"I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in And stops my mind…read morefrom wandering Where it will go" (Lennon and McCartney) 14,000 years in the making!! The Glacial Potholes in Shelburne Falls, MA have been around since the last Ice Age, which is wild to think about. As the glaciers melted and pulled back, fast moving water and swirling stones basically acted like nature's power tools to carve out around fifty smooth, round potholes in the rock. Now they just sit there staring at you, looking like something left behind by an ancient race of aliens. You can see them by walking along a platform that gives you a great view of the holes, pools of water, and a waterfall. What an awesome example of natural beauty.

Went here with my boyfriend!!…read more I'm from New Hampshire and can be picky about hikes (especially) but I was thoroughly impressed and we had a phenomenal time!!! The hike was lovely and the air as we climbed got a little cooler. Would recommend a jacket (even on a warmer day) and definitely some bug spray... We didn't bring any and were chased by bugs all the way down!

Beautiful grounds. In summer the trails take you through an old growth forest. In winter, every…read moreother year the home is decked out for Christmas and open for seasonal tours.

This former home of the poet/journalist William Cullen Bryant is a bit out of the way - it's in the…read moremiddle of nowhere actually and still operates as a farm. The house is in a bit of a shamble and could definitely use some TLC (the Trustees of Reservations, which own the property, seem to do better with outdoor landscapes). I had a moderately good tour of this interesting house. Those who enjoy architecture will be intrigued by the story of the home and its construction stages. I was more interested in the life and work of Bryant and the tour was moderately successful. I was most pleased, however, at the end of the tour when the guide noted she likes to make sure people leave the home knowing some of Bryant's poetry. So, she handed each of us a copy of one of his poems and read from it. This was a touching but important part of the experience - it was a poet's house, after all, so it's only appropriate we should be treated to poetry!

Not really a business but a rare bridge!! Beautiful setting with good vantage points for…read morephotography of the bridge and general area.

One day while exploring Western MA, we drove through Conway and came upon this bridge spanning over…read morethe Deerfield River. This historic truss bridge built in 1882 is such a unique structure and the views from the bridge are incredible. For the past few summers we have made it a point to stop by this bridge to not only marvel in the views, but to swim under the bridge. On either end there are parking lots, and often the water is moving slow enough that swimming here is a blast. Last Fourth of July we parked one of our cars here and ended up tubing down the river. This was a great place to start and parking was great because it was off the road. In the end, we love traveling to this bridge especially when it is snowing. One of our other favorite parts of this area is that the train passes by the bridge and listening to it pass as you are spending the day swimming here is relaxing.

Nice scenic bridge, had a great time in Charlemont. The bridge is really neat, and the stream under…read moreit is beautiful.

If you ever find yourself driving along Route 8A in Charlemont, you are in for a great surprise…read more You get to drive over a covered bridge. Without a detour. The Bissell Covered Bridge is right on 8A just north of Route 2. It is a 2 lane bridge. But sadly no pedestrian walkway. Heading north on 8A, there is a turnoff to the Charlemont fairgrounds right before the bridge. There is no where to park there, but there is a viewing platform. Just on the other side of the bridge there is room for 3-4 cars to pull over. M There are windows on this bridge, but the walls are so thick there is no way to see anything through the windows on the interior of the bridge.

"Lord, I recall my little town Coming home after school…read moreFlying my bike past the gates of the factories" (Simon and Garfunkel) Being my Birthday and Mother's Day, we wanted to enjoy the day with a small trip to a different place with some fun sights. Which brought us to Shelburne Falls in the foothills of northwestern Massachusetts' Berkshire mountains, around 15 miles from the Vermont border. It's a gorgeous little village on the Deerfield River with a definite Bohemian-artsy-counterculture progressive flair that reminded me a lot of Collinsville, CT or Great Barrington, MA. Main Street, Deefield Avenue, Water Street and Bridge Street represent the town's central business district which is loaded with restaurants, vintage shops, new age stuff, and plenty more. We had a blast wandering around town, visited A Heart for Art to pick up a unique wedding card, and stopped at Baked for lattés, a scone, and a macaroon. We walked over to the amazing Glacial Potholes and the Bridge of Flowers, probably the two biggest attractions in town. We caught the Bridge at a bad time, because the flowers were temporarily removed, and in the custody of "foster parents" while the soil in the flower beds was being replaced. The lovely lady at A Heart for Art told us the Bridge should be restored to its intended condition within the week. One of the very cool things we saw in town were the many beautiful mosaic tile murals celebrating local history. These colorful works of art are scattered throughout downtown, so keep your eyes open as you wander around. We fully intend to return to this sweet little village, stroll the Bridge of Flowers in full bloom, and enjoy everything else that Shelburne Falls has to offer.

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO! 5 STARS! It's Time to jump into The TimeMobile & scour the Earth & take you…read moreto places from a different time that you won't believe still exist! We have set the dial to the early1900's in Shelburne Falls MA. Shelburne Falls is a historic village in the towns of Shelburne & Buckland in Franklin County, Massachusetts This village looks like it's been plucked out of a novel from a far away time. It's a living & breathing time capsule. Time has indeed been turned backwards here. Instead of reading about history, you can come down to Shelburne Falls & actually be immersed in it & experience it for yourself! Now you can see what life was like a hundred years ago. Here's some of the really Cool Things to See & Do: walking across The Bridge of Flowers, a former trolley bridge that has been transformed into a garden oasis over the Deerfield River open from April through October. Then there's the Glacial Potholes & The Salmon Falls. There is also a Trolley Museum; & The Baker Pharmacy & soda fountain shop that serves ice cream just like they did more than a hundred years ago. There's a diner, some restaurants including pizza shops & a coffee shop. There's Bookstores, a Vintage Clothing store, a newsstand, & a community newspaper called the West County Independent that serves Shelbourne Falls & surrounding communities . They have a grocery store, a natural foods store & a country doctor. They have a Library, an artists' gallery & a Visitor's Center. This is also home to the second oldest bowling alley in America dating back to 1906 . And then there's the Mohawk Trail for hiking & exploring. They've got a lot more to do also but I'll leave that up to you to uncover. Most of the places are all walkable without driving in your car from place to place. And don't forget to stop on by the gift shop nearby called Native Views with souvenirs, Native American Merch, Local Foods & items & a Cool 20 ft tall Indian statue & teepees. Shelburne Falls has 2 listings as a Historic Site. First A 26-acre area has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Shelburne Falls Historic District. Secondly the Odd Fellows' Hall has also been listed on the Register. Because of the vibrant cinematic texture & rich history of the village, Hollywood has fallen in love with Shelburne Falls with lot of movies being filmed here. Here's a list "The Holdovers, Labor Day, Dexter: New Blood, The Judge, Winterbeast Video, Cryptid, The Wych Elm, Fragments of A Ghoulish Mind, Four Pins , The Earth Rejects Him, Fearful Devotion, Hank, American Playhouse Pigeon Feathers Episode. There's lots to do in Shelbourne Falls so you can spend the whole day here. On your traveling adventures, you'll discover that they have quite a few things that are inexpensive & even Free Stuff too including Free Parking! You can see my individual reviews of some of them for more detailed information. What a Really Cool Fun One of a Kind Unique Place! It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

The bridge is named for Eunice Williams and there's a story. On February 29, 1704, 300 warriors…read morefrom the French army along with members of the Abenaki and Mohawk tribes attacked Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing 56 and taking 112 prisoner. Eunice Williams, her husband Reverend John Williams, and five of their seven children were among those captured. As a captive unable to make the journey back to Canada, she was killed here on March 1. The covered bridge was built in 1972 to replace the 100-year-old covered bridge that had been destroyed by a fire set by vandals three years before on Halloween night in 1969. It is a single lane bridge and my Sprinter van would not fit. I parked illegally nearby, walked the bridge. Locals say that the bridge is haunted. I was here during the late afternoon hours when it was still light. I stood quietly on the bridge and listened. No ghosts appeared. [Round number review 22700 overall - 1677 of 2024 - 1226 in Massachusetts]

This covered bridge was named for Eunice Williams, who was killed in the "Deerfield Massacre". She…read morewas wed to the Revered John Williams, who went down in history as the "Redeemed Captive". This was all gathered from the signage around the bridge, I imagine the story is very interesting if you look it up in scholarly books and websites. The bridge itself has room for one car at a time, so be patient and take turns. Observe stop signs. It seems perfectly sound to travel across. Unfortunately, no ghosts were observed on this trip.

Basically just a big field to stargaze far from streetlights. When the members are their some cool…read moretelescopes come out.

This was an accidental find and I'm glad I passed through here from the parking lot on the way to…read moredinner. The War Memorial is in a small space between buildings called Veterans Mall just off Main Street near Bank Row. The Vietnam Veterans War Memorial is a polished black granite memorial which lists those who served during the war and those who The memorial reads, "This story shall the good man teach his son, from this day to the ending of the world. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we harry few, we band of brothers for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother. In grateful appreciation to all those who served worldwide during the Vietnam era." And it lists those who were killed in action and died in service with their military branch and an outline map of the Vietnam peninsula. The civil war memorial, "In honor of the men who enlisted from the Town of Greenfield Massachusetts to serve their country in the War for the Union 1861-1865." "Dedicated by citizens of Greenfield in Grateful Memory of those who served Town and Nation in Korean War. Those honored dead gave their lives." And finally, a very large World War II memorial. It is appreciated that these memorial stand together. [Review 18432 overall - 1150 in Massachusetts - 1954 of 2022.]

Although this Memorial Park is easy to miss while traveling down Main Street, this is an incredible…read moreplace to stop and pay homage to our fallen troops. This park is a phenomenal place to visit and during Memorial Day it is nice to watch the Greenfield parade as well as the celebration at this park.

This historic group of homes sounds like an interesting stop for a history enthusiast. I came on…read morethe same day as an event at Deerfield Academy, and HD blocked their parking lot to prevent those people from parking at the museum, but I called and ask if we, patrons, could park in the designated lot and was basically implied I was lying that the parking lot was closed. So really bad and frustrating communication. Once we parked blocks away and the employee shrugged and said "oh well it's a nice day to walk" and "when there's a local event we don't get a lot of visitors." No duh. Honestly if we hadn't pre-bought tickets, we wouldn't have bothered either. Banning their own patrons from parking in their own designated lot is insane. Then they weren't sorry about the inconvenience. ANYWAY, it's a nice collection of houses, most with tours on the hour and tours taking about 40 minutes, so just enough time to have questions and walk to the next place. The tour guides were very knowledgeable. There seem to be more historic demos on Saturdays vs. other days of the week. When I went on a Sunday, there were still quite a few closed buildings, I assume due to lack of staff and visitors to justify opening. There's a museum with some folk art. It's actually a lot more to see than can be done in a day, and it's definitely an all-day event. It was also interesting to learn about the 1704 Native American raid of the town. This place feels like it has a lot of potential, like a MA version of Colonial Williamsburg, but it felt a bit lacking. It would be great if there were more buildings open to pick and choose from. The gift shop offered very few souvenirs. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside. Like I had an enjoyable day, but I wouldn't recommend anyone go out of their way for this place as it is now. I hope visitors improve and the experience improves.

Quilty Ladies on a mission- we plainly asked if the museum had quilts on display and were told Yes,…read moreupstairs. The entry fee is steep, $20 no discount for seniors. Guess what? Not a single quilt on display. Nada. Zilch. You'll kiss that $20 goodbye, be hounded by docents who act as if only the East cost has museums (HELLO ever heard of a little place called The Getty? the Broad? LACMA, Hammer, Huntington shall I go on?) and who either are too stupid to know what their collection holds or are liars. Pick one. oh and you'll spend a painful hour trying to squeeze that $20 you'll never see again looking at more china and chairs than normal mortals can tolerate. My word of advice- do NOT waste your money and instead go to the Memorial Hall Museum a couple blocks away.

This was such a fun experience! Better than I expected in such a small town. The trolley was built…read morein 1896, and it was restored in the 90s and is functional! The museum is super cool and very small, but worth checking out. At the time of writing this, tickets are only $5 each. Well worth it. It's run by all volunteers too. There's several train pieces on the property including a caboose that you can go inside, as well as 4 or so other pieces that you can see and read about but aren't safe to go inside yet. There's also a hand cart you can operate which is so fun! It really picks up speed too. The trolley ride itself is fun! The tour guide has a ton of knowledge and explains the history of trolley cars, trains, and freight at the time the trolley was in operation. This was such a neat experience!

Having traveled to the Trolley Museum in Maine we have seen a ton of different trolleys, but this…read moretiny museum in Shelburne Falls is a great local attraction. This museum has a few trolleys which have not been restored, but they have Trolley Car No. 10 which was a locally run trolley. The staff and conductors here are polite and more than willing to tell you the history of Car 10. Overall, this tiny museum has a ton of history attached and I love the fact that it is located in such a beautiful area.