If you're ever driving on Route 5 near the Springfield/Longmeadow line, be prepared to do a double…read moretake if you are lucky enough to spy this landmark. It has the epic name of Omiskanoagwiah, or "the Wolf People Medicine Man". It is fifteen feet of magnificent carved wooden awesomeness! It was carved from a single log by Hungarian born sculptor Peter Wolf Toth. It is just one of the sculptures in the "Trail of the Whispering Giant" series of over sixty sculptures across the US and Canada. Check out the details of the sculpture! He wears a feathered wolf headdress, he has long braided hair, and he sports an ornament on his chest. And for some reason there is a carved turtle on the sculpture too. There's a metal plaque on the stone base that reads: The Trail Of The Whispering Giants "Omiskanoagwiak" Wolf-People Medicine Man Dedicated to the: Pioneer Valley Indians Sculptor: Peter Wolf Toth Mayor Richard E. Neal Courtesy City of Springfield Park Commission Sponsor Joseph J. Deliso, Jr. November 18, 1984

Odd but interesting landmark along route 5. Just a quick detour off I91. If you like wooden…read moresculpture or native American art this might just be a spot for you to check out.

This touching monument is dedicated to Feeding Hills native Anne Sullivan, who achieved immortality…read moreas the teacher and lifelong companion of Helen Keller. Their relationship was the subject of "The Miracle Worker" which existed as a Broadway Play, a Television Special, and a 1962 movie that won Academy Awards for Anne Bancroft (as Anne Sullivan) and Patty Duke (as Helen Keller). Sullivan taught the deaf-blind Keller to communicate by using fingertip signals to spell out words. The memorial expresses how this was done as Sullivan spelled the word "water" in one of Keller's hands while running water on her other hand. This sculpture was dedicated on June 28, 1992. It's located in a town green next to the Clifford M. Granger Elementary School. It shows Sullivan and Keller sitting on a stone slab. The fingertips of Sullivan's left hand are touching the fingertips of Keller's right hand. Sullivan is looking directly at Keller, while Keller is looking upward. Look at the tortured expression on Keller's face..... It's a very moving image that adds some local flavor to a story most of us are familiar with.

Unassuming sculpture of an underrated account in history. Were it not for these two people, tactile…read moresign language may have taken much longer to be developed enough to benefit the deaf/blind community. The actual house where she lived and taught is directly diagonal accross the intersection from here. It's the house that now serves as a bank.

I came here one night and not only had awesome service but met the coolest folks performing the…read moreblues. The place had warmth, excellent service, a real local vibe but welcoming to out of towners. It's close to a Mexican spot that's amazing and above is the billiards - I really like the street that it's on too

Good food, Classic Americana Bar-style vibe with friendly fast service, even with large parties…read morelike us. For a "BBQ" place, Theodore's covers all of the usual bases - pulled pork, beef brisket, Baby Back Ribs, Short Ribs, St Louiis style ribs, chicken and sausage too. For those in the mood for something else, they also offer a couple of salads, and a tasty sounding Blackened Chicken Penne, burgers and incongruously, a smoked meatloaf dinner too! I'm a fan of meatloaf, but for this evening, I chose to stick with their staples and thus, the Baby Back Ribs plus my sides of chili and mac n cheese arrived soon upon our table. The Ribs were quite nearly fall-off-the-bone, moist and flavorful - I enjoyed slathering the ribs in the default BBQ sauces in squeeze bottles on our long dining table. PRO TIP: My compatriots who ordered the beef brisket found it dry and not to their liking. Maybe it was just that night.. who knows.. Either way, I wouldn't mind coming back.. Nothing too outstanding, but the ribs were certainly on point for me!

This sculpture garden is right in the center of Springfield Museum plaza. There were a handful of…read morecopper/metallic sculptures of many famous Dr. Seuss characters. There's also a giant book sculpture that has some famous verses from Dr Seuss engraved in it. The garden has elegant walking pavement covered by trees. It leads to entrances of four museums around the plaza. There's also an outdoor tent for people to sit in front of the garden. Overall it's a nice garden for families and kids.

The sculpture garden is situated in a small park area that is surrounded by different museums. It's…read morea nice area to spend a couple hours sightseeing with family. There is limited parking in the area.

Springfield's South End has long been a home for Italian Americans, and the streets still have…read moreItalian groceries and specialty shops. In front of the Mom and Rico market is a private monument to one of the greatest Italian American athletes of all time, Heavyweight Champion Rocky Marciano who bludgeoned his way through 49 fights without a single loss between 1952 and 1956. He defended his championship six times. He retired undefeated! Sadly, he died in a plane crash at the age of 46. The monument is a simple gray granite slab with a drawing of Marciano in the ring throwing a left. The inscription reads: In Memory Of Rocky Marciano Undefeated Heavyweight Champion 1952-1956 49-0 43-KO's Sept. 1, 1923 -- August 31, 1969 Dedicated Aug. 31, 1989

Flippin awesome this is my go to place for books, magazines, movies... even puzzles (they even have…read morethe fancy shmancy 3D ones). I know I know if you live in a big city Agawam's library may not impress but this is a little New England town people. Definitely the best library I've ever frequented. Books/Videos/online services: My favorite thing about this library is the fact that they are linked with a ton of other local libraries so even if they don't have your book they can get it from one of the neighboring libraries. They even have great shows you can get on DVD like Sopranos, the Wire, The Walking Dead, etc... not to mention most of the new releases that are available on Redbox. They also give you updates to your email when your books arrive and when they're due. You can also extend your books online. Ok people I realize that all libraries probably due it these days but hey its the 1st time I've ever used these features. Books upon books, right when you walk through the door they have a pretty awesome wooden parquet floor, community room to your right, art adorning the walls by local artists and a section for new arrivals. To the left is a very comprehensive kids section with computers, a children activity room, and a little play area for toddlers. The rest of the library is dedicated to the all of the other books, video's and magazines. They even have backpacks prepacked for book clubs how cool is that. I also love listening to books on tape for long road trips and they have a pretty great selection ( Cracker whaaattt). Staff: Always very helpful with finding a book, resetting your pin for the umpteenth time, and checking out an obscene amount of items. They also have a Keurig machine with K cups galore and if you ask nicely they may even help you make a cup(they even have hot chocolate.) Overall Impression: This place is outstanding especially considering the population of Agawam is ~ 29,000. Check this place out

Normally I don't do libraries-that was until now. This place is conveniently near Agawam High…read moreSchool & not too far from MA 57 & also major routes in the area so thus no issues there. Place is well set & in order & if you need to print off the computer if you have no smartphone or printer from your computer this is a good one for thus. Restrooms are the type you get from the desk & return due to character with motives (not going there). Overall not bad.

Wonderful National historic site conveniently located adjacent to Springfield Technical Community…read moreCollege. Free admission and onsite parking. Exhibits of armory and knowledgeable rangers available to discuss and answer any questions.

The Springfield Armory historical museum is a testament to the facility that was primarily…read moreresponsible for producing firearms for the US military beginning right after the Revolutionary War (1794) to the Vietnam War (1968). That's over 170 years and this museum chronicles that history. The Armory facility consisted of many buildings where all of the work and manufacturing was done. Today the land and many of the old buildings form the Springfield Technical Community College campus. So to get the museum you have to drive into the campus and head to the easy to find Armory building with the American flag on top. There is plenty of parking in front. Inside it is a museum that is all located on the ground floor that is run by the National Park Service so there are Rangers there to answer any question. Carl greeted me and was very nice and helpful. The museum shows everything from the beginning to the end of its existence. I found it very interesting to see manufacturing methods used in the 1800's where water power from nearby rivers was used to operate machinery to the transition to steam power and finally electricity. The ingenuity of craftsman back then is amazing in how they made things. Included in the museum is an informative 17 minute video about what took place at the Armory during all of these years. The output of this facility made the American soldier the best equipped in the world and provided for so many victories. Even if you aren't a gun nut, I believe you will enjoy coming here. The history of our nation is on display here and the best part of visiting is that the parking and admission are FREE. Budget about 1 hour to see it and yes they have a gift shop.

We spent a very nice hour and a half strolling the grounds of the Storrowton Village Museum today…read more It's not a museum in the traditional sense, but rather a reconstructed village of 18th and 19th century buildings from Massachusetts and New Hampshire plopped down around a traditional town green. It reminded me a lot of what I remember seeing in Colonial Williamsburg or Old Sturbridge Village. The green has a big gazebo, and we saw a family taking graduation pictures there. The gazebo is also a popular location for wedding photos. It's located on the grounds of Eastern States Exposition, sort of on the fringe of the Big E. The buildings around the town green have an interesting history- they were all purchased, disassembled, transported, and then rebuilt on site. A sign in front of each building has a QR code so you can read up on its history. Here are some of the buildings we saw - Phillips House - Built in 1767 in Taunton, Massachusetts with hand-hewn oak sills and beams, hand-forged nails, and hand-shaped bricks. This is the village's administrative office and gift shop. Union Meeting House - Built in 1834 in Salisbury, New Hampshire. Religious services were held here, so you'll see pews of unpainted pine, a choir gallery, and a white paneled pulpit. A gorgeous steeple with a clock and bell were added during the rebuild. The building can be rented out for weddings. North Center School - Built around 1810 in Whately Massachusetts as a one room schoolhouse. The brick building has blackboards on all four walls. The museum hosts quite a bit of their educational youth programs here. Clark Blacksmith Shop - Built out of granite around 1850 in Chesterfield, New Hampshire. It was deconstructed stone by stone for its move to Massachusetts. Today it serves as a classroom for a blacksmith program and is a popular tourist attraction during the Big E where folks can see the blacksmiths put their forge and bellows in action. Potter Mansion -You'd expect any building named a mansion to be impressive, but before I get to describing the building, let me say or word or two abut the gent who lived there. Captain John Potter was an officer in the Revolutionary War and he built the house for his fifteen children from two wives. Now THAT'S impressive. The mansion was built in 1776 in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, and construction lasted ten years. You'll see all sorts of ornamental woodworking, a parlor, a dining room, and a kitchen with an oversized hearth, brick bake oven, and pine cabinetry. Gilbert Farmstead - Quiz time! Ever hear of anyone with the first name of "Peletiah"? Yeah, I thought not. Anyway, Pell Gilbert and his brother Levi built the farmhouse in 1794 in West Brookfield, Massachusetts. It has some very interesting construction features, like hand-hewn timbers, wrought iron hardware and nails, wide wood plank floorboards, a granite sink, raised panel trim, and a scalloped corner cabinet in the parlor. Eddy Law Office- Built in 1810 in Middleboro, Massachusetts. It's a small professional office building typical of the style of the day -one or two rooms. The building has a distinctive curved roof. The Tavern - Built around 1789 in Prescott, Massachusetts and originally known as the Atkinson Tavern. Here's a cool piece of trivia about Prescott - it doesn't exist today! Prescott and three neighboring towns were claimed by the Commonwealth of MA to be flooded and became the Quabbin Reservoir. In its hay day, the tavern hosted dances and town meetings upstairs and a store and taproom downstairs. Today, the building is the home of the Storrowton Tavern and traditional New England. If you go there for dinner, check out the granite hitching posts outside. The museum offers a heaping portion of history, education, photo ops, and plain old coolness.

The Enfield Town Green is a bonanza for those that appreciate Veterans monuments. There are three…read morein pretty close proximity of each other. The newest monument was dedicated in 2012 and it honors the broad spectrum of vets from all branches of the service. It isn't dedicated to those of any specific war, so it really honors all vets across the centuries of American history. It's a gorgeous monument made of high-gloss reflective black granite. It consists of eight columns of variable heights that form a sweeping arc. The six middle columns honor a different branch of the armed forces: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine. Each panel carries the respective etched logo and motto for the branch it represents. The two end columns contain these inscriptions. Left Column: "This space is dedicated to the veterans of our community who served the nation in time of danger." Right column: "Some are with us still - Many have gone on ahead - Often they responded to a whisper from within - Others rallied to the call - All gave some - Some gave all." It's an absolutely beautiful monument.

This monument was a joy to conceive. The committee of town folks who worked on it were motivated by…read morea sincere respect for veterans. Some aspects of the design of the monument need to be pointed out. The height of the columns reflect the height of an average person. The sloping tops of the columns and the semi arc of their placement represent "embracing arms". When you stand front and center you will see your reflection in the six major columns. This feature allows the observer to be part of the monument. The overall concept was for the monument to be all inclusive and for all time. The words I wrote for the two flanking columns do not mention a gender, place, time or specific town. As the observer reads the inscription in the "here and now" they realize the inclusiveness of the overall design.