Came across this place as two cyclists passing through. Karen, who was sitting at the front desk,…read morewas excited to tell us about the place and teach us something new about the region. Beautiful and informational education center that is fun and interesting for adults and children alike!

It's great for a quick visit with kids. Some of the displays are at little ones eye level and they…read morecan see under the water. Helpful park ranger type people who work there love to chat about the exhibits. Pretty views of the river. Interesting and informative information.

AI suggested I come here after some research with a day off gap and it was kinda a life changing…read moreexperience for me. It is next level poshness. For I felt like the first time, art spoke to me in a way where it was interesting and I didn't feel confined to refined boundaries. Truly nouveau, some of it shiny, some of it interactive. While I didn't like all of it, I loved like 97% of it and would come back just for this but maybe with a concert thrown in too. I couldn't take pics but there was an exhibit you had to reserve and one was an all illuminated white world as if I was in some weird imaginary futuristic TV show with expensive production. To complement the light show was a dark show that I didn't care for and that one was a lot more popular apparently. I am probably the only one who went to the spaceship on this particular Wednesday, which was at the boiler house that not everyone realizes you can look at , no AC with 90ish degrees weather, and 2 flights of older industrial metal stairs lol. Not for the super fragile physically. I could not recognize any of the nouveau artists but I could understand why they were on display in all their visual unspoken statements and documentation. They were certainly artists of a very nature I could get used to and eventually groove to, in a nerdy sorta avant garde way that is, dare I say, a modern nod to Andy Warhol. It's not only a museum for modern patrons, but also the groundwork that has propelled North Adams to the inclusive community it has become. The art and the nice atmosphere to live in make for picturesque western Massachusetts expensive to live in and some surprising food variety for the size of the communities. There was also a tea experience this day where you did a calming practice and expressed an emotion thought anonymously via red leaves dropped on a box and a red ball was dropped in for a tree sculpture. I overheard the staff from there toward the end of the day it was attended so so. I think because you had to go all the way to the end of the building to experience it, maybe not everyone wanted to walk that far. Mass Moca truly is "Mass-I've".

Probably the most interesting art museum in Mass. If you're in the Boston area, it is a bit of a…read moredrive--we turned it into a weekend getaway, and it was worth it. The museum is massive, with tons of exhibits. You'll find a mix of contemporary art, immersive installations, plus regular live performances. We spent hours exploring/wandering. Some exhibits lean abstract or experimental, so it helps to go in with an open mind, but that's part of the appeal. Overall, it's a must-visit, and I hope to come back to catch their dusk/dawn exhibit, which seems to be a staple.

"Lord, I recall my little town Coming home after school…read moreFlying my bike past the gates of the factories" (Simon and Garfunkel) Being my Birthday and Mother's Day, we wanted to enjoy the day with a small trip to a different place with some fun sights. Which brought us to Shelburne Falls in the foothills of northwestern Massachusetts' Berkshire mountains, around 15 miles from the Vermont border. It's a gorgeous little village on the Deerfield River with a definite Bohemian-artsy-counterculture progressive flair that reminded me a lot of Collinsville, CT or Great Barrington, MA. Main Street, Deefield Avenue, Water Street and Bridge Street represent the town's central business district which is loaded with restaurants, vintage shops, new age stuff, and plenty more. We had a blast wandering around town, visited A Heart for Art to pick up a unique wedding card, and stopped at Baked for lattés, a scone, and a macaroon. We walked over to the amazing Glacial Potholes and the Bridge of Flowers, probably the two biggest attractions in town. We caught the Bridge at a bad time, because the flowers were temporarily removed, and in the custody of "foster parents" while the soil in the flower beds was being replaced. The lovely lady at A Heart for Art told us the Bridge should be restored to its intended condition within the week. One of the very cool things we saw in town were the many beautiful mosaic tile murals celebrating local history. These colorful works of art are scattered throughout downtown, so keep your eyes open as you wander around. We fully intend to return to this sweet little village, stroll the Bridge of Flowers in full bloom, and enjoy everything else that Shelburne Falls has to offer.

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO! 5 STARS! It's Time to jump into The TimeMobile & scour the Earth & take you…read moreto places from a different time that you won't believe still exist! We have set the dial to the early1900's in Shelburne Falls MA. Shelburne Falls is a historic village in the towns of Shelburne & Buckland in Franklin County, Massachusetts This village looks like it's been plucked out of a novel from a far away time. It's a living & breathing time capsule. Time has indeed been turned backwards here. Instead of reading about history, you can come down to Shelburne Falls & actually be immersed in it & experience it for yourself! Now you can see what life was like a hundred years ago. Here's some of the really Cool Things to See & Do: walking across The Bridge of Flowers, a former trolley bridge that has been transformed into a garden oasis over the Deerfield River open from April through October. Then there's the Glacial Potholes & The Salmon Falls. There is also a Trolley Museum; & The Baker Pharmacy & soda fountain shop that serves ice cream just like they did more than a hundred years ago. There's a diner, some restaurants including pizza shops & a coffee shop. There's Bookstores, a Vintage Clothing store, a newsstand, & a community newspaper called the West County Independent that serves Shelbourne Falls & surrounding communities . They have a grocery store, a natural foods store & a country doctor. They have a Library, an artists' gallery & a Visitor's Center. This is also home to the second oldest bowling alley in America dating back to 1906 . And then there's the Mohawk Trail for hiking & exploring. They've got a lot more to do also but I'll leave that up to you to uncover. Most of the places are all walkable without driving in your car from place to place. And don't forget to stop on by the gift shop nearby called Native Views with souvenirs, Native American Merch, Local Foods & items & a Cool 20 ft tall Indian statue & teepees. Shelburne Falls has 2 listings as a Historic Site. First A 26-acre area has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Shelburne Falls Historic District. Secondly the Odd Fellows' Hall has also been listed on the Register. Because of the vibrant cinematic texture & rich history of the village, Hollywood has fallen in love with Shelburne Falls with lot of movies being filmed here. Here's a list "The Holdovers, Labor Day, Dexter: New Blood, The Judge, Winterbeast Video, Cryptid, The Wych Elm, Fragments of A Ghoulish Mind, Four Pins , The Earth Rejects Him, Fearful Devotion, Hank, American Playhouse Pigeon Feathers Episode. There's lots to do in Shelbourne Falls so you can spend the whole day here. On your traveling adventures, you'll discover that they have quite a few things that are inexpensive & even Free Stuff too including Free Parking! You can see my individual reviews of some of them for more detailed information. What a Really Cool Fun One of a Kind Unique Place! It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

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.

The Butterfly Conservatory has been around forever, but I finally got the chance to visit for the…read morefirst time this July. You enter through the gift shop into a small exhibit room. At first, it's a little underwhelming with some insects, lizards, and frogs in a small room. But once you step into the butterfly area, that's when the magic happens. And yes "magical" really is the word to describe this place. But do be prepared, it is hot and humid inside to recreate the butterflies' natural habitat. There are so many different types of butterflies, with so many colors and patterns. They do land on you and apparently they have preferences for certain colors, so try to wear those colors if you want them landing on you. When we went, it wasn't super crowded but also wasn't empty, so it still felt peaceful. This was such a special experience for my one year old son. I think this was a pivotal moment where he really opened up and started exploring on his own and it was amazing to watch. The water features, quails walking around, Akbar the bird, and the butterflies all came together to create such a unique environment. Relaxing, therapeutic, and again, just magical. There are no strollers allowed inside. Toddlers will need to be watched since they can easily get curious and try to touch flowers or interact with the habitat. Parking is available right in front. There used to be a cafe here but it's gone now. There is a great restaurant across the street with beautiful views. Is it overpriced? Probably. Would I come back by myself? Probably not. But experiences like this are hard to put a price on. There really isn't anything else like this that I've experienced, and watching my son experience it for the first time made it worth it. Overall, this is a 5/5 experience. It may not be something I do all the time, but I absolutely think everyone should visit at least once.

This place has been around since I was a child (30 now) and now I take my daughter. It's fun for…read moresure, but once you go, there's not really a reason to go back as you've seen it all. Pricing is okay, I personally think it's a little overpriced for it but they have to make money somehow. Seniors (65+) are $15, adults are $20, kids 3-17 are $10, kids under 3 are free. There are memberships/frequent flier passes available for purchase as well. Inside where the butterflies are, it is HOT. So head's up if you're bundled at all, especially come the winter months. The butterflies are absolutely beautiful, but I won't lie to y'all, it was kind of terrifying for me. Those butterflies will fly right at your face which personally, I do not find peaceful in the least. BUT, that's not saying it's not a fun experience because it absolutely is. I do love bringing my camera and taking photos of the butterflies and creatures. I wish they still had their little cafe. Every time I go it's closed/shut down. Would be nice to be able to enjoy some food and continue to support them after enjoying the butteflies!

Excellent Renoir collection. Enjoyed permanent collection as well as special exhibit…read more Dont skip the smaller paintings; theyre fantastic.

I went to see Corot, but also ended up admiring Renoir and George Inness, a Montclair local. The…read moreClark is situated in a bucolic college town whose scenery made me think of Wuthering Heights. Maybe because we went at a time when spring should have been sprouting out, but winter lingered and light snow even showed up, casting a gloomy atmosphere. Haru, enjoyed exploring its surroundings while I shivered. I noticed though that some patrons were chatting disruptively.

This historic group of homes sounds like an interesting stop for a history enthusiast. I came on…read morethe same day as an event at Deerfield Academy, and HD blocked their parking lot to prevent those people from parking at the museum, but I called and ask if we, patrons, could park in the designated lot and was basically implied I was lying that the parking lot was closed. So really bad and frustrating communication. Once we parked blocks away and the employee shrugged and said "oh well it's a nice day to walk" and "when there's a local event we don't get a lot of visitors." No duh. Honestly if we hadn't pre-bought tickets, we wouldn't have bothered either. Banning their own patrons from parking in their own designated lot is insane. Then they weren't sorry about the inconvenience. ANYWAY, it's a nice collection of houses, most with tours on the hour and tours taking about 40 minutes, so just enough time to have questions and walk to the next place. The tour guides were very knowledgeable. There seem to be more historic demos on Saturdays vs. other days of the week. When I went on a Sunday, there were still quite a few closed buildings, I assume due to lack of staff and visitors to justify opening. There's a museum with some folk art. It's actually a lot more to see than can be done in a day, and it's definitely an all-day event. It was also interesting to learn about the 1704 Native American raid of the town. This place feels like it has a lot of potential, like a MA version of Colonial Williamsburg, but it felt a bit lacking. It would be great if there were more buildings open to pick and choose from. The gift shop offered very few souvenirs. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside. Like I had an enjoyable day, but I wouldn't recommend anyone go out of their way for this place as it is now. I hope visitors improve and the experience improves.

Quilty Ladies on a mission- we plainly asked if the museum had quilts on display and were told Yes,…read moreupstairs. The entry fee is steep, $20 no discount for seniors. Guess what? Not a single quilt on display. Nada. Zilch. You'll kiss that $20 goodbye, be hounded by docents who act as if only the East cost has museums (HELLO ever heard of a little place called The Getty? the Broad? LACMA, Hammer, Huntington shall I go on?) and who either are too stupid to know what their collection holds or are liars. Pick one. oh and you'll spend a painful hour trying to squeeze that $20 you'll never see again looking at more china and chairs than normal mortals can tolerate. My word of advice- do NOT waste your money and instead go to the Memorial Hall Museum a couple blocks away.

Located in Rindge Nh such a beautiful place tranquility peaceful and quiet over looking the…read moremountains the alter is built out of natural stone the property is beautiful kept. The bell tower rings . The museum is dedicated.to Veterans both women and men as well I strongly recommend the Cathedral of the Pines

A beautiful resting place for ash burial. Also used for weddings. The staff is exceptional and all…read moredetails for the burial went smoothly. The grounds are well kept up and heavenly. I loved all the flowers and plantings. A very peaceful and beautiful place. You must visit to appreciate the grounds.

A Saturday well spent…read more Hubby found this botanical garden in Massachusetts while looking for activities. It was a four hour (non highway) drive for us and while we had to fill up our gas (expensive, no doubt) on our way home, the bulb show itself was free of charge. They gave a suggested donation of $5. The campus is beautiful. They do such amazing job with their plants. Would love to explore Northampton again in the warmer months.

We've been members of the Botanic Garden of Smith College for ten years. Last year, I called to…read moreverify I could take pictures in the greenhouse on a weekday. But when I got there, not even 5 minutes pass when a woman comes in saying I'm aren't allowed to take pictures. I said I did get permission, besides that there were other people taking pictures at the same time as me. There were very few people there on a weekday morning. She argued that it was disruptive for others. I apologized and was almost ready to go, when she said nevermind, go ahead, and left me alone. I thought that was very odd, but then this year, while enjoying the spring bulb show, a class of possibly 20 five-year-old school children came through screaming, crying, ripping/pulling on the plants, with chaperones shouting to be heard. It was complete pandemonium and ruined the experience for us. This group was not asked to leave for 'disrupting.' I also don't appreciate the unilateral decision that was made (that is, no consultation of Botanic Garden members who contribute annual membership fees) to shut down the annual chrysanthemum show in the fall. They just sent a letter saying "they decided" to do other exhibits instead. I don't know what the fall botanical exhibit was that they did instead, and can't find anything online about what it was. The chrysanthemum show was an extraordinary event that was held annually since the early 1900s. If it had to be discontinued, it would be nice if the botanical exhibit that replaces it would meet or exceed that experience. Instead, nothing at all. Contributing members should be able to contribute their input when these decisions are made. We are a part of the campus community.