Great place to ride horses and board!! Miles of beautiful trails the riding instructors are awesome…read moreand they teach both western and english! They also do summer camps and have the best proces around!

From the owner: Craig Memorial Equestrian Center (CMEC) is a locally-owned and operated horseback riding school…read morelocated in Leverett, MA, just 15 minutes away from UMass Amherst. Roberta Bryant is a caring, talented, and experienced, lifelong competitive trail rider, and, Morab breeder, who has kept the doors of our Riding School open for over 40 years! In addition to our comprehensive lesson program, we offer boarding, training, affordable on-site leases and access to miles of trails up Roaring Brook Mountain, as well as summer camps and community events such as an annual Gymkhana series, schooling shows, clinics and an annual ECTRA-sanctioned Competitive Trail Ride Competition! At CMEC, we emphasize safety, learning, and, cultivating meaningful relationships with our horsey friends. All riders are required to wear safety helmets when mounted, to participate in horsemanship activities, and we make it fun!

Our daughter has done this as a week-long day camp (at Bement Summer Camp) twice now. Each year was…read moresimilar but the daily activities changed. Regardless, she LOVES this program! Plenty to challenge older / more experienced kids, but also moving at a pace the younger crowd can keep up with. Last year, her favorites were kayaking and caving. This year, raft-building and caving. She starts each day excited for a new adventure, and comes home worn out and so full of stories. The guides have all been fantastic - knowledgeable about the trails, history, and environmental topics; good at setting expectations about the day's activities and rules; and great with kids of varying abilities. Caving may be the best thing about this program. Our family hikes & paddles regularly, but caving is best done with a guide who's done the cave before and can set expectations realistically. When our daughter comes back from the caving days, her clothes are wet and filthy, she tells stories about impossibly narrow and tight passages, and she grins the whole time. It's such a great experience and has really expanded her enjoyment of our outdoor adventures. My only request is that the guides would give parents a list of where they went, complete with recommended parking and recommended routes - so we can try these things too! Well, except the caving. I'd want a guide for that!

We brought my son's 6th Grade class here for an adventure and no one left disappointed. You could…read moresee quite a few of the class were tentative as they entered the cave but once they got inside all of there faces lit up as they began to explore. Our guides were Anna and Benjamin and both were great with the kids. They told us stories and taught us all some facts about how the caves were formed, what was down there, and how they would look in the future. We explored some of the larger areas of the cave and also some of the tighter passages. It was peaceful, challenging, meditative, and fun. It's also worth noting the care Anna and Benjamin took to make sure that everyone had a pleasurable and safe experience. They were supportive to push us to get a little outside of our comfort zones but were equally supportive and attentive if someone felt they had reached their limit. It's been two days and the class is still talking about the trip. I plan to get as many of the kids and parents together to do this again some time in the near future. I do not have enough words to express the gratitude I feel for this experience.

We have been sending our son to Renaissance since he was age eligible. We chose Renaissance based…read moreon its proximity to UMass (a stone's throw!) and affordability. When I learned that Miss Dottie used to run the lab school at UMass, I was sold. I feel that people who teach aspiring teachers are up to date on best practices and truly dedicated to the field. We have been very pleased with the school. They have a really great staff to student ratio. There are a lot of interns from UMass, which is very exciting for the children. The class is incredibly diverse, with almost all of the children speaking different languages at home. I would highly recommend it!

My son just finished his second year at the Renaissance School and we will all miss it so much…read more Renaissance is a warm and loving place where kids get to play and learn by following their own interests and curiosity. Ms Dotty is so thoughtful and purposeful in how she puts together the curriculum, arranges the classroom, and talks with the kids about their developing social and emotional abilities. We really felt that our son was well taken care of here.

My child took the swimming lessons a few time. She really enjoys it. The instructors are great and…read morecaring and really great with kids. Regarding the swimming facilities, they are generally great. Some downsides are: (1) middle school pool temperature is slightly lower than normal at least for the time we went (2) there is no private shower room at men's locker room. This is pretty awkward when my husband takes my daughter to swim lessons.

We love the small group sizes, it's less intimidating for our child and they get more one on one…read morewith the instructors. There are year round lessons so our child can keep practicing the skills they've acquired during the class and learn new ones. We've signed for more lessons and have recommended the class to friends and neighbors.

This gym and the owners are amazing! I grew up in this gym, learning gymnastics, strength, bravery,…read moreand courage. I went here for 14 years, doing team for 10. I've "retired" from gymnastics now, but I wish I lived close enough to take my own daughters here. I did gymnastics on the same team as the current owner and she's not just an amazing gymnast, but a great person. When I reached out with a gymnastics question -- about a challenge I was having with my girls' current gym -- she was quick to respond and provided great advice. I recommend Talya and Hampshire Gymnastics school without reservation!

I saw a posting for an instructor here so I applied. I did gymnastics ages 3-15 and I taught for a…read moreyear or so. I had a great interview and the owner or whatever she is got my number and told me she'd be in touch. So 4 weeks go by and I heard nothing. I kindly follow up. Nothing. A month later, I see ANOTHER post from them that they are still actively looking for an instructor. I decide to kindly follow up again (3-4 weeks from last follow up) and nothing. I have all the qualifications that they are looking for and she seemed to like me in the interview. If she went with someone else it's basic decency to get back to me and tell me I didn't get the job. I don't see for what reason, but it's rude to just ghost someone when they didn't do anything wrong. It's rude and inconsiderate. Now I see why this gym has bad reviews. Don't go here.

It's a small school. The classes are small. Each student gets close, loving, personal attention…read more The school is flexible, giving new students a chance to check it out before making a big commitment. I can't overstate what a positive impact Amherst Martial Arts has had on my 13-year-old son's life.

Amherst Martial Arts, a taekwondo school, is a really special space in Amherst. It has been…read moreoperating for more than 20 years, educating countless children, as well as hosting summer camps (taekwondo, swimming, and horseback riding). It's the complete program: philosophy, strength, forms, and practical application -- self defense and sparring. The strength of this program is not just in the excellent and serious instruction, but in the warmth of the community. The children are kind and supportive to each other, an attitude fostered by the teachers. The children and teens really form relationships with each other. The school is a labor of love for the instructors; they haven't raised their rates in years, because they want to keep it accessible. At some other places that I've seen, the programming aimed at kids can feel like a mill, processing lots of kids, keeping things fun but what are the kids actually learning? I've seen some kids' martial arts programs described as "belt factories" or "belt mills", where the belt tests are meaningless, and the kids aren't actually learning the forms, much less the philosophy and mental disciplines. No matter how skilled the adults are, they have to take teaching kids seriously -- not just as entertainment for the kids and babysitting for the kids. That is the opposite of Amherst Martial Arts, which feels like a cross between a school and a home -- the best kind of home, where everyone is working together, learning and improving and supporting each other. The kids have a lot of fun -- there are lots of opportunities for games and silliness -- but they also learn to buckle down, concentrate, try harder, improve. I've seen kids come in, too shy to kick at all, gain confidence just from the gentle, non-judgmental opportunity that comes again and again in a session, until they start finding their own ability to move and then start putting their all into it. This is huge for girls especially who may not have been given social encouragement or support to yell, kick, punch, roll, etc. The instructors are great at knowing how to relate to different kids at different levels: kids sometimes need gentle encouragement, sometimes sternness and seriousness, and often humor, and helping kids have fun AND then buckle down to focus and learn is a real art.

The YMCA advertises they're handicap accessible yet the parking lot is in back. On weekends the…read moreback door is locked so you have to climb 100 stairs to get to the front door. It's incredibly difficult for people with limited mobility or wheelchairs to climb stairs. Kids are allowed to roam the building unsupervised for hours on end. During the summer months parents will drop off their kids for the day. A young man once followed me around making me incredibly uncomfortable. When I reported it to the front staff manager I was told "well this is a community center". I immediately cancelled my membership. It used to be open longer hours and the back door adjacent to the parking lot, was open during business hours. Limited operating hours, unwelcoming staff, and high prices make this place a no. I do not recommend this fitness center at all.

Friendly staff and great classes! The front desk is always helpful and there are things for my…read morefamily to do together.

Miss Leticia is a wonderful teacher! My child learned an enormous amount and had a great time! I…read morewas amazed at how much she was able to teach.

From the owner: Miss Leticia Music School offers fun and focused music lessons for all ages. Students learn guitar,…read moredrums, ukulele and more, and our supportive instructors will help you grow your confidence and skill. Visit our website to join today! Bring out your inner Rock Star!