I’m here for a wedding. If there’s any extra time, would love some suggestions!
I assume Amherst MA, right? If so, Amherst College has a really neat and FREE OF CHARGE paleontology museum. If there are kids along, they might like this. Heck, we adults, thought it was pretty cool. The Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts was a gold mine of dinosaur tracks and footprints, they have lots of those, along with other stuff. The Irish elk skeleton, with its gigantic rack of antlers, was very impressive.
Just outside of town the North Hadley Sugar Shack was our go-to spot for all things maple when son was at UMass. Smith College next door in Northampton has a very nice conservatory, several greenhouses, also free of charge. Northampton itself is a very quirky hippie-vibe place in itself.
Those into poetry and such like the Emily Dickinson House and Museum. All the trips we’ve made to the area, that’s one place we never got to.
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Smith’s art museum is excellent.
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If you’ve got any kids with you, there’s a cool little Eric Carle (of the Very Hungry Caterpillar fame) museum as well as a small Emily Dickenson museum. And the groovy town of Northampton was a favorite spot to hang out and explore when D was at Mt Holyoke - lots of shops and cafes to people watch. With Smith College right there it’s a neat college campus to roam as well. Just driving around you’ll find apple orchards galore with homemade goodies and please(!) have an apple cider donut for me!
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Apple cider donuts already obtained and consumed!!!
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These are all great suggestions, thanks!
Youngest person in the group is turning 21, but we might still like the Eric Carle museum!!
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Thank you 
In the vicinity for the sports fan just south is the basketball hall of fame at springfield ma
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The Big E (Eastern States Exposition) is going on now in West Springfield.
Sounds so fun!
The Big E is fabulous! If you can get there…definitely do!
Smith College has a nice Botanic Garden.
Thank you everyone!
We had limited time, but had a nice lunch in north Hampton and spent a couple of hours just meandering around before heading out of town. Will definitely plan on returning!!
And…is anyone a fan of Tracy Kidder’s book House? That house is now an Airbnb and ….that is where our extended family ended up booking for out of town guests to stay. Im a big fan of the book (have read it multiple times over the years ) and had hoped to drive by and see its exterior— and instead ended up staying there for two nights!!!
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Huh, I didn’t put that together with the town. Coming from a construction background, reading the book was difficult because quite frankly the couple building the house turned me off because they were just so obnoxious. It isn’t like I am not aware of the joys of contractors (I should write a book about the house I live in and the renovations thereof), but wow. Do you know if it is owned by the original couple (I doubt it) or did someone buy it as a air bnb property? Kidder was/is a great writer, his Soul of a New Machine was a classic as was his book about a mill town in Mass, but I had trouble with that book.
Yes— still the original owners. Or at least one of them—I think the husband passed away about 15 years ago.
I agree that the owners came off as the least sympathetic of the various parties who were portrayed.
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