Came across this place as two cyclists passing through. Karen, who was sitting at the front desk,…read morewas excited to tell us about the place and teach us something new about the region. Beautiful and informational education center that is fun and interesting for adults and children alike!

It's great for a quick visit with kids. Some of the displays are at little ones eye level and they…read morecan see under the water. Helpful park ranger type people who work there love to chat about the exhibits. Pretty views of the river. Interesting and informative information.

The Beneski Museum of Natural History is on the Amherst College campus and is one of those smaller…read moremuseums that consistently surprises visitors who arrive without strong expectations. We walked into a building that is modern and elegantly designed, spotlessly maintained, and organized in a way that made navigation intuitive across the three floors. The collection spans three floors and covers fossils, dinosaur skeletons, mineral and gemstone specimens, and an extensive dinosaur track collection with particular connections to the Connecticut River Valley, which produced some of the most significant dinosaur trackways in North America. The dinosaur material is the centerpiece. Two full mammoth skeletons, a T. rex skull, and a range of other fossil specimens give the collection a visual impact that larger natural history museums with more resources and more famous specimens would be proud to have. The dinosaur tracks are a specific strength and the connection to local geology adds a regional dimension that makes the collection feel distinct rather than generic. Staff and professors associated with the collection were present and willing to answer questions in depth, which gave our visit a more engaged quality than a self guided tour at a larger institution typically offers. The museum is free and open to the public, which makes it an easy addition to any visit to the Amherst area without any planning required. For a small college museum that delivers a world class fossil collection in a beautiful modern space, the Beneski Museum of Natural History is a hidden gem in western Massachusetts and well worth a stop. It is the kind of place where you go in for a quick look and end up spending an hour without realizing it.

This place is about as awesome as it gets. I took my 8 year old son and my 70 year old mother, and…read morewe all had a great time walking around the three levels. The staff was very friendly, and my son was super happy to chat them up about the different things on display, and share what he knew with them. We spent about two hours, and we could easily head back again.

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!

AI suggested I come here after some research with a day off gap and it was kinda a life changing…read moreexperience for me. It is next level poshness. For I felt like the first time, art spoke to me in a way where it was interesting and I didn't feel confined to refined boundaries. Truly nouveau, some of it shiny, some of it interactive. While I didn't like all of it, I loved like 97% of it and would come back just for this but maybe with a concert thrown in too. I couldn't take pics but there was an exhibit you had to reserve and one was an all illuminated white world as if I was in some weird imaginary futuristic TV show with expensive production. To complement the light show was a dark show that I didn't care for and that one was a lot more popular apparently. I am probably the only one who went to the spaceship on this particular Wednesday, which was at the boiler house that not everyone realizes you can look at , no AC with 90ish degrees weather, and 2 flights of older industrial metal stairs lol. Not for the super fragile physically. I could not recognize any of the nouveau artists but I could understand why they were on display in all their visual unspoken statements and documentation. They were certainly artists of a very nature I could get used to and eventually groove to, in a nerdy sorta avant garde way that is, dare I say, a modern nod to Andy Warhol. It's not only a museum for modern patrons, but also the groundwork that has propelled North Adams to the inclusive community it has become. The art and the nice atmosphere to live in make for picturesque western Massachusetts expensive to live in and some surprising food variety for the size of the communities. There was also a tea experience this day where you did a calming practice and expressed an emotion thought anonymously via red leaves dropped on a box and a red ball was dropped in for a tree sculpture. I overheard the staff from there toward the end of the day it was attended so so. I think because you had to go all the way to the end of the building to experience it, maybe not everyone wanted to walk that far. Mass Moca truly is "Mass-I've".

Probably the most interesting art museum in Mass. If you're in the Boston area, it is a bit of a…read moredrive--we turned it into a weekend getaway, and it was worth it. The museum is massive, with tons of exhibits. You'll find a mix of contemporary art, immersive installations, plus regular live performances. We spent hours exploring/wandering. Some exhibits lean abstract or experimental, so it helps to go in with an open mind, but that's part of the appeal. Overall, it's a must-visit, and I hope to come back to catch their dusk/dawn exhibit, which seems to be a staple.

Beautiful house and gardens. Purchase tickets online before you visit. Parking is very limited…read more Grounds are grass, mulch and stairs. Not accessible. Only the lower floor of the house is accessible. Take the garden tour. It provides much information about the family, building the home and gardens and the architects/designers. Well worth the time. The property is on a hill so wear your walking shoes. A dirt 'one way' road leads past the house, to the dirt parking lot, then down the hill off the property. The lower part of the road, off property, is very rutted. (it happens to drive right past Norman Rockwell's grave site) Early spring the gardens are beautiful. The staircase from the cutting garden to the house is gorgeous. A leisurly walk down the Linden walk then curves around to a stroll in the wood. Many little gardens areas. Plan to spend at least two or three hours.

The Winter Lights show is AMAZING! So creative, great use of all the uniqueness of the property…read more Very well organized. You park in the center of the town of Stockbridge MA which looks straight out of a Christmas romance hallmark movie. Even the town information booth (where you get the shuttle buses- which are school buses) over to Naumkeag House (less than 5 minute ride) looks like the cutest information booth you've ever seen. The buses are heated so after walking around outdoors you're happy to be on the warm bus ride back to the centers of the town. The light show has many nooks and crannies and surprises around every corner. I've been to much larger holiday light shows, and despite the size of this one being a bit smaller than some, it is spectacular and unique in so many ways. The property has a Chinese garden, a beautiful greenhouse (like straight out of frosty the snowman), a beautiful fountain, very large rows of giant evergreen shrubs, and incredible trees (like an arboretum). There are two "snack shacks" where you can get desserts, hot cocoa, hot cider, and even some nice add-ins like peppermint schnapps, bourbon, rum. Walking around looking at beautiful Christmas lights with a spiked hot beverage is magical. One of the snack shacks also has a fire pit with benches all around to sit and warm up by. Perhaps my favorite part...I went with several teens & young adults who don't always appreciate me taking tons of photos...but here...there were SO MANY PHOTO OPS that they didn't mind, and even started asking me to take more photos of them! Fair warning- this property has quite a few steps, so if mobility is a challenge, probably not the best place...even wheel chair accessible would be tough...especially with the school bus shuttles to/from town. Best to call ahead and see what accommodations can be made for accessibility. I hope to come back every year for the winter lights show. A very festive and beautiful thing to do with friends and family around the holidays.

We enjoyed several hours walking around old Sturbridge village. We also got to ride on a horse…read morebuggy ride which looped around at a certain part of the town.There were several demonstrations going on around the village and we got to see sheep, goats and pigs. The food at the tavern Cafe was delicious. I'm mentioning specifically the chicken pot pie and new england clam chowder, which we had and was really delicious. The gift shop was worth visiting as well. We brought home a Christmas ornament and some pottery made there.

Longtime visitor, former volunteer. The good- OSV is an…read moreinvaluable historical resource and wealth of information, research, and a breeding ground of historical interpretation methods. If you go to any history or museum conference, you'll find staff and former staff there. They're some of the best in the game, and their staff are unbeatable experts in very niche subjects. Their focus on rural social history was revolutionary when it started and still is revolutionary today. A lot of museums will teach you about political history. Not a lot will teach you about domestic life in OSV's level of detail. For visitors, OSV is sort of a "you get what you want out of it" experience. Some visitors come wanting to talk to interpreters and learn, others want to walk through quickly. Those people don't learn as much. The not so good- management seems more interested in running money laundering charter schools than retaining or paying their excellent staff. I've seen historians who have been interviewed in books and documentaries leave for much less prestigious jobs because it's just not worth it for them to stay. The price- day admission price is really high. I wish more people know there lower cost options. Many regional libraries lend day passes.

We came here using a library pass that gave us 50% off two adult tickets and two children tickets…read more Our total entry fee cost $42. Without the library pass, we would not have visited and a visit would not have been worth the full price for us based off what we saw during our time there. The EcoTarium main exhibits has some great interactive parts for children. Our favorites were in the third floor, building bridges, watching rats run on a wheel, looking at various rocks, etc. The bottom floor which holds musical instruments from many different countries and an indoor gym play area was fun to explore as well. This floor leads out to a dinosaur statue mini park where you can eat snacks, see other animals, check out the cafe and walk down to the train station and outdoor playground and sand station. I was surprised you needed to pay extra ($7) to ride the train. The tickets are expensive enough to pay extra on top of that seems greedy. But, we were grateful to have free access to the outdoor playground which our kids loved - especially the mud kitchen!

Follow the instructions to science and technology. Let's explore !…read more Our nations majestic bird greets you as you walk down a path from the parking lot . The parking is plentiful and free! As you walk this beautiful place it's divided between different animal paths and eco systems! You will learn visual and physical features from each habitat. Make sure and enjoy the experience that has been created to show how these creatures interact and exist in their surroundings . They maintain well funded environment by individuals that care for the animals. Thank you for this opportunity. If you're a local to the area the yearly pass would benefit greatly . Make sure and visit the gift shop for a souvenir. Until the next time.