Amazing museum that's free! There's a wide variety of art from around the world and from different…read moretime periods. There are many priceless works in the collection like art from Claude Monet, Georgia O'Keefe, Auguste Rodin, and more. There are 4 floors to explore, and don't forget to use the lower level bathrooms! Both bathrooms are full of art and absolutely beautiful. I'd recommend checking out BOTH bathrooms since the art is different in each. The museum gift shop also has a variety of beautiful, high-quality, and unique gifts. During my most recent visit, I bought Smith College tea as well as a kimono fabric hair clip.

I've enjoyed this museum on several occasions over the years. It's peaceful and educationally…read moreenjoyable.

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!

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 came here by myself a few weeks ago. I was shocked by how few exhibits there were and now small…read morethey were. I was expecting them to have more on display about his life, artistic process and some of his more famous books. They had a studio and library which would be fun it you brought a child. The overall vibe was charming and very much in the spirit of his books. I just wouldn't go out of my way to go here. The gift shop and info wall about his life was the best part.

As someone who has loved and cherished Emily Dickinson's poetry my entire life, I hate to leave…read moresuch a bad review, but it was my honest experience. So, they strongly recommend you order your tickets online to make sure there is enough availability, so I did. However, when we got to the museum, they said something along the lines of our tickets being invalid for some reason. We were a party of elderly and disabled people so if something went wrong on their online system or the ticket order wasn't processed correctly we should not be punished. They refused to let us in, but at least we could walk around the grounds for free, and they were truly very lovely; unfortunately, the people who run the museum are not.

I want to kick this review off with a fact nugget- I knew NOTHING about Emily Dickinson (except…read morethat she was a poet) before I planned my trip the prior week to visiting the museum. This was a learning experience. It was Mother's Day weekend and also the museums 41st annual poetry walk to celebrate the anniversary of Emily's death. This is really what caught my eye- I love special events. So here are two review in one: Poetry walk Review: You report to the home, pick up a pamphlet that identifies the poem that will be read at each stop along the way along with a map of the stops and your daisies (her favorite flower.) Note: you are asked to pre-register online for the event (I mean they need to know how many pamphlets and daisies!) Off you go! We knew we were going to make it for maybe one stop and the cometary (last stop) due to an early morning tee ball game I wasn't going to miss. So that's what happened, we were able to stop at one poetry stop right outside the cemetery where they read two poems aloud and people were able to ask questions. The final stop is visiting Emily at her family plot in the West Cemetery (take a look at that mural on your left as you start waling into the cemetery with Emily in the center.) As we neared her tombstone, they were passing out cups of lemonade for a noon toast to Emily. They told some facts about the cemetery, a song was song that was inspired by Emily's writing and then one of her poems was read. We then raised our glasses and cheers to the woman herself. After the toast, everyone took their daisies and gently placed them on or around her headstone or the gate to the family's plot. It was nice to walk back through town as we grabbed lunch and then scooted back to the house for our 2pm pre-purchased entry into the house. Very nice event. The House Review: First off- no parking on site. Based on my experience- I would suggest not visiting the house during the week when college is in session! Around the house most parking spots are permit parking only for the college. With the event happening as well, it was hard to find parking. The Dickinson house has bene restored to Emily's writing hay day. As much as we did not have a guided tour (those happen in the morning) there were people stationed in each room who were a wealth of information. I had a lot of questions and they were not stumped and answered beautifully. I learnt a lot from all these fine folks who were just so interested in her, the family and the historical aspects. Thank you! (I really asked a lot of questions.) Austin's house, The Evergreen House, next door is preserved. Very different from Emily's. One has frozen in time and one has been reinvigorated to present the time. Walking through Austin's home was quite interesting as well. Their art is very interesting. I do enjoy how the museum opted to treat each house differently. I have mixed feelings after my trip about Emily and her poems especially the heavy editing but none the less very impressed with the museum and the people working there- vast amounts of knowledge that they were easily willing to share.

I went to Summer Saturday Tea at this house a couple of weeks ago. English black tea was served on…read morethe back porch, with scrumptious desserts available for order and a lovely band playing music. It's a splendid summer experience! I highly recommend stopping in and checking out the calendar - you can see which bands are playing which Summer Saturdays and pick one! I had to get a couple of refills of the tea since the pots were so small, but it was delicious!

Great old house with lots of history and beautiful grounds. Tour guides were very knowledgable and…read moreso helpful. Would highly recommend a visit

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.

Mrs. K. and I were fortunate to have a half-hour tour led by the fabulous Eli who walked us through…read morethe life and times of the 30th POTUS, Calvin Coolidge. The museum is inside the Forbes Library but is operated separately. The Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum was established in 1920 when Coolidge, then Governor of Massachusetts and Vice President-elect, began donating personal papers and memorabilia to the Forbes Library in Northampton, where he had practiced law and served as mayor. In 1956, at the request of Grace Coolidge and the Forbes Library trustees, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts funded the creation of the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Room to house the growing collection. Over the decades, the library expanded to include manuscripts, photographs, artifacts, and even quirky items like Coolidge's electric exercise horse, making it the largest repository of primary materials on his life and presidency. The collection that celebrates his integrity, modesty, and civic dedication. Among its most cherished items are Coolidge's handwritten speeches, personal correspondence, and campaign memorabilia that reflect his commitment to limited government and fiscal responsibility. The library also houses artifacts from his time as mayor of Northampton and governor of Massachusetts, underscoring his steady rise through public service. One particularly endearing item is his electric exercise horse--a quirky reminder of his dry humor and personal discipline. Together, these pieces form a narrative of a president who valued restraint, honesty, and quiet leadership, inviting visitors to appreciate the enduring relevance of Coolidge's principles. Not all of Coolidge's time in office was positive - the library does point out the Immigration Act of 1924. Intended to preserve what lawmakers called American "homogeneity," the act favored Northern Europeans and reflected the era's nativist and exclusionary sentiments. Which strangely contrasted with Coolidge's support of Native Americans. The man was a conflict. You might be wondering why the collection is so small. Presidential libraries only began receiving federal support with the passage of the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955. This legislation established a formal system in which privately constructed libraries could be transferred to the federal government to be operated and maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration. [Review 957 of 2025 - 1237 in Massachusetts - 24512 overall]

My first review somehow went under a different reviewer with same name…read more Trying again, a great NHS that covers the beginning of the weapons industry in Anerica. The displays cover eras and the conflicts during those times through the history of the weapons that were manufactured to be used by those involved. The displays are nicely done, informative and eye catching, especially the damaged weapons case (one was struck by lightning). The Rangers were helpful and willing to share thier knowledge of not just the Armory, but of the local events (fireworks) and the Dr. Seuss museum downtown. We are very appreciative.

Such a deep dive into the history of the making & development of the weapons that shaped the world…read moreof today by preserving the first Armory in America. Well done & maintained displays of different weapons from an early era. A great stop for weapon & history enthusiasts. The Ranger at information desk provided not just info about the Armory, but Springfield in general. We did not know about Dr. Seuss museum if not for him.