://www.lookpark.org
Look Park is located on the Berkshire Trail (Route 9) in the Florence section of Northampton, Massachusetts, in the heart of the Pioneer Valley. Look Park, consisting of over one hundred and fifty acres, is a gift to the City of Northampton from Mrs. Fannie Burr Look. This living memorial to Frank Newhall Look was first opened to the public in 1930.

Magic Wings
https://www.magicwings.com
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens consists of a 14,400 square foot facility that includes a 4,000 sq. ft. glass conservatory filled with butterflies, moths and tropical vegetation. Walking into the conservatory on a cold wintry day is sheer joy. A peaceful sanctuary for all who enter.

Mass MoCA
https://www.massmoca.org/
MASS MoCA exhibits some of the liveliest, most evocative – and provocative – art being made today in a beautifully restored 19th century factory. Critics have awarded MASS MoCA the nation’s most coveted architectural and historic preservation honors for the breathtaking renovation of its 19th century factory buildings and its thought-provoking, visually stunning exhibitions have put it on the “must-see” list of art lovers from around the world.

Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield
https://springfieldmuseums.org/about/museum-of-fine-arts/
The Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, established in 1933 and housed in an Art Deco style building, includes a comprehensive collection of American, Asian and European paintings, prints, watercolors and sculpture and representative examples of drawing, furniture, metalwork, textiles, glass and ceramics. The Museum houses a comprehensive collection of European Art (French, Dutch, and Italian) and the Currier & Ives (active 1834-1907) Collection is the largest holdings of lithographs in the nation.

Museums 10: Ten outstanding Museums in one gorgeous place
https://www.museums10.org
Museums10 puts it all together in one spectacular location for you: great art from every period, fascinating historical sites, world class collections of rocks and dinosaur bones illustrating the geologic history of the Connecticut River Valley, and books, books, books.

Paradise City Arts Festival
https://festivals.paradisecityarts.com/
The Paradise City Arts Festival is a nationally acclaimed show offers a spectacular array of contemporary craft and fine art, set amongst the blazing fall foliage of western Massachusetts along the majestic Connecticut River. The high caliber of the contemporary craft, art and sculpture at Paradise City has set a new standard for quality and diversity.

Pearl Street Nightclub
https://www.iheg.com/pearl_street_main.asp
Pearl Street Nightclub features an upstairs Ballroom and a downstairs Clubroom, housed in a historic 16,000-square-foot brick building built in 1908. The club features a full bar.

Springfield Museums at the Quadrangle
https://springfieldmuseums.org/
Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ statue, “The Puritan”, welcomes visitors to the Quadrangle, home of four fine museums: the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Springfield Sceience Museum, and the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum.

Six Flags New England
https://www.sixflags.com/newengland
“New England’s Thrill Capital!” Six Flags, located in Agawam, MA, between Hartford and Springfield, is the largest theme and water park in New England! Call 877-4-SIXFLAGS or visit our website for directions and operating hours.

Springfield Mass Mutual Center
https://www.massmutualcenter.com/
The Mass Mutual Center features family events, sports, concerts, conventions, trade shows and a myriad of special events. Home of the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League.

The Springfield Science Museum
https://springfieldmuseums.org/about/springfield-science-museum/
The museum features a Dinosaur Hall dominated by a life-sized replica of Tyrannosaurus rex; the multi-level R.E. Phelon African Hall with a mounted elephant, giraffe and other animals, as well as exhibits on African cultures; the Solutia Eco-Center, an aquarium and live animal center; Mineral Hall; hands-on exhibits investigating natural and physical science; Native American Hall; a 100-seat planetarium; an observatory; and an exhibit on the Springfield-based aviation pioneers, the Granville Brothers.

Tanglewood
https://www.bso.org/Home
Tanglewood, the idyllic summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, offers classical, jazz and popular concerts daily June through Labor Day. Tanglewood is located in Lenox Massachusetts, which is in the heart of the famous Berkshires. Tanglewood attracts more than 300,000 visitors each season.

The Volleyball Hall of Fame
https://www.volleyhall.org
The Volleyball Hall of Fame features the Walls of Fame, large panel graphics of the history of the sport, a regulation half court, displays and exhibits, a touch-screen video display and a gift shop. It holds two major events during the year – the Induction in October and the Morgan Classic Tournament in February at Springfield College. The Hall of Fame is located in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Yankee Candle
http://www.yankeecandle.com
Our spectacular candle and Christmas shops in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, will transport you to an Old World setting, where it’s Christmas everyday. Wander through the Bavarian Christmas Village, Kringle Market, Black Forest and Santa’s toy Factory, where rooms are bursting with countless candles, accessories, ornaments and toys. Linger in the Candle emporium, where you have your choice of scented candles in more than 175 fragrances. You can dip you own candles, visit our Candlemaking Museum, snack at the Coffee Haus or Candlewick Cafe, or enjoy lunch or fine dining at Chandler’s Restaurant. It’s a day of fun for the entire family!

The Yiddish Book Center
http://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/
The National Yiddish Book Center is a vibrant, non-profit organization working to rescue Yiddish and other modern Jewish books and celebrate the culture they contain. Supported by 30,000 members, we are now the largest and fastest-growing Jewish cultural organization in America.