If you are in the Hatfield area and you're interested in local history this is the place to go!…read more The museum , which is located on the second floor of the town library, has a wonderfully curated collection of local historical items. In particular they have a very nice collection of civil war items, nineteen and early twentieth century housewares, and medical tools from the early twentieth century. And if you're in the area in the summer be sure to also visit the Hatfield Farm Museum which is located behind the building.

Small museum with lots of information. This place made me reminisce my younger years. Meaning a…read morelong time ago in a galaxy far .... But It was a time well spent. If you are in Holyoke, MA it won't hurt to visit and learn about a sport that is just too awesome.

The only reason I knew this place existed is because I was somewhat of a volleyball nerd growing…read moreup, and retained the fact that volleyball was invented in Holyoke, MA after some research for a jr. high oral report on volleyball. Visiting Boston for the first time, my husband and I took a side trip to Springfield for the Basketball Hall of Fame, and I randomly remembered Holyoke. Looked it up, and it was just a 20-min. Uber ride to Holyoke from Springfield. Holyoke itself is a small town. Driving through, I saw a lot of abandoned factories/warehouses. It looks like a quiet place. I'm glad that volleyball, while being more popular in the west coast and globally, chose to keep some roots in the city that invented it. (Side question: does the FIVB put anything into this HOF?) My husband and I were the only visitors during our time there. It took about an hour to go thoroughly through EVERYTHING. The HOF shares a building with the children's museum. There is an admission fee of $8 for adults, and there are varying discounts I can't remember. It's a museum with several displays - a history of volleyball (including sister sports beach/sitting), display boxes for each member of the current class of inductees, biography displays of recent inductees, a video that plays when prompted (on a CRT TV - come one guys, you can at least upgrade that!), half a volleyball court with net set-up from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, info boards on notable players like Karch Kiraly and Flo Hyman, and different paraphernalia (my fave - a 1984 Olympic game ball from the men's gold medal game). There is a small store with t-shirts, sweaters, mugs, stickers, etc. I think the place could use a little more updating. It looks like it got stuck in the 90's, but I was glad I got to see this little gem. I think it's worth the trip (from Boston) if you're a hard core volleyball fan.

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!

David Ruggles, born free in Lyme CT, became a printer and journalist championing the Abolitionist…read moreMovement. He aided Frederick Douglas's escape from Maryland and assisted Douglas in reuniting with his wife Anna. Ruggles was a sales agent and wrote articles for the Emancipator and The Liberator, both antislavery newspapers. He was in involved in The Free Produce Movement which boycotted produce and products produced by slaves. He was the secretary of The New York Committee of Vigilance, a biracial organization that assisted fugitive slaves from the South and informed them of their rights in the free state of New York. David Ruggles was active in the Underground Railroad and is said to have led 600 slaves to freedom in the North. Frederick Douglas owes much to Ruggles as he was radicalized by him and went on to become one of the the most prominent black figures in the antislavery movement.

update?: I remember scanning the badge after waiting in what is apparently now called the overflow…read moreline. Is the time spent in each line being tracked? When I first went many years ago, there were no badges back then, so I don't see how management could know that the wait was *never* that long. I gave it a more positive review 6 years ago for being unique - that's why I wanted to go again, but it didn't hit the same the second time... perhaps I expected more to change over half a decade. For being so dependent on story telling, the little videos throughout the haunt have terrible audio quality. This is one of 10 haunts I visited this year, the lack of jump scares isn't the issue.

Horrible very noisy , waste of time haunt. The review that mentions waiting for hours in two…read moredifferent rooms is very true. We waited in the smaller room for 2 hours. The haunt prides it self on making people wait for 5 hours! It did not flow at all. You spent more time waiting for doors to Open then anything else. They made sure you didn't see any other group. Not scary at all. The scary part was waiting in line. You could not move forward until you watched a video in every other room. Hardly any actors in the haunt. I wish I could get a refund for this horrible experience. The worst haunt I have ever been too.

Actual movement for social change, or just the latest in a series of protests for the kids at UMASS…read moreAmherst? My vote is for the latter, as I'm sure none of these kids here at "Occupy UMASS" will even remember what this place looks like in 4 years. I went to school here. I remember when the big thing back then was to re-name the library. That, and LGB rights. Protests, signs, articles, you name it, they protested it. None of the things I remember from back then are even issues now, and it seems the students here are always looking for the "next big thing" when it comes to protesting. It's tiring. Now, they have a tiny encampment between the DuBois library and the South College building. They have no clear list of "demands" - their website claims they have a working list being worked on by the "demands working group" - but I suppose in this regard they are very much like Occupy Wall Street or Occupy Boston protesters. This is just the latest in a long line of student protests which are nothing more than protests. Once they graduate, pay taxes, have the weight of the world crush their dreams, "Occupy UMass" (Or Occupy-anything) will be the furthest thing from their mind...

This is a common enough view and far be it from me to dispute cynicism, even ruthless cynicism. I…read moredo differ slightly in one thing though, which is the idea of reducing economic crisis (and the dramatic debt/unemployment/etc issues you mentioned people our age are facing) to the same level as 'fad activism'. Obviously a lot of the same sort of people will be present but that doesn't preclude the possibility of being part of something more meaningful. As it is Occupy UMass is barely a thing right now, but I think we need to wait til spring to pass judgment...

Being a devoted fan of children's picture books, visiting the Eric Carle Museum was truly amazing…read more Unlike New York, there isn't a similar museum there. The space was spacious with high ceiling. I stumbled upon interesting books with unfamiliar authors. The staff were friendly, and they offer engaging activities for kids. I can see the value in this place. No cafe is available but there is a snack vending machine and indoor and outdoor seating. There is a water bottle refill machine. I would advise to grab some food first at Atkins Farms as it is a just a few minutes' drive away. It offers a convenient option. Overall, I had a positive experience and I recommend others to come visit this unique place.

I found the Eric Carle Museum a bit underwhelming for the price. I also wasn't really sure who the…read moretarget audience was. The museum has two galleries, a paint room, a library, and an auditorium. Personally, I could spend a decent amount of time reading through the gallery exhibits, but younger kids can't really see or reach a lot of them, so I think they'd get bored pretty quickly. There are a few interactive activities like creating your own recipe or using the peg boards but they felt a little gimmicky rather than being a core part of the experience. The paint room was probably the highlight for kids since there were lots of supplies and things to create, but I didn't see anything my son couldn't already do at home. With that said, kids could probably spend an hour or more here so it should definitely keep them busy. That's kind of where the museum confuses me. I thought this was aimed at younger kids but many of the exhibits are better appreciated by adults. At the same time, older kids will probably find the children's activities too basic. It ends up feeling like it's trying to appeal to everyone without fully committing to one audience. Admission should be much cheaper or donation based. If you're visiting the area, check with your local library first because many libraries offer free passes, and that's definitely the way I'd recommend going. Ironically, I think I'd enjoy coming back by myself more than with my kids. I'd take my time going through the galleries and learning about Eric Carle's work. With young kids though, I found myself feeling rushed because they weren't really engaged. I could also see it being a worthwhile visit for aspiring writers, illustrators, or anyone interested in children's literature.

I just want to give a shout out to Ashley at Team Paint Nite! I had a minor issue that I contacted…read morethem about and received a quick response with a solution. Thank you for your fabulous customer service!!