I went to the museum as part of their maple syrup day, where they had people explaining how trees…read moreare tapped and maple syrup is produced, as well as having a pancake breakfast with local syrup. The rest of the museum was available, and honestly, this is a good half day to see minimum (especially if it's part of a larger event). The museum is four rooms, and they're all packed with information. One has Amerindian crafts from all over the country, and another includes what an actual dwelling would look like with tools on the inside, and a beautiful mural on the opposite wall showing what a day would have looked like to local Amerindian people. It feels like each display has a comprehensive sign, and each sign is pretty interesting. There is also a great gift shop with everything from local souvenirs to beautiful jewelry, to books for children and adults.

How have lived in Connecticut over 25 years and not known of this incredible little museum?…read more Nestled deep in the woods with only minimal highway signage, this modern, circular museum highlights the centuries of history of North American woodland Indians in a well designed, artifact-rich collection. Wait for the docent-led tour. Ours was a young historian who really knew his stuff. And don't miss the historic recreations of wooden Indian homes just a few yards up the hill. Kids will really enjoy exploring the grounds.

Since reading The Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly I became obsessed with visiting the…read moreBellamy-Ferriday House. My mom and I went to Connecticut in the middle of October during COVID. Because of COVID, we had to purchase the tickets a week before we were to tour the house. Pros though, the tour groups are a lot smaller than pre-COVID times, which is fantastic. We were with two other women who were a lot of fun and from Connecticut. It made the tour all the more better. Peg, the executive director, started the tour in the kitchen of the Bellamy-Ferriday House. We heard about a whole lot of history, including some Hamilton history thrown in the mix. Muffy then took us through the rest of the house telling us that Caroline had passed away on the chaise in the library. The library was my favorite room. I wish there was a little more talk on the Ravensbruck women who were brought to the house. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos inside of the house. Also, because of COVID a con was we couldn't see the second floor of the house, which didn't really make sense. The tour group was extremely small and they cited that we couldn't go upstairs as a group to see Caroline Ferriday's room, etc. I wish they would have allowed each "family" that came together to take a quick look around upstairs and then come back downstairs. Gary took us around the grounds of the house and his part of the tour was my favorite. He was funny and personable and just a genuinely good guy. And he looked like Richard Gere. The tour was about 2 hours long. I'm sure if the group was bigger it wouldn't have lasted that long. I love an in-depth tour. This was one of my most favorite tours I have taken. The tour guides were fantastic and knowledgeable and the subject matter was of great interest to me. Fun fact: Gary told us that the Bellamy-Ferriday House has the largest rose book collection with over 1,000 books. Also, the grounds have an elm tree that happened to escape the devastating beetle attacks that most elm succumb to. There is on-site parking and a cute gift shop that sells The Lilac Girls and other trinkets. If you are into history and WWII history, definitely check this place out. The grounds are wonderful and the tour is fabulous and it is given by great people. I hope to one day get to this site when the lilacs are in full bloom.

I knew nothing about this home or the owners before coming. We only came because my mom wanted to…read morevisit after reading Lilac Girls. I'm glad we tagged along. Learning a piece of American history that is not covered anywhere. I also very much appreciate our guide and how the information was presented. Not only does he cover information about the home and who the owners were but there is dedicated attention on uncomfortable conversations like the Holocaust and the terrible things that happened. Caroline Ferriday was a remarkable woman and more people should learn about her and then other remarkable women in her family. This will make more sense once you take the tour or read the book Lilac Girls. We were only able to see the first level because the second story was undergoing wall paper restoration.

Amazing and educational experience with friends. The setting and decorations were beautiful. The…read morepuzzles and tools were intuitive. This is not like any other escape room. Very creative and entertaining!! Would 100% go again.

ESCAPETHEROOMers are very excited to visit this location because this escape room is very special…read moreas it's located inside a museum! The Institute for American Indian Studies Museum & Research Center (IAIS) has an incredible museum exhibit which allows visitors to travel through time - displaying astounding artifacts while presenting information on prehistoric to contemporary Native Americans. They have a parking lot available right in front. To further their educational services, IAIS created "Wigwam Escape" - an escape room to challenge the ordinary museum experience. In continuing to preserve and educate the public about pre-contact natives, "Wigwam Escape" allows you to do so though an interactive, stimulating and captivating experience. We were fortunate enough to meet with the program coordinator and the room designer. The level of creativity that was implemented into the storyline, decor, and the puzzle designs really shows the level of passion IAIS and the staff have for their culture. From the customer service provided when you arrive to the lobby area, the staff is extremely kind and professional. The room itself had a fair amount of technology incorporated but because the storyline is that it happens in the year 1518, it's kept at a minimum. The technology used was cleverly used to keep up with the year 1518 which was quite impressive. The decor provided a realistic, immersive experience. Just a heads up that "Wigwam Escape" has is that some of the puzzle designs require bending down which could be physically challenging for some people but since this does require team work, we are sure you have someone in your group that's up for the challenge! We really recommend checking out IAIS and Wigwam Escape for an entertaining AND educational experience! Check out the location tour and interview on our youtube channel! *For more info, check out my Yelp profile.

If you ever happen to find yourself in South Hadley any time between May and October, and the idea…read moreof wandering amongst scrimshaw trinkets, ruby glass, Americana of uncertain provenance, and assorted mineralia sounds appealing to you, make your way posthaste to this veritable cabinet of curiosities. Assembled in a deconsecrated church literally uprooted and brought to South Hadley during the displacement of five towns caused by the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir, this museum collection is amongst the quirkiest places Western Massachusetts, a distillation of the local ethos circa 1870. Did I mention that admission is free?

Spend an hour here and you'll feel like you've discovered something (rather than having it all…read morehanded to you in one church-shaped package by Mr. Skinner). Hunting around this museum is an adventure unto itself. Every nook or cranny has something worth looking at. The staff is super-nice, although they aren't going to know a lot more about every object than is written on the ID cards -- and most items don't have cards! It can get pretty hot on a sunny day without a/c in the building, so beware of that. I love oddball little museums, and this fits the profile perfectly. One guy who really liked collecting crap donated said crap, and here it is! Enjoy!

Excellent museum! Well worth visiting! Provides insight into not just local history but into…read moreperiod history. Thanks to all who support it.

This is, hands down, the coolest little museum I've ever had the fortune to stumble upon! There's…read morean impressive collection of early American tools, and the curator knows a tremendous amount. There's also an art gallery and even Eric Sloane's old studio, which is super cool. Be sure to look out for a stone outside emblazoned with "god knows I tried." When I commented on it the docent laughed and said that he wrote his own epitaph, and yes, he's buried right there. Eric Sloane is a total legend and this museum is a delight. I'm looking forward to returning for one of their events.

Nice little museum of old tools. My husband particularly enjoyed the old axes. He was familiar with…read moreEric Sloanes books. Bonus that there is a separate engine museum Nearby!

I visited the gardens it was 9/21/23 so I wasn't expecting much. I was actually surprised to see a…read morefew flowers. They apologized, because apparently the Garden's were under construction. The house is only open on Fri Sat Sun. I'm sure the gardens are lovely in the spring and summer. The house is only open on the weekends. I plan on checking it out one day.....

Loved it! We had a great tour. She was very knowledgeable. It is so cool to step back in…read moretime....Gorgeous gardens too.

Beautiful grounds and the layout of the Museum is wonderful. A very peaceful way to spend the day.read more

Great museum, lovely setting. The only negative is that it's fairly crowded because the exhibit…read morerooms are not large and have a lot of displays. The Rockwell oils are wonderful when you see them in large scale, and the text panels and short bio film give a good sense of how carefully he worked and how he stayed true to his themes of community, inclusion, humor, patriotism. Right now, there are dozens of works by other painters and artists who worked in the same themes, and they are great too. I was on my feet for 4 hours and saw most of the works and took the excellent 30-minute supplemental studio tour. Didn't have time to walk the grounds, which seem lively too.

"Nights in white satin Never reaching the end…read moreLetters I've written Never meaning to send" (Moody Blues) The White Memorial Conservation Center is truly an embarrassment of riches. Our visit started with a stop at their Nature Museum, which was spectacular. The building is jam-packed with exhibits of the area wildlife in the form of dozens of taxidermied animals. So expect to see things like bears, mountain lions, birds, foxes, fish, geese, deer, butterflies, snakes, etc. Children will be enthralled by them, if not a little scared by the snakes, and pointy toothed fishes. Much of the museum is dedicated to children, with their "Children's Corner" of a live beehive, a very cool digital microscope, a big display on "The Art of Taxidermy," and a fluorescent rock cave where black light turns some ordinary looking rocks into an acid trip-like experience. But the museum is just the tip of the iceberg because surrounding it is a massive system of 40 miles of trails that crisscross the property. We hiked on their most popular trail, known as the Little Pond or Boardwalk Trail. Yes, it's a real boardwalk that stretched well over a mile over the swampy wetlands in a loop around the pond. Fair warning- the boardwalk at times is pretty narrow and there are no guardrails at all. So as long as you watch your step you'll see and hear a lot - songbirds, bullfrogs, gorgeous water views, and a huge beaver dam are some of the highlights. The scenery is breathtaking. What a wonderful place to visit. We sure had an outstanding time here.

I came here to visit family and was told this was a popular place to walk or explore. There was a…read morecenter building here but I didn't get a chance to go in so only experience the walking path they had. Overall, it was a very nice walk. I came on a day where the temperature was a bit chilled but the sun was out (thankfully no bugs bothered me and not hot at all). There was this little wooden path you walk on to avoid possible mud or uneven paths so was cool for me. There were very beautiful colors out for the season and the water looked cool (wouldn't swim in it though). Was able to see a few birds and even a snake too but no where near me thankfully. There were a few folks around but wasn't overcrowded at all. It was a fun place to explore and would come back for sure. Hopefully get a chance to check out the center as I'm sure has information about the area.

The staff are always very helpful and the collection is good. If there is a book you need, they…read morecan readily obtain it from another library for you. They also communicate through apps with notifications which is very helpful. You can use Hoopla with your membership which is a very valuable source of free audio books.

Check ahead - at least in September 2022 the library is closed for renovation and modernization. At…read morethis time the staff is still here and they're offering curbside service only. On the plus side, their wifi reaches to the curb and I was able to use their network from the van for a short while before heading onwards. [Review 18398 overall - 64 in Connecticut - 1920 of 2022.]