The university's art museum is free, though they did ask me for a zip code for some reason as I was…read moreobviously not local. It was bigger than it looked from the outside; not what you'd find in a major city by any means but there were several rooms and there was enough content there to spend the better part of an hour on in brief. Some people were having academic conversations that may well have lasted longer. Their principal exhibition was a variety of Native American (and Australian) works which provided a robust overview of a wide variety of cultures. Some of the other exhibitions were kind of screechy and political and didn't really offer much as art, but they rotate exhibits and some variation in quality is expected. The parts where they let art speak for itself were worth visiting.

Hello!! A James Baldwin exhibit!!! Say no more. I'm not a huge fan of fossils and antiquity, it's…read moreimportant but bores me. But photographs and art and letters from someone like my boyfriend Baldwin!!! I'm all in. Amhurst is small and there's not a ton to do. This gives you an excuse to walk around campus and save some brain cells.

A local hiking and wildlife Gem created decades ago . Eagles , Bobcats Turkeys and tons of other…read morewildlife. Too bad they can't figure out the simple task of adding parking lot spaces at the Windsor Dam facility.

One of the few places to get a view of the vastness of Quabbin Reservoir. Free admission. It's a…read moreself guided tour. About 80 steps to the top. 360 degree views. Maps to tell you what you are looking at. Huge parking lot.

I want to kick this review off with a fact nugget- I knew NOTHING about Emily Dickinson (except…read morethat she was a poet) before I planned my trip the prior week to visiting the museum. This was a learning experience. It was Mother's Day weekend and also the museums 41st annual poetry walk to celebrate the anniversary of Emily's death. This is really what caught my eye- I love special events. So here are two review in one: Poetry walk Review: You report to the home, pick up a pamphlet that identifies the poem that will be read at each stop along the way along with a map of the stops and your daisies (her favorite flower.) Note: you are asked to pre-register online for the event (I mean they need to know how many pamphlets and daisies!) Off you go! We knew we were going to make it for maybe one stop and the cometary (last stop) due to an early morning tee ball game I wasn't going to miss. So that's what happened, we were able to stop at one poetry stop right outside the cemetery where they read two poems aloud and people were able to ask questions. The final stop is visiting Emily at her family plot in the West Cemetery (take a look at that mural on your left as you start waling into the cemetery with Emily in the center.) As we neared her tombstone, they were passing out cups of lemonade for a noon toast to Emily. They told some facts about the cemetery, a song was song that was inspired by Emily's writing and then one of her poems was read. We then raised our glasses and cheers to the woman herself. After the toast, everyone took their daisies and gently placed them on or around her headstone or the gate to the family's plot. It was nice to walk back through town as we grabbed lunch and then scooted back to the house for our 2pm pre-purchased entry into the house. Very nice event. The House Review: First off- no parking on site. Based on my experience- I would suggest not visiting the house during the week when college is in session! Around the house most parking spots are permit parking only for the college. With the event happening as well, it was hard to find parking. The Dickinson house has bene restored to Emily's writing hay day. As much as we did not have a guided tour (those happen in the morning) there were people stationed in each room who were a wealth of information. I had a lot of questions and they were not stumped and answered beautifully. I learnt a lot from all these fine folks who were just so interested in her, the family and the historical aspects. Thank you! (I really asked a lot of questions.) Austin's house, The Evergreen House, next door is preserved. Very different from Emily's. One has frozen in time and one has been reinvigorated to present the time. Walking through Austin's home was quite interesting as well. Their art is very interesting. I do enjoy how the museum opted to treat each house differently. I have mixed feelings after my trip about Emily and her poems especially the heavy editing but none the less very impressed with the museum and the people working there- vast amounts of knowledge that they were easily willing to share.

Who run the world? Girls!!!…read more Sadly, Emily Dickinsons pomes didn't get any attention until after her death. typical!! This museum is about an eight minute walk or less from the edge of the University or the downtown area. The only way to enter it is with a tour, and they only allow 10 people so make sure to reserve it in advance. You can do the Gardens self guided tour on your own, and the museum shop is always open. I walked over from my hotel, my beautiful early spring day, and enjoyed all the mass of colonial homes.

Not only is this art, it's useful art! This cute statue is also a donation station to help feed the…read morehungry in Northampton. Definitely keep some cash on hand so you can donate when you inevitably walk by. If you want to donate to the hungry but don't have cash, you can buy an art ribbon book mark at Broadside Books up the street with plastic. Their proceeds also go to a food based cause.

When you stroll through the streets of Northampton there is no telling what you'll see. In our…read morecase, one of the first things that caught our eye was this adorable statue of a reclining frog. It was stretched out over a concrete vault that held a coin slot, silently soliciting donations from passers-by to feed the homeless. The coin slot is cut into a door to the vault. The side of the vault has a brochure holder with information on homeless services and how to make a donation. The vault also has two bronze plaques. The one on the front states: "Feed the Frog Feed the Hungry" "All donations made to the "Happy Frog" bank will go directly to feeding the hungry of our community because Northampton cares." A plaque on the side acknowledges the frog's sculptor: "In gratitude to Lu Stubbs, Sculptor -2008-" What a perfect combination of creativity, art, community service, and charity, Yes, Northampton does care.

Definitely do not miss a chance to see some spectacular views! It was a short and easy drive up to…read morethe observation deck. Plenty of parking, and a short walk gets you to a very clean and well maintained observation deck with 360 views from both levels. We were there in the summer and imagined how stunning the view would be with the leaves turning in the fall. A must see when in the area!

How can you not like a great view? I've been to Mt sugarloaf numerous times and always enjoy the…read morespectacular view. Well worth the $5 parking fee. No time limit. Great viewing tower on top with bathrooms and water fountains if you would like to walk the many trails going up. Also numerous picnic tables and stand alone grills to use. Cook lunch or dinner and enjoy the view. The beautiful day I was there a couple was getting married. If you've never had a great look at the pioneer valley take the time to drive or climb Mt. Sugarloaf and enjoy the spectacular view.

Growing up in NYC, I often heard about the "Pulaski Skyway" on the traffic reports. It's a bridge…read moreconnecting Newark to Jersey City. Yesterday in Northampton, I came across a monument that honors that bridge's namesake, none other than Revolutionary War Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski. In 1745, he was born into an upper class family in Poland, fought the Russians in Europe and then came to America and served in the Continental army under George Washington. He organized a light infantry division that was known as the Pulaski Cavalry. This earned him a lasting legacy as "the father of the American cavalry". He was fatally wounded during the siege of Savannah on October 11, 1779 and was awarded honorary United States citizenship. The granite Pulaski monument is located in Pulaski Park, next to the City Hall. It has a bust of General Pulaski engraved into the top of the monument. The inscription reads: To perpetuate The memory of Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski An American Revolutionary War Hero Who, from wounds received at the siege of Savannah Georgia, died on October eleventh 1779. -------- This memorial is erected in testimony of respect by his fellow Polish-American citizens of Northampton, Mass. October eleventh 1929 The monument sits on a square granite base which is inscribed: Pulaski

I'm a college student UMass Amherst, and the Hanger keeps me alive. I order through Grubhub and…read morethere isn't always an option to add a side of ranch or seasoning on my fries. I believe that these cost extra on the real menu. In the order notes, I requested an extra thing of ranch and additional seasoning as it's hard to go through 24 wings without the side of ranch, and what do you know, they provided with no additional charge. Great food, great service, OK price for a broke college student. Will be ordering again next week when I'm hung over in bed rot.

When I first moved to the area 10 years ago, The Hangar was my favorite restaurant. Everything was…read moreperfect. Recently, though, the quality has gone way down. If you order boneless wings and get large tenders- they will be full of gristle and hard to eat. We've gotten food poisoning before. The restaurant itself is...fine...very bar focused and can be noisy but that's what a wing place is supposed to be. Service has always been good. It might be time for the proprietors to switch chicken suppliers, though. This could be so much better than it is.

"Talk about the life in Massachusetts Speak about the people…read moreI have seen And the lights all went out in Massachusetts And Massachusetts is one place I have seen" (The Bee Gees) Quiz time! Q: Who was Vice President and 30th President of the United States? A: Calvin Coolidge Bonus Question Q: Before he was Vice President, what state was he a governor of? A: Massachusetts Coolidge settled in Northampton, MA after he graduated from Amherst College, and launched a legal career that led to a lifetime of public service and eventually the White House. The monument has a stone bust of the man known as "Silent Cal" sitting atop a base that lists the milestones of Coolidge's life: 1872   Born Plymouth, Vt. 1895   Graduate, Amherst College 1897   Admitted Mass. Bar Assoc. 1898   City Councilor, Northhampton 1901   City Solicitor, Northamptonton 1906, 1907   State Rep, Mass. 1909, 1910   Mayor, City Of Northampton 1911--1914   State Senator, Mass. 1913, 1914   President, Mass, Senate 1915--1917   Lt Governor, Mass. 1918 , 919   Governor, Mass. 1921--1923   Vice President, U.S.A. 1923--1929   30th President, U.S.A. 1933   Died Northampton, Mass.

A small tribute area but very informative and beautiful space to relax and think, workout, or even…read morehost a small gathering. AND of course, it's always great to reminded of the genius and resilience demonstrated in the ancestry of African Americans. A nice reminder if you ever feelin' a little down with current events--I definitely need a boost to keep pushin' every now and again.

This spectacular monument is located in a grassy town green at the intersection of Main Street and…read morePark Street, It's on your left as you drive southbound on Route 10. The green has benches, a brick paved patio, and was decorated with dozens of small American flags surrounding the memorial. The memorial itself consists of three pieces. The main component is a huge double-sided monument for WW I and WW II and two smaller monuments; one each for Korea and Vietnam. The WW I -WW II monument is light gray granite with a center panel of ascending right angles (think of a wedding cake). To each side of the center are wings that fan outward. On the center panel of the WW I side are three bronze plaques that mirror the shape of the granite behind it. The top plaque's inscription reads: In Honor of those who served in the World War 1917- 1918 Twenty names follow a second inscription that reads "These gave their lives" The other 2 plaques are much larger and list the names of Easthampton's WW I vets. There are no plaques or inscriptions on the two wing panels. Horizontal granite slabs were added to create benches. The center panel of the WW II side also has three plaques. These are of a gorgeous brown background with crisp gold lettering. The top plaque reads "World War II". The second plaque reads "In Honor of those who served 1941-1945". Logos of the six service branches are next, followed by 61 names that "made the supreme sacrifice". The rest of the center panel, as well as the left and right wing panels are covered with full size plaques of all Easthampton's WW II vets. In front of the World War II side are two highly polished reflective black monuments; one for Korea on the left and Vietnam on the right. The Korean War monument has an engraved mark of North and South Korea bisected by the 38th parallel. The names, faces, and dates of three Easthampton vets who were killed in Korea are engraved on the monument. The words "Freedom is not free" are engraved at the bottom of the monument. The Vietnam monument is very similar. It also has a bisected map; this one of North and South Vietnam. The names, faces, and dates of five Easthampton vets who were killed in Vietnam are engraved on the monument. The words "See what we saw. Feel what we felt" are engraved at the bottom of the monument. It's a lot to take in. It's one of the most impressive memorials I have seen, The faces of the Korean and Vietnam vets really makes visiting the memorial a personal experience.