One of the best places to go in the Hartford area. It has an amazing collection of classic artwork…read moreand rotating collections of modern art. I've been many times and somehow I'm still surprised by some of the pieces on display (Van Gogh, Monet, Dali, etc.). They run various events and community days, and membership costs are very reasonable. Support the Arts!

I was miserable most of my time there. BUT. This was a great museum. I was miserable because the…read moreonly time I could go was on a Saturday, a free Saturday no less, on a day they had a festival, arts and crafts, and a Christmas tree event. So the crowds were INSANE. Like NYC level insane. That being said, I have lots of great things to say about this place, which underwent a huge renovation and modernization several years ago that was so good that the New York Times wrote an article saying it was "a masterpiece of renovation." The great hall is beautiful and though I don't care much for old school colonizer art, I was bummed it was teeming with Christmas trees and families, hindering my ability to take an artful photo to capture that masterpiece. The museum does a great job of mixing colors, styles, appreciating the classical, while also mixing in fun and modern elements. They have European art. Impressionist art. All that gold religious stuff. Modern art that's just some blocks and colors and makes you wonder, "is this really art?" They have a great surrealist section and a huge Dali painting, which is actually the marketing they used to get me here. They have some sculpture, some Greek sculpture and some contemporary art. I enjoyed the art by Black artists and art focusing on Black struggles in the Amistad Center, located on the third floor, though I wish this section was bigger. They had an Islamic art section, Chinese art, American art (most of what I saw was from the 20s through the 90s). I loved how each space was painted a rich, moody color. And the common spaces were full of patterns, stained glass, and multi-colored walls winding up the staircase. The staff were nice and helpful. I paid 20-something bucks for admission, but since I bought a ticket for a free Saturday, the staff was cool enough to contact me and ask me if I wanted a full refund. I told them to take the fee as a donation. I've seen almost all the museums in New York City, which is my favorite place in the world. But this one can hold its own. But if I ever visit again (which I doubt, cus who needs to see Hartford twice?)--I will avoid weekends and free days and definitely the Christmas tree festival!

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.

Today we had another great visit to NEAM for the second time. We took my mom for Mother's Day…read moreweekend they were having an event where you could go inside the B-29 which was really cool. (Pictured below) Another difference in this visit was Dr. Flush! A navy vet and engineer who was a pioneer in space toilet technology... he had great stories to tell!

What a fun time. Not normally something on my radar, but I did the copper mine in the morning and…read morewanted something else to do before I went home to make the trip even more worth it, and this came up. A variety of old and wartime aircraft and a wealth of information. Plenty of docents around to consult if you have any questions, it was a great way to spend an hour.

Springfield, MA - the Springfield Museums complex is five museums arranged around a courtyard…read moreanchoring the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, with the history museum conveniently located across the street. One admission gets you into all five: 1. The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum 2. Springfield Science Museum 3. Michele and Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts 4. Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History 5. George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum (closed for renovations at this time) Dr. Seuss Museum is the newest addition and an absolute delight - colorful, immersive, and photo-ready. The first floor is pure chaotic kid energy, like a Dr. Seuss book come to life; the second floor is more grown up, featuring a recreation of Springfield native Theodor Geisel's (aka Dr. Seuss) studio and living room, plus exhibits on his life. My child refused to leave. Thankfully, the museum is equipped with benches and seats in every room, as it is incontrovertible law that children's play areas can never have too many resting places for parents. I eventually pried my child away and ushered him to the science & natural history museum, which was also a hit. Highlights included a snowboarding video game and a 360° photo capture that spits out a digital image you can email to yourself as a souvenir. There's also a dinosaur hall, African hall, planetarium, animal dioramas, small aquariums, and a nice gift shop. Again, kid did not want to leave. Grandpa is into history so toured the Museum of Springfield History on his own. Springfield was once a manufacturing powerhouse: automobiles, firearms, and home of the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company. Fittingly, the museum has an automobile gallery, the world's largest collection of Indian cycles and memorabilia, and the world's largest collection of Smith & Wesson guns among its 1,600+ firearms. Grandpa learned a lot about local history and the Connecticut River Valley. I only got a quick walk-through of the D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts, and regret not having more time to linger over the intricate and absolutely exquisite "Book of Wonder"exhibit by Donna Castellanos. The Smith Art Museum, a Victorian-era single-collector museum, is currently closed for renovation, which was fine, as by that point we'd run out of time and energy anyway. Even the on-site restaurant, Blake House Café, was excellent, serving food from Smoked, a local BBQ joint. There was something for everyone in the family (kids, arts, history, and science) and it's good bang for your buck. The museums are compact enough to hit all five in one day if you keep moving, but you're better off slowing down and focusing on two or three.

Springfield Museums has a sculpture garden and five museums on-site. You can visit all 5 with one…read moreticket. There is a parking lot; it was packed on a weekday but I was able to find a spot. First, we stopped at the Dr. Seuss building. It's an interactive museum perfect for toddlers and young kids. We spent about 45 minutes in there. Then the Springfield Science Museum, it had an aquarium, animals, and dinosaurs. The other buildings focuses on art and history. Yes, you could spend a whole day there. We stopped by the gift shop before we left. I recommend a visit to this museum!

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!

I went for a friends gathering. Never been to Dudleytown but I really liked it. They had a band…read moreplaying on a Friday night . Plenty of tables outdoors , some tables in the front by the fire and tables inside. The bar and food are indoor. The menu was pretty good. I ordered a salad either grilled chicken since it was gluten free but they had chicken tenders and gluten free pizza that were gluten free options. The hotdog picture I posted , my friend ordered it and she enjoyed it. We were enjoying the presentation more though! They really liked the fries they said . Service was awesome. No complaints! They were great! I thought it was a nice brewery! Definitely an awe's place to go and get together and chill. They do have a list of bands and events online for the summer lined up. Great place!

Came for the Mayhem event put on by New England Obscura! It was definitely an event you didn't want…read moreto miss filled with oddities! The beer selection was great, I stick to sour and I liked their Berried Bones and Upside Down They didn't have all of their food options due to the event, but the food was still good.

We only did the Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden which is next to the Museum. We were early and just…read morepassing through. Parking and Garden was free (weekend) and just a really cool walk down memory lane in a well-done garden. The Sculptures were of some of the our favorite characters from the beloved Dr. Suess. A very nice tribute to a man who still brings the love of reading to all ages. His words were full of wisdom and knowledge hidden between the lines of rhymes.

This is one of the 5 museums included within tickets of Springfield Museums. It is very designed…read morefor kids, lots of colors, arts, decor, legos, pretend play. On lower level, they have creative activities for kids. On second floor, there's more history on the real life Dr. Seuss. Our 5yo spent about 1.5 hours here. Few associates are around to tidy up things and help guests. Restrooms are very well maintained.

Grand opening is on 10/13/18! Best wishes for a great…read moreturnout. Wish I could've been there, but I'll be in very soon!

We were all excited to celebrate my grandson's 2nd birthday here today on the patio, with no more…read morethan 20 of us, but an employee named Carl made it extremely uncomfortable for myself and other guest. He was rude, loud, obnoxious and from what I witnessed a racist! He spoke to my daughter with extreme disrespect. When I said to him "you are very rude" he replied back and said "I do not care." But when three Caucasian guest who were not with us were leaving he spoke to them with the utmost respect and even offered to inform them about a bike that was recently put on display. He then tossed money and an envelope on the lap of a fellow employee who if I may add is a Black American and said... "That's $160 in cash and $50 in cash in the envelope." I'm leaving because of I have to yell at one more person." The party was extremely low-key not loud at all. The children played in the area where the party took place and no one at any point was disrespectful towards him. I would have given this place 5 stars had this not occurred. I highly recommend that if you are a person of color you will surely not feel welcomed here if Carl is on the schedule to work that day. It's unfortunate that we were treated this way, it's a beautiful building and there are lots of cool bikes for the children to enjoy looking at.

Had one of the best tours I've ever been given. The people running the house are so knowledgeable…read moreand such hard workers at keeping the place running. I would definitely recommend it if you are visiting! Some of the friendliest people I've met on this trip.

Excellent collection of Victorian clothing and earlier furniture. A pleasantly delivered tour was…read moregiven to me because I only had 15 minutes. I could easily spent five times that amount hearing about the history from the highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic docents.

This is a very nice library with a average sized children's section. It is located in the complex…read morewith other town buildings. There was plenty of parking. The Librarian was very friendly and greeted us when we walked in. You can't miss the book tower in front of the librarian desk; my toddler and I were in awe looking at it. The children's section had a big fake tree that a child can go in. There were computers, Legos, train table, dollhouse, and other toys. There was a tween reading area. Although, this was not the biggest library, it was indeed lovely. I noticed a trail out back and had to check it out. The trail is called Doreen's Nature Trail and it was peaceful and neat. It is in memory of the former Library Director that tragically lost her life. Overall, this was definitely one of my top 10 favorite libraries I've been to. I wish my local library had a trail in the back!

I went to the Library in East Granby for a quiet space to do some work. There is a large blue…read moreturkey right in front of the library. This is in honor of East Granby originally being named Turkey Hills. The inside of this library is very well kept, with a grandfather clock that immediately caught my eye. There are some beautiful plants and a nice amount of sunlight coming through. They have a self serve coffee and tea station. The books are nicely organized and there's a substantial amount under every author. They also have an area for kids and teens. As well as quiet areas where you can work on your computer. The kids area is a lot of fun, with a large "tree", the kids can go inside of to play. The books are also plentiful in this area. They also had a selection of books for sale. Here I found a book that I was very interested in a number of years ago. It probably would have been $1 if I wanted to purchase it. I sat down and read about 20 pages, and decided it's a bit too sad to fully involve my self in it right now, so I put it back. This library is quite a nice one in the small town of East Granby. Be sure, you're going to the library not the town hall, as they're right next to one another.