Our daughter has done this as a week-long day camp (at Bement Summer Camp) twice now. Each year was…read moresimilar but the daily activities changed. Regardless, she LOVES this program! Plenty to challenge older / more experienced kids, but also moving at a pace the younger crowd can keep up with. Last year, her favorites were kayaking and caving. This year, raft-building and caving. She starts each day excited for a new adventure, and comes home worn out and so full of stories. The guides have all been fantastic - knowledgeable about the trails, history, and environmental topics; good at setting expectations about the day's activities and rules; and great with kids of varying abilities. Caving may be the best thing about this program. Our family hikes & paddles regularly, but caving is best done with a guide who's done the cave before and can set expectations realistically. When our daughter comes back from the caving days, her clothes are wet and filthy, she tells stories about impossibly narrow and tight passages, and she grins the whole time. It's such a great experience and has really expanded her enjoyment of our outdoor adventures. My only request is that the guides would give parents a list of where they went, complete with recommended parking and recommended routes - so we can try these things too! Well, except the caving. I'd want a guide for that!

We brought my son's 6th Grade class here for an adventure and no one left disappointed. You could…read moresee quite a few of the class were tentative as they entered the cave but once they got inside all of there faces lit up as they began to explore. Our guides were Anna and Benjamin and both were great with the kids. They told us stories and taught us all some facts about how the caves were formed, what was down there, and how they would look in the future. We explored some of the larger areas of the cave and also some of the tighter passages. It was peaceful, challenging, meditative, and fun. It's also worth noting the care Anna and Benjamin took to make sure that everyone had a pleasurable and safe experience. They were supportive to push us to get a little outside of our comfort zones but were equally supportive and attentive if someone felt they had reached their limit. It's been two days and the class is still talking about the trip. I plan to get as many of the kids and parents together to do this again some time in the near future. I do not have enough words to express the gratitude I feel for this experience.

Wonderful facility and staff! We had such a positive experience with their summer camp this year --…read moreour 8 year old joined them for two sessions and came home full of stories and excited for the next day. We loved how supportive the counselors all were and are could tell how much everyone cared about the kids and their program. Outdoor classrooms, variety of activities, animals and environmental education, combination of facilitated and open play, great communication, gender neutral facilities and all gender supportive community, easy drop off and pick up, sliding scale enrollment fees based on ability and scholarships available. It's tough to register, though, as spaces are swooped up VERY quickly, and this year they capped families at two weeks for the summer.

The Hitchcock Center is a place that offers education on here, the place we live. It's really nice…read moreand important to take a look around and learn about what you are looking at. The plants and animals in the area. Public schools should really do something like this. My son and I are taking a class and it's one of my favorite things he does after school.

I came here for a birthday party and it was the first time visiting this farm. It is pretty cute…read moreand the birthday party was held in a small building with its own kitchen. The kids had fun feeding the farm animals. I will have to admit I had fun too. There are all sorts of farm animals, such as chickens, cats, dogs, goats, horses, bunnies, pigs and more. I am a cat person and I enjoy looking for the barn cats. The place is pretty clean for a farm and the kids enjoy the tractor ride. All the employees were nice and friendly. If you're planning a fun kids party, this is a great place for them.

You can't miss the iconic large red barn that has the word EGGS, but backwards on it. Flamig Farm…read morehas been in existence since 1907; located in West Simsbury. First visit, I got there around 4:40 and they were closing at 5; it was a short trip because I just wanted to get some eggs. The employee said they were closing soon and so was the petting zoo when I first walked in; I mentioned I was going to be quick and just wanted to get some eggs. I didn't know they had a petting zoo so I made a plan to go back again another time. The store was your typical farm stand, they had eggs, honey, cookies, apparel, and various of other knick knacks. They were having a sale, buy one dozens eggs ($7) and get one dozen free. The chickens were laying too many eggs and they wanted to get rid of as many as possible. The second time, I got in earlier in the day and purchased petting zoo tickets; $8 per person over 2 years old/under 80 years old and for an additional $2, you can purchase feed. I highly recommend getting the feed, the animals loved it. The petting zoo was bigger than I thought. There's even a playground with benches and picnic tables. The place seemed clean and the animals seem well taken care of. We saw pigs, llamas (my favorite), sheep, goats, alpacas, peacocks, cows, ponies (another favorite), donkeys, bunnies, chickens, and a black cat.Inside the shop, there were baby chicks, birds, and guinea pigs. There were signs explaining what type of animals, facts, and their story/names throughout. They also offer pony and tractor rides for an additional fee. There's a huge pavilion with picnic tables; you can bring your own food in. Also, there is an Airbnb onsite and people book their weddings there. There are many events hosted there as well; children programs and summer camps are popular ones. My kids and I had a blast petting and feeding the animals. I highly recommend!

It's a small school. The classes are small. Each student gets close, loving, personal attention…read more The school is flexible, giving new students a chance to check it out before making a big commitment. I can't overstate what a positive impact Amherst Martial Arts has had on my 13-year-old son's life.

Amherst Martial Arts, a taekwondo school, is a really special space in Amherst. It has been…read moreoperating for more than 20 years, educating countless children, as well as hosting summer camps (taekwondo, swimming, and horseback riding). It's the complete program: philosophy, strength, forms, and practical application -- self defense and sparring. The strength of this program is not just in the excellent and serious instruction, but in the warmth of the community. The children are kind and supportive to each other, an attitude fostered by the teachers. The children and teens really form relationships with each other. The school is a labor of love for the instructors; they haven't raised their rates in years, because they want to keep it accessible. At some other places that I've seen, the programming aimed at kids can feel like a mill, processing lots of kids, keeping things fun but what are the kids actually learning? I've seen some kids' martial arts programs described as "belt factories" or "belt mills", where the belt tests are meaningless, and the kids aren't actually learning the forms, much less the philosophy and mental disciplines. No matter how skilled the adults are, they have to take teaching kids seriously -- not just as entertainment for the kids and babysitting for the kids. That is the opposite of Amherst Martial Arts, which feels like a cross between a school and a home -- the best kind of home, where everyone is working together, learning and improving and supporting each other. The kids have a lot of fun -- there are lots of opportunities for games and silliness -- but they also learn to buckle down, concentrate, try harder, improve. I've seen kids come in, too shy to kick at all, gain confidence just from the gentle, non-judgmental opportunity that comes again and again in a session, until they start finding their own ability to move and then start putting their all into it. This is huge for girls especially who may not have been given social encouragement or support to yell, kick, punch, roll, etc. The instructors are great at knowing how to relate to different kids at different levels: kids sometimes need gentle encouragement, sometimes sternness and seriousness, and often humor, and helping kids have fun AND then buckle down to focus and learn is a real art.

This farm is great. The horses are wonderful and the Trainer is so knowledgeable! Everyone is so…read morekind and helpful. Such a great place to take lessons or board your horse. I LOVE the Fresians, they are magical! So thankful every single day that we found Mountain View.

I had made arrangements to move my horse to MVTC in March, and both Dan and Tim hauled her with…read moregreat care. As soon as they arrived to the facility, my mare was placed in the stall, and was offered hay and water. I forgot to pay Dan, and he never asked about it! I felt so bad, but I did follow up with paying them nearly a month later!!! They were so kind and gracious and I was eternally grateful for their patience and kindness. I highly recommend this farm for boarding and training horses of all disciplines and levels. The facility is gorgeous, clean and filled with people of all levels and disciplines, and the owners are readily available to help anyone at nearly any time. We are very lucky to have such a great facility in the western MASS area.

We've been members of this club for over three years, and overall, we've had a positive experience…read morewith the facility itself. However, our experience with the Kids Club has been extremely disappointing. About a year and a half ago, my son had an incident where a staff member teased him. He reacted in a playful but inappropriate way, and as a result, he was suspended for a week. At the time, he was also dealing with a serious medical condition that was affecting him neurologically, which we later came to understand may have influenced his behavior. Out of caution, he did not return to Kids Club after that incident. Now that he is doing much better, and I have returned to full-time work, I recently attempted to bring him back--only to be told that he is permanently banned. The reason given was a Facebook comment I had made at the time describing our experience. I made multiple attempts to have a calm, reasonable conversation with staff to revisit the situation, especially given the time that has passed and my son's improved health. Unfortunately, there was no willingness to reconsider. This puts us in a very difficult position. As a working parent, I rely on the Kids Club in order to use the gym. Without access to childcare, we are now faced with canceling a membership we've maintained for years--not because we want to, but because we no longer have a way to utilize the facility. What's most concerning is the lack of empathy and accountability in how this situation has been handled. I sincerely hope the club takes a closer look at how interactions with children are managed, and how situations like this are resolved, so that other families don't have a similar experience.

Staff is very friendly. Often too many kids running around unsupervised. Many of the weight…read moremachines are outdated, broken, torn cushions on a lot of them (pecdec machines, preacher curl, etc etc). They updated the dumbells and tvs and added a turf area in the past year. The pulley towers are ancient and almost always have at least 1 station broken, broken clips/pins, 7.5# weights that don't work well, bars with sharp burrs, etc... Outdated. Missing many machines that modern gyms have. For abour $70/month one would expect better. Seems more geared towards families with kids and elderly. Always adding on new fees and trying to sell extras.

This gym and the owners are amazing! I grew up in this gym, learning gymnastics, strength, bravery,…read moreand courage. I went here for 14 years, doing team for 10. I've "retired" from gymnastics now, but I wish I lived close enough to take my own daughters here. I did gymnastics on the same team as the current owner and she's not just an amazing gymnast, but a great person. When I reached out with a gymnastics question -- about a challenge I was having with my girls' current gym -- she was quick to respond and provided great advice. I recommend Talya and Hampshire Gymnastics school without reservation!

I saw a posting for an instructor here so I applied. I did gymnastics ages 3-15 and I taught for a…read moreyear or so. I had a great interview and the owner or whatever she is got my number and told me she'd be in touch. So 4 weeks go by and I heard nothing. I kindly follow up. Nothing. A month later, I see ANOTHER post from them that they are still actively looking for an instructor. I decide to kindly follow up again (3-4 weeks from last follow up) and nothing. I have all the qualifications that they are looking for and she seemed to like me in the interview. If she went with someone else it's basic decency to get back to me and tell me I didn't get the job. I don't see for what reason, but it's rude to just ghost someone when they didn't do anything wrong. It's rude and inconsiderate. Now I see why this gym has bad reviews. Don't go here.

I started taking classes last winter at Show and was Instantly hooked! Their teachers are very…read morekind, dedicated, knowledgeable, and safe. The space itself is big, with several areas for different classes. All of the equipment is frequently inspected and maintained- when any tape gets worn on an apparatus they remove and repair it. The intro to aerials class gave me confidence on the trapeze, fabric, and Lyra. I've moved onto to level 2, and there are so many other advanced classes for me to chose from! Performances are always optional and there are classes for all ages.

If you see a one star or low review here around this time, let the buyer beware…read more Here are the things you should know from someone who has actually been to the studio: 1) SHOW is an amazing, respectful, and welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds. They have extensive policy written up on inclusivity, diversity, and safety - all of which is available for anyone to read on their website at www.showcircusstudio.com. 2) Their teachers care about their students and are highly trained circus professionals. Many of them went through the professional track program at the New England Center for Circus Arts, are members of the professional circus organizations, and are active in furthering their circus education and training both on their own and through the studio. They go through monthly staff training as well as additional off-site trainings to constantly improve their skills and give a high quality, recreational circus education for students of all ages, body types, fitness levels, skill levels, races, economic backgrounds, etc. 3) Show is a recreational space. They don't expect you to do back flips when you walk in the door or even after your finish classes. You progress through a carefully planned out and studio standardized curriculum and are going at your own pace. This means you aren't forced through a leveling up system, but take a class until you're ready to move on to more advanced skills. In this way, your only competition is with yourself. 4) If other reviewers think the space is dirty and poorly organized, I recommend going in and checking out the space for yourself. Chris, the co-owner, does an amazing job of organizing the space along with Henry, the other co-owner. The lobby is GORGEOUS and the studio itself is perfect for recreational circus skills - vibrant colors, clean, and rigged to perfection for easy changes between classes. I'm very impressed. I highly recommend SHOW to anyone, especially to the LGBTQIA community - as SHOW and its staff are strong allies to the community. I wouldn't feel safe in a gym situation and I've never felt unsafe at SHOW. I cannot speak highly enough of them and my experiences with the studio.

I've visited many Ymca gyms throughout the country while visiting my kids and the hampshire Ymca…read morehas always had the absolutely best yoga classes. If you join the Ymca many others honor your membership. Each teacher is excellent. Well trained. You take your shoes off and enter a very clean space. Fellow yogis are respectful and focused. If you're into yoga this is the place. Multiple teachers. Multiple classes. Easy to harder flow yoga. My wife and I love this place. Zumba and barre classes are great. The parking lot is usually full so plan accordingly. Friendly staff. The building is not new but well maintained. 2 separate studios so yoga area has a clean floor and many props, blocks, mats, etc. Namaste.

The water aerobics classes are HATEFUL. Mean (elderly) women that do not welcome new people. They…read morehave been going for years and feel some sort of entitlement to the space. I alerted the front desk and managers, who are aware of what goes on, and they do nothing. It's absolutely bizarre. A whole gaggle of awful women that have found each other. Good for you, YMCA. Absolutely not a welcoming community.

its my favorite place to be it has so much to do and maura is the best instructor ever.read more

Went to their winter lights event with my two small children. Wildly over priced, the teenagers…read morerunning the place are appallingly rude, they randomly decided to close early and start turning lights off. We had to fight to use the train ride that we paid for since they refused to refund us. No one could tell us where the animals were that we had gotten feed for. The entire thing was confusing and disappointing and every single encounter we had with staff was aggressively rude. This was absolutely not a family friendly experience. We were charged over $90 for 20min of wandering around the property confused and insulted by the teenagers working there. After a full blown confrontation we were refunded $18 because they decided to close early without warning. Their response to us was that we were welcome to let our kids play in the dark for the remainder of the time we paid for if we wanted. Still can't believe the attitude the staff felt entitled to give paying customers just there to have fun with their toddlers. We will happily never be returning.