This historic group of homes sounds like an interesting stop for a history enthusiast. I came on the 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. read more

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Quilty Ladies on a mission- we plainly asked if the museum had quilts on display and were told Yes, upstairs. 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. read more

We visited on Mother's Day. There were very few visitors, and only a few houses open. It's a lovely place to walk around, but it's not very child friendly. We stopped at the Inn for lunch, but left because they did not have a kids menu. The Mother's Day menu was a bit fancy. We went to the History Workshop, so our son could play. The staff member was very nice, but she hovered over him the entire time. She commented on everything he touched. He wanted to leave. At the Flynt Center, a staff member followed us through the entire museum. Our son is very well behaved. He did not touch anything. It was not a great day. We will go to Sturbridge Village next time. read more

Major disappointment. Most of the houses are not open, and those that are only are open with a tour on the hour, but not at noon since they ALL close at the same time. We paid $20 each to walk the outside of the houses (which you could do for free). We stopped at the store where there were only 2 bottles of iced tea, and the clerk was so slow we stood there as he slowly typed in each number since the scanner wasn't working. Animals? we saw a few sheep in a barn. Garden? A bout 5 foot by 10 foot garden. We were very disappointed. MOST of the houses are private and actually homes for the faculty of Deerfield Academy. You walk a mile each way for maybe a handful of houses. Will not return. Many of the houses were also under renovation (all at the same time) so room or entire houses unavailable to view. Short staffing reduced number of houses we could visit. Definitely not worth the 2 1/2 hour drive. read more

So glad we stopped here. This part of town is a living museum with an intense history of Native raids and settlers clashing. Stop by and take in historic New England. Don't forget to go by the old cemetery. Fascinating. read more

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Beautiful area but very disappointing museum(s). No photography is allowed in any of the buildings, so if you are looking to take photos of the interior, you are out of luck (apparently this is due to the threat of theft) Additionally, many of the buildings were closed. This made the price tag simply not worth it. I visited the inside of the silver room and the lady working in there was quite nice. I have zero complaints about the staff. Overall, probably would not return unless I knew for certain more buildings would be open. Great place to drive through but overall a disappointment. read more

I'll admit it....I like old stuff....furniture, that is. Houses, too. Visited Old Deerfield to feed these passions. The story of the town is quite unique....the 'wild west' aspect of its early history is quite interesting. The 1704 attack is sad when looking at either side of the fracas. A sign of our enlightened times is the banishment of the term 'massacre' from the story. I appreciated the uniqueness of their collection of furniture, houses, and stories. Although I'm glad we went, it failed to light my inner light of this furniture and old house maven. I can't quite put my finger on it other than feeling like the place represents a vanity project of a couple of rich collectors. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we went and the village is beautiful; if you are in the area go forth and enjoy. Its good to know that this bit of Massachusetts heritage is preserved. Still, I was not as impressed as I thought I would be. read more

Again, something you need to be interested in to have a good time. Plenty of maps online so you can plan ahead (like I really need to know where the ladies room is after an hour long drive and some iced tea). Hit the visitors center first..lots of great info and directions on which houses you can tour on your own, what times the guided tours run, and which houses you must make a request to see. Only spent half a day here and would go back in a heartbeat. Not only lovely houses but MA is so different from flat FL...love my adopted state but nice to see hills and rolling fields. read more

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This is a 4.5 star affair... If you want to tour a classic New England town where you can view the interiors, this is it. Old homes from the 1700s' and 1800s' most of which have been restored. We did a driving photo tour but it was still very cool. This isn't my style of architecture (more Art Deco and Mission Crafstman style) so going inside wouldn't really speak to me. However, I still appreciated the beauty of this town and how it feels like taking a step back in time. read more

My family has been several times. It's a favorite to share with out of town relatives. It is the essence of New England history. The volunteerism is amazing. The tour guides are invested in making sure everyone learns and is entertained. The tours are informative and the houses are simply amazing! Make sure and take the time to fit in a demonstration or class. read more

My wife planned the trip to Historic Deerfield and I couldn't have been more pleased. It's easy to spend an entire day here. Several of the houses have specified times at which you can enter which makes planning a must. And of course, you can enjoy lunch at Champney's restaurant & tavern while you're whilng away the day on the street. Even the Village's museum is a nice attraction. Just being able to drive up and down the street and see so many historic homes from the same time period is fantastic. read more

If you love New England history, do check out Historic Deerfield. It's composed of old buildings and museums. For $14 you can visit everything (and the ticket is good for two days) and for $7 you can visit the building of your choice. Being somewhat frugal, I opted for the latter. We went to the Flynt Museum, where we spent some time looking at things such as colonial clothes, wigs, and furniture. At $7, I think it's a bargain. The museum is pretty quality. The only downside was that some crotchety old lady accused us of not having tickets. (Because my friend and I are hoodlums who wanted to terrorize a colonial museum, obviously!) The gift shop is fun, too. Lots of interesting stuff, from historical books to cookbooks to artwork to home decor. read more

Historic Deerfield is super cute and if you like history and old houses it is a definite must-see, on a nice summers day it would be fun to stroll around this olden towne. There is a visitors center and a gift shop/book store, an inn and some other places you can visit. Its not quite like mystic or sturbridge but sort of along those lines .. read more

This place is a joke. Half the houses are transplants or rebuilds. They have lots of collections of useless artifacts and things the people who run it collect (like china plates). The history of Deerfield is very interesting but this "village" is a crock. Trust me. I grew up in the town, went to plenty of the buildings for school trips, went to camp at the Indian House and it makes me sad this "Historic Deerfield" is all we get. Deerfield could have been done better. read more

This collection of historic houses was never on my radar, but with a couple of hours to kill before dinner my family and I explored the town by foot. If we had more time we would have paid admission and gotten access to the houses themselves (next tine!). Whether you are passing through or planning a weekend in the area, it is worth stopping to get a window into the past. read more

I expected this place to be more along the lines of Colonial Williamsburg, Plimoth Plantation, Old Sturbridge Village or Mystic Seaport with structures you can move in and out of and people in period dress. Historic Deerfield isn't like that at all. Most of the buildings are only open for guided tours on the hour. Be prepared to do a lot of sitting around and waiting. If the tour fills before you get there, too bad. There are some displays that are redeeming and the guides are knowledgeable but it's not great. Because of the layout and planning, you'll need to allot the whole day to learn just a little. Skip it and go to the other places I mentioned instead. read more

Oversold and under delivered tourist trap. We when on Sunday and four houses of the self guided tour where closed the volunteers didn't show up to work and they have no backup or discount. Linda at the Visitor Center is a grumpy woman. They are two story houses, but just 3 to 4 rooms are available to view. read more

If you enjoy history, including colonial furniture and architecture, Historic Deerfield is well worth the admission. The entire staff including the visitor center people, the gift shop clerk and all the tour guides were welcoming. This village offers 5 houses with guided tours with very informative guides, and seven buildings which are self guided. Ideally two days could be used to view the many exhibits but for those who only have one day but want to "see almost every everything" here are some helpful tips. 1. Before visiting Historic Deerfield view their website which has some informative videos on what the place offers so you can prioritize what you want to see. By viewing ahead you will be able to skip the intro video at the visitor center. You may want to pack a few light snacks especially if you have children attending with you as eating options are limited and wear comfortable walking shoes 2. Plan to arrive at the visitor center at the 9:30 am opening and ask questions as some information is not stated. First,ask about any discounts. Currently triple AAA discounts are offered but not advertise on the website or posted at the ticket counter. Second, ask what the food options are available. Deerfield offers a self serve coffee service and a small variety of prepackaged snacks with limited indoor seating (2 tables) and Champney's a full service restaurant. On some days the Deerfield Lunch Box is open( seasonal). Third, once you receive the Historic Deerfield map brochure and the daily schedule flyer quickly glance at both and ask if any buildings are closed that day or if any are scheduled by appointment only. I really wanted to see the Allen House which is listed as a guided tour on the map but in reality is by appointment only. I was told later that day near closing I might have been able to tour that house if I had asked earlier.Likewise another building was closed for all viewing that day. Fourth, you might ask if the ticket is good for a second of admission as one yelp review stated becaude again there is no information on the website or posted at the center. 3. Do take the 10:30 am Historic Deerfield History Tour and visit the Flynt Center. which is hidden up the road. Both give a fuller picture Deerfield history and the story behind the creation of Historic Deerfield. 4. To cover more ground eat a quick light lunch. Because the snack options were limited for me I did dine at Chapnley's .There were a few salad and soups from which to choose. The food came quickly and I was able to take a break from the sun and recharge for afternoon touring. In closing, if you plan accordingly and use at least some of the above tips you will be able to see much of Historic Deerfield in one day. Even without a discount the place is well worth a visit. To me Historic Deerfield is similar to Colonial Williamburg with many buildings which are part of a present day neighborhood.. read more