Molly Cantor's pottery is magnificent.Although I've not been to her studio for years, I have…read morepurchased a couple of wedding and birthday gifts for favorite people in my life . Looking forward to a trip to her shop next Spring.

Molly Cantor is to pottery as Mary Oliver is to poetry. Each of Molly Cantor's art pieces traces…read morethe line between the human world and the natural world, and, if you listen closely, with your eyes, each holds a story. Her art is delicate, playful, touching, and beautiful in its simplicity. I traveled to her store in the quaint town of Shelburne Falls (a must for anyone visiting Massachusetts -- especially with its Bridge of Flowers, quaint coffee shops, art shops, and lots of community friendliness). And, I fell in love with Cantor's artful clay dog covered with flowers, his/her head thrown backward for a good throat scratch (much like our dog, Guinness). There were teacups with images of a clothesline blowing in the wind, or a chair, table, and a vase of blooming sunflowers (the perfect day, really), as well as a stretching skunk (is that Flower from Bambi?) ;) on a bowl. I can't decide which I'd love to own -- but to own any of these beautiful, heartwarming pieces to bring art into my home. Molly Cantor's pottery is poetry in form; it evokes humor and embodies a reverence of nature and animals. Who wouldn't love that?

DISCLAIMER!! I sometimes have work on display here…read more Great gallery, more so than you'd ever expect to find in a small town. In addition to the larger works of art, many hand-made high level craft-type things for sale, occasional juried competitions. Art classes, space for rent for events. Sometimes they hold performances there (disclaimer number 2.... I've performed there), unfortunately not very often these days. Limited hours/days, so check out the website before heading over. http://www.greentreesgallery.com/

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.

This was such a fun experience! Better than I expected in such a small town. The trolley was built…read morein 1896, and it was restored in the 90s and is functional! The museum is super cool and very small, but worth checking out. At the time of writing this, tickets are only $5 each. Well worth it. It's run by all volunteers too. There's several train pieces on the property including a caboose that you can go inside, as well as 4 or so other pieces that you can see and read about but aren't safe to go inside yet. There's also a hand cart you can operate which is so fun! It really picks up speed too. The trolley ride itself is fun! The tour guide has a ton of knowledge and explains the history of trolley cars, trains, and freight at the time the trolley was in operation. This was such a neat experience!

Having traveled to the Trolley Museum in Maine we have seen a ton of different trolleys, but this…read moretiny museum in Shelburne Falls is a great local attraction. This museum has a few trolleys which have not been restored, but they have Trolley Car No. 10 which was a locally run trolley. The staff and conductors here are polite and more than willing to tell you the history of Car 10. Overall, this tiny museum has a ton of history attached and I love the fact that it is located in such a beautiful area.

Very cool dioramas about the forest history of the area, and a scavenger hunt for the kids. And…read moreHarvard Forest is surrounded by beautiful nature trails (dogs welcome) with signs to guide and educate your walk. Like the glass flowers at the Museum of Natural History in Cambridge, these dioramas are not to be missed.

I called ahead since I was driving an hour and a half on a weekday to visit, just to make sure they…read morewould be open. The museum is part of a compound of research buildings. It's quiet, and you might or might not see other people around. If you do they'll probably be researchers, and they will be very friendly. Basically, you walk in, there's an arrow pointing to a light switch that turns on the lights in the dioramas, and you have at it. The dioramas are definitely worth seeing, if you're into that sort of thing, they are well maintained and labeled. But there's not much else to see at the museum. So plan to do a short hike in the research forest back behind the museum. It's super low impact and very educational, with informational markers all along the paths. I ran into a researcher in the forest who was very friendly and happy to share a little time and knowledge. It was super quiet and peaceful, otherwise. I made a day of it by going into Petersham, a very cute little town, and grabbing lunch at The Country Store on Main Street, which is an adorable establishment. Lovely little day-trip.

I love this gallery. They sell all sorts of great pieces of blown glass (vases, bowls, etc.),…read morejewelry, and other nice gifts at reasonable prices. I've bought many glass ornaments and jewelry here. The gallery space is beautiful (larger and brighter after a recent remodel) with nice views of the Deerfield River. And, you can watch artists at work right next door to the gallery. Another good thing about it: My mom's artwork is on display behind the counter at the front--so check it out! Also check out the Young & Constantin Gallery in Wilmington, Vermont.

this is a nice friendly gallery/clothing/jewelry place .. if you are in town it is worth checking…read moreout. local handmade jewelry is always nice. sad to see the glass blowing place next door is gone, but soon it will be a mexican restaurant.

The VT Gift Emporium is a great place to browse items created by local artists and vendors. A newly…read morerenovated building with plenty of free parking leads to a nice showroom full of items from maple syrup to custom tables, and all things in between. You never know what you'll find in here, as it has a way of changing a little bit each time I come in to shop.

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.