This is where we had our wedding last month! Originally, the ceremony was supposed to be outdoors…read morein the park, but we were rained out at the last minute. Thankfully, our preferred backup plan worked wonderfully. Usually, during the warmer season, if you get rained out, your back up is the tent that is attached to the Garden House. There's no polite way to say this: tent is not pretty. We did not want to use the tent. When we first saw the Garden House, we knew we wanted our back up to be in front of the fireplace with the guests all at their tables. That's what happened and it was perfect! We booked the Garden House a year and a half before our wedding. When we met with Jill, she was nice, but sort of distant. We didn't make a personal connection with her, but we connected with Look Park and the Garden House right away, so we booked it. When we returned for a visit this past summer, we met with Jill to go over some details and it was like she was a different person! Warm and personable and she even seemed excited for us! Maybe she's got a "sales" persona when she's showing the place because most people don't book...? Who knows? But the bottom line was that she was great to work with. On the day of the wedding, our on-site contact was Mari who was very calm and also great to work with. One thing we liked about the Garden House was that it's a non-profit. They fees we paid go directly to the Park, which is nice. The prices aren't bad- they're not rock-bottom, but you can get a break if you're a Northampton resident or you choose to have your wedding on an off-day or off-season. The Park is a beautiful place for pictures as well. They ahve a list of caterers you must choose from or pay a small fee. We liked this as it gave us some guidance- we are in the Boston area and know nothing about the caterers in Western MA. This at least narrowed our search! I would highly recommend getting married or having an event at the Garden House!

When we were in the process of choosing a location for our wedding reception, in addition to…read morewanting a place that was comfortable, visually appealing and a bit unique, my husband and I needed to know that the venue was well-managed. I'm (surprise!) fairly Type-A, and professionalism and communication is very important to me. Jilian, the Garden House's wedding coordinator, was excellent. She was down-to-earth and funny, and the planning process went smoothly with her help. Our day-of coordinator (whose name I have unfortunately forgotten) was also very sweet and helpful. The space itself is beautiful. I could offer an inadequate description, but if you're in the market for a reception venue, you'll want to check it out for yourself anyway!

We were here for my friend's wedding. The venue is absolutely gorgeous. It's a bohemian dream…read more The day before, we were able to pick wildflowers in the fields which were then used for table centerpieces. I discovered I do not have an eye for flower arrangement. Thankfully there were more creative women in our group and they were able to provide some assistance in making my flower arrangements more aesthetically pleasing. A fun experience nonetheless!

Came here for a wedding on a Friday night in June, gorgeous venue. Great food and even better…read moredrinks! Bartenders were very nice and attentive and went out their way to make special drink requests for the guests. Drinks were very different and cool not just your regular wedding venue drinks, they made specialty ones. All the employees were very kind and on top of it.

Attended a wedding here recently-- stunning property, great attention to detail, awesome staff…read more Highly recommend if you want to throw a beautiful wedding.

We got married about four months ago and I still think of Dan and Christina's unconditional…read morekindness and support almost everyday. The whole team at Valley View is truly amazing and Suzy and David are some of the coolest and kindest people I have ever met. Dan was our wedding planner and from the beginning was so calming and extremely buttoned up. My husband I got engaged in Dec and were married in Aug all thanks to Dan and the team! Dan was always available and made all of the planning fun and super personal to us. He truly felt like an extension of our family. Christina was with us the weeks leading up to our wedding and on our wedding day. I don't even know where to begin -her presence is so grounding and loving-I can't imagine the day without her there. She anticipated everything and was always one step ahead but also made the day fun! Again, felt like an extension of family on our wedding day. The food was also incredible. Our friends and family all said it was the best wedding food they had ever had. We loved the deserts so much we took them home and froze them and ate them for a mont after until we sadly ran out. The venue is a magical place. You can feel it when you begin the drive up. We can't wait to come back and visit. It was the best day ever.

fabulous. An hour wasn't enough. There is so much sculpture and art. Glass, mosaic, welded metal,…read moreand natural stone. Not to miss, but give yourself more than an hour. And PLEASE - honor system to pay admission- DO IT!

The sanctuary is really cool. Suggested donation of $20 and you walk the grounds at your own pace…read more There is some amazing art there and, I believe, it changes regularly with additions from artists. There is a labyrinth right by a beautiful little body of water, some really cool sculptures, glass works, and cool places to sit and/or wander around. The whole place has a really nice vibe, and I think it's just really cool that someone takes care of a space like that for everyone to enjoy. I would highly recommend it. Fun for the whole family.

Great idea, kind service, fun menu and delicious snacks and cocktails! Fun vibe!!! Recommend!!!read more

This place is really nice. It's fairly new & has a lot of potential. Staff were very friendly.read more

I'm a year round bicycle commuter and work in Northampton. I was excited to hear that Northampton…read morebike which I'd been a customer of was creating a bar. I went to the Handlebar a few weeks ago for a first date and it was an excellent experience. Super friendly staff and lovely aesthetic. I'll definitely be going back and look forward to seeing the Handlebar grow.

From the owner: Ever wished your local bike shop had a sweet spot to hang out and have a drink before, after, or…read morelong after a ride? Yeah, so did we…

Continue to visit often for country line dancing. Good food and drinks. Big dance floor. Huge…read moreparking lot. Often free entry on Friday night. And a very welcoming crowd.

For relaxed dining you can't beat the Elks Burger N'brew on Friday evening. The onion rings are…read morethe best I've ever tasted. Grilled hotdogs are very tasty. The menu has grown over time to include cheeseburgers and pizza. French fries are also available. The atmosphere is very friendly and happy.

Mill 1 at Open Square was awful during our wedding planning. Covid hit after we had a signed…read morecontract and they wouldn't (or couldnt) follow through with their part of the contract. They would not give us our money back but instead wanted us to sign an addendum with all these new rules. Long story short, the courts had to order them to give us back our deposit.

COVID-19 Wedding We…read morefell in love and booked this venue a year in advance. Due to COVID-19 restrictions put in place by The Governor Charlie Baker we were unable to hold our wedding as stated in the contract, a contract that we had paid in full. We had to forgo our wedding becuase of the Pandemic and ALL of our vendors except Mill 1 refunded us and were extremely gracious. The owner believed that he was not in breach of contract even though we paid for a space for 50+ guests, a dance floor, & a bar which due to COVID-19 he was unable to provide any of those things. its NO ONES fault that these restrictions were put in place it just comes down to being able to provide what was paid for. None of us would have thought a year ago that we would be "social distancing" and wearing face masks everywhere we go. The owner stopped replying to emails after we asked him straight up (so he would simple have to say YES, he can provide us with was was in the contract or NO, he cannot. ) We had to get our lawyer to reach out and inform the owner that he was in fact in breach of the contract & that further action will be taken if he continues to refuse to return our money. Of course the morning after our lawyer was in touch with him we got an email back from John. This time stating that we could have our wedding at Mill 1 BUT with only 25 people inside or with 100 people outside at another location outside the building of Mill 1 (which by the time our wedding date came around was no longer allowed in MA due to further restrictions put into place). But that is simply thats not what we paid for and were promised by our conrtact that we had signed and paid in full. We paid for the gorgeous building and the ambiance it provides. Not something out in the parking lot with less than half the guests we wanted. John would still not address the fact that we couldnt have a dance floor or a bar. He told our lawyer that he would give us half of our money back but only if we signed an NDA (non-disclosure act) so we couldnt inform the public on how he chooses to run his business no less how he chooses to treat consumers during a PANDEMIC. Our lawyer asked him for that in writing...we never got it. Spoke to our lawyer today (7/29/2020) and we have to formally sue the venue, John Aubin had no response to the letter our lawyer sent over on 7/21/2020. Today is 9/8/2020 and yesterday we finally recieved some kind of correspondance with the venue. We got an email from Regina (event coordinator) asking us if we would be using the space on 9/12/2020 for our wedding. Our attorney reached out to the venues owner John Aubin on 9/5/2020 to inform him that we would be continuing with our choice to not modify our wedding that we had paid in full for & that he could reach out at any time prior to discuss options but either way we would be continuing with legal action against Mill 1. We got no response from him. The email from Regina was fowarded by us to our attorney who kindly informed her of where we stood on the matter. Please note that Regina also mentioned that we needed to respond to her by 9/8/2021 (yes, she said 2021 obviously meaning 2020) so they decided to reach out at 1am, on a Holiday weekend, only 5 days prior to our original wedding date, and give us 1 day to respond, ONLY after the owner recieved notice that we would be persuing further legal action, coincidence? We dont think so either. Today is Monday, 9/14/2020 - our wedding was supposed to be a few days ago, no word from venue. Today is 12/30/2021- Yes, the end of 2021. We haven't heard a thing from John Aubin BUT we got an official court date today. We will see him in court January 26th 2022. Today is 1/26/2022 - Court was cancelled DUE TO COVID (ironic isn't it?) 4/13/2023 TWENTY TWENTY THREE- we've been to multiple court dates and John's tactics have works, we're exhausted new parents and we can't do it anymore ‍ anyways, a word of caution, stay away. We've spoken to SEVERAL other couples who have also had to sue the venue and WON (they got their money back thank goodness)

This is a review of the restaurant only…read more It's time my friends! Another episode of the Good, The Bad, and the Ugly! Let's start with the Good! There's lots of good here. First, anyone willing to risk running a restaurant in a place like Worthington is tops in my book. This is a tough place to be, and not a lot of people here. A very under-served population. The location is quaint, clean, and picturesque. The staff was very nice and friendly. The bar is well-stocked, particularly with what seems to be every flavor of V1 Vodka they make! A very good sign. The menu is small, but that's a Good Thing!! I would rather have 10 choices, all done perfectly, than 100 done poorly. The chicken sandwich was A++. Perfect. The fries were good too. I like mine a little crispier (more on that later), but they were in the ballpark. The roll the sandwich was on was fantastic. Also, my wife and I were very excited for the upcoming Drag Brunch! In Worthington! Get down with your awesome selves! (Alas, the tickets were already sold out!!) OK, enough of the raving, now on to .... The Bad: These folks are clearly still in the "just getting started" phase. The staff is great, but it's clear that they're having some communication issues. Those kinds of issues cost money. If the management gets that under control, they'll survive. That just takes time. The buffalo wings were just meh. A little undercooked so they weren't crispy at all. Not in an unsafe way, but not as cooked as you'd like them, chewy skin. The Blue Cheese dressing tastes like bad Blue Cheese dressing from a food service bucket. The sort of Blue Cheese dressing you'd expect at a truck stop in the middle of Nebraska. Sort of sweet and tangy, like shelf-stable Wishbone. Really disappointing. The wings did seem to be decent quality, just needed longer to cook. The spice level was nice. I'll chalk these up to growing pains. Oh no, here it comes... The Ugly: There is poutine on the menu. Or so they claim. This is the sort of poutine you would get if you *described* poutine to a person who had never seen nor tasted it. Here's that description: Take french fries, put cheese on them, then gravy. That's missing a LOT of key details. Did I mention that I'm Canadian? This poutine is like promising an Italian a nice plate of Spaghetti and Meatballs, then serving them a can of Spaghetti-o's. Sure, it's pasta, and meatballs, and sauce.... The fries were not nearly cooked enough to hold up to cheese and gravy. As a side for a burger, no problem. The fries are the right type and quality, but Poutine fries need to be cooked a little longer so they don't turn to mush. The cheese seemed to be mozzarella, and the cook *broiled* it onto the fries. Broiled cheese? Are you nuts? OK, OK, I'm calming down. This is still salvageable. Wait, what is this flavorless, white... is it ... gravy? Are you sure? It looks and tastes like country gravy that should have bits of ground up sausage and gets served over a biscuit for breakfast. Poutine gravy is brown! BROWN I tells ya! Even vegetarian poutine gravy is brown! Swear to dog, next time I'm in Quebec I'm bringing back an industrial sized tub of St. Hubert gravy mix and donating it to the Goldenrod (You think I'm joking. I am not.) GYAGH! Better yet, next time I'm going to Quebec I'm going to grab the head chef, drive them to the first Casse-crout past the Derby line, and feed them a proper (paper) plate of poutine. OK, deep breaths. Deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. I accept that (in spite of being only 4 hours drive) finding the perfect Canadian ingredients here in Western Mass is almost impossible, and I will never find perfect Poutine here. I am a poutine snob, and I know this. But Please, please, for the love of dog, Goldenrod, fix this. Fresh cheddar cheese curds need to be at room temp, placed on hot fries, covered in hot brown gravy. You want low moisture cheese, it's *not supposed to melt* or if it does, just barely. If you want to elevate it some, go for it. Add some fresh herbs. Offer to toss in some BBQ short rib or bacon bits. But (in my best Joan Crawford:) NO. WHITE. GRAVY!!!! To the owners/chefs: Google "Poutine" & "Sherbrooke". Look at the pictures. All of them. From every restaurant. Do you see a single broiled cheese curd? Do you see any white gravy? No? OK, now you know. The Wrapup: Alright, I know I practically had a stroke there about the poutine, but here's the end of the story. The Goldenrod is a new restaurant, and it's good. Not great (yet,) but good. Want them to be great? Eat there. Often. Tell the boss what's good and what's bad. Success breeds success. This place has massive potential and needs encouragement. Overall, 4 stars. Tons of potential. Eat there!

I have eaten at the Goldenrod and the food is great and clean. Service is fantastic and friendly…read more The atmosphere is friendly and rustic. Can't say enough positive review for this place up in Worthington MA.. You need to stop and enjoy. Thanks for reading.