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.

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.

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.

First, it's a very nice museum. Second, it's free…read more The exhibits are well thought out, and I like that they have additional samples in draws that you can pull out if you want, a nice way to encourage exploration. They also have codes you can scan to get additional videos on some displays. Very nice. The Hitchcock Ichnology collection is world class, an incredible display of Connecticut Valley dinosaur footprints. It is a great way to train your eyes before going to look for prints at the Trustees site in Holyoke. Also great mammal, fish, and dinosaur body fossils. A gem.

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!

What a fantastic museum. Great staff. Very handicap accessible. Lovely museum store.read more

My mom and I were members for a year. I do wish there were more new and frequently changing…read moreexhibits. We have always enjoyed our time there but prefer to go a bit less often so we don't keep seeing the same things. The buildings are so cool but it is large and a little confusing to navigate. As with any art, there's been certain exhibits we've loved and others that weren't as interesting to us. It would be cool to have some more info about what the building used to be and how it used to look. I think the price could be prohibitive for a lot of people or for families. I am not knowledgeable about contemporary art but I like browsing here. We have done one of the free tours before as well. There are some times exhibits and those require advance booking online (the cost in included). This means many times, there were no slots available during the days and times we'd planned to visit. That felt like some people were getting "more for their money" and like we'd missed out. There was a roller coaster that ran once per hour and so I think members got first choice of spots so there was no availability for months (we never did get to experience the ride). There are a few James Turrell experiences that also require pre-registration. This makes it impossible to see them if you do a spontaneous visit.

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.

Another really underrated museum and estate in the Berkshires, the gardens and grounds are amazing…read more You have a wonderful view of the valley below and the house has a lot of stately charm. The tour guide we had was fantastic and is probably one of the best ones I've had for a museum tour. He was informative but kept it light. I didn't feel like he was flooding the zone with information to flex. There's some Asian/Chinese flavor in the home and the surrounding gardens, as the Choates had a keen interest in Asia. There's significant walking up and down, so keep that in mind, and not a ton of parking. This summer cottage is worth a visit, especially if you're interested in estates during the Gilded Age.

I've been visiting Old Sturbridge Village since I was a kid, and no matter what age I've been, it…read morealways makes for a great day trip from CT. We last visited for their Christmas by Candlelight, and it was such a cute holiday celebration. The actors are always knowledgeable and take their roles seriously. We love visiting the different buildings and seeing the authentic artifacts. Can't wait until our next visit!

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.

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.

We recently visited the Ecotarium which is almost an hour away from where we live; and while it had…read moresome highlights, I left feeling the admission price didn't quite match the experience--especially with a toddler. For our family, it came out to around $55, and for a 2-year-old, there wasn't a lot to engage with at this age. Many of the exhibits are better suited for older children who can read, explore independently, and understand the science concepts. Both the planetarium and the train ride require an additional fee beyond admission. My toddler enjoyed the train and we thought the planetarium was nicely done, but it would've been nice if there was an option to just purchase tickets for those experiences instead of paying full admission. We were excited to see the mountain lions, but learned they're often resting high up and out of view. It was a little disappointing since that's one of the main animal exhibits. The bubble exhibit was also not functioning properly during our visit. Overall, the grounds are nice and I can see older kids having a great time exploring all the exhibits. For families with toddlers, though, the value just isn't quite there. I'd recommend this more for kids 4-5 and up who can really interact with and appreciate the exhibits.

This place is a lot bigger than what it seems online. The museum is 3 levels. The first two rooms…read moreare mostly various tpes of birds such as ducks, crows, and etc. They have a taxidermy albino crow! As you walk throughout the museum you'll see more larger animals like a mountain lion, bobcat, bears, boars, albino deer, and etc. Some of the taxidermy pieces do look a bit cartoonish while others look more well done. They also have a live bird exhibit on the bottom floor with bald eagles, raven and owls. Along with a few live turtles on the first floor. They also have a small bug exhibit and mineral/rock exhibit. Overall I'd say that if you enjoy taxidermy this is a great stop on a road trip or vacation. The museum is connected to a general store that sells a lot of souvenirs, syrups, candy, snacks and also has a scenic bridge to stand on while looking out at the foliage. This is the perfect stop during the autumn months.

I love this little museum! In many ways it is a traditional Natural History museum - with a large…read moretaxidermy collection. Most of the collection here is quite old, which gives you an interesting historical insight into how displays used to be done. The highlight of the museum is the live animal exhibit. All of the animals, which include both birds and reptiles, are unable to be re-released to the wild, and many of the birds have injuries that severely impair their flight. The enclosures are clean and the animals are all very well cared for. The museum is much larger than it looks from the outside, and is accessed through the gift shop upstairs.