A beautiful hidden gem right in the center of the city!…read more from History, cultural events, art exhibits, music recital, house tours, special costumed tours, Holiday events, Master Gardens and even really cool oddities like the Frog Circus!! Wistariahurst has it all!! Come and visit a gem in your own backyard!!

A gem! Beautiful historic home with guided tours filled with great background on the Skinner…read morefamily, the history of Holyoke industry and interior design, plus a special section on the lives and duties of household staff. Admission $7 for adults, $5 seniors. The adjoining garden and gift shop / museum (free) are also lovely.

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.

We've been coming to this bookstore for years and I think each visit gets better and better. The…read morestaff there could not be friendlier or more interested and knowledgeable. They were great in making some suggestions for my next reads and they were spot on! The selection of titles, gifts,and games is fantastic and I love supporting a local book seller. Prices are great. Do yourself a favor and stop in. You won't be disappointed!

I've been raiding these shelves for decades. Aside from the new area (upstairs), the downstairs…read moresection of used books contains some rarities for the impecunious collector which can be had on the cheap. Over the years I pulled out Katherine Raine's excellent two-volume set of William Blake studies, a first edition for review of John Updike's Carpentered Hen, and a signed first edition of Stephen Spender's first book of poems published by Fabers in 1933! All these books were well under $20 each. A first edition of Elizabeth Bishop's Geography III for $10? Yes, please. A proof copy of the first edition of J. G. Ballard's The Atrocity Exhibition with proof dust jacket for $10? OK, if you insist. A first of Raymond Carver's Will You Please Be Quiet Please for $20? Surest thing you know. Pencil-whipping used books appears to be a specialty here, and for the serious collector on limited funds, the place is an absolute God-send! A marvelous place to visit and well worth the ride out from Northampton's numerous troves of used and rare books.

Love this place! If you love books, old and new... this is your place to be! The owner is super…read morenice! Always love chatting with them as we walk around and look at their fantastic selection! Def worth stopping in! Jon & Terra Scantic Antiques

Well... Size really isn't everything. This warehouse (no kidding--it's huge) full of used and…read moresometimes rare books caters to every interest and every taste in that interest. The staff is friendly, able, well-read, and genuinely helpful. And many of the books are remarkably affordable with some rare gems going for under $10 and more common books priced under $10 (often $6, $7, or $8!) Size, selection, service and value,--well, what could possibly stand against that? On my latest visit to this bookshop after more than nine months, I actually found little turn-over in much of its well-stocked shelves. Indeed, my experience recalled my last experience. And that, the one before... New titles leapt out me as I scanned books that I remembered languishing on the shelves for... well...years and years. Many of the books, while old, are actually rather common and, for the person interested in a deep dive into a subject, not particularly useful. Indeed, the bookstore suffers one of the most uncomfortable drawbacks in the antiquarian world of used and rare books: stale and/or stagnant stock. Now, that's not to say the place isn't worth the trip--it definitely is! One is almost certain to find something in any agglomeration of books this large and varied, but the compelling book, that genuinely rare and special book, is often elusive in the overwhelming power of the seemingly endless stacks of this shop. Nevertheless, it is a great spot to browse at your leisure and--yes, buy at reasonable prices, but don't expect to find the truly fabulous... Though it could be there... Somewhere... Who knows? Check it out and find out. It's well worth some of your time.

I found they had a great selection, particularly for 40K and Horus Heresy fans. There is some of…read moreeverything!

I came in looking for help, and no one offered it. At first, I assumed the staff might just be…read morebusy, so I waited by the front counter for a bit. Even then, no one acknowledged me or came over to ask if I needed assistance. After standing there with no response, I wandered around the store hoping someone might check in. Only one person said hello, and I couldn't even tell if they worked there because they had no badge or uniform. Meanwhile, there were about six people gathered around a table setting up a Warhammer game, complete with miniatures, terrain, and buildings. They were laughing, joking, and clearly enjoying themselves. Could one of them have been an employee ? Who knows!? I don't mind people having fun at work, and I understand they probably all knew each other well. But you'd think at least one of them would have noticed a new customer walking around the store looking a little lost. Not a single person broke away from the group to ask if I needed help or even acknowledge that I was there. What makes it more disappointing is that I genuinely try to support local businesses instead of just ordering everything on Amazon. I'd much rather walk into a store, make a connection, and support a local community space. But this visit made it clear that this particular store didn't seem to care about welcoming new customers or earning that kind of loyalty.

I love this store! Lots of Smiski + Sonny Angel figurines, as well as cute plushies and little…read moretrinkets :)

We shop here as often as possible and always find quality toys, books and games for our…read moregrandchildren. We are so lucky to have this local business in our town!

Booklink is an independent bookstore in Thornes Marketplace in Northampton. It has been at this…read morelocation for 25 years now. This bookstore is so beautifully set up. The upstairs section is children's books. Given that I am an elementary school teacher, I was very impressed by this section. There was a good amount of books I haven't seen before. They have all the book categories you'd find in most bookstores, but books popped out at me that I hadn't seen before, that I'd love to dive into. Their selection of greeting cards was also beautiful. You won't find Hallmark here, but independent maker cards that are worthy of being framed. I was pleasantly surprised that they only charge $3.00 for them. The downstairs will lead you to more non-fiction and fiction for adults. This bookstore also sells a really nice amount of tea. I didn't get any this time. But the line of bottles of loose tea went on forever. They have some books on sale, unfortunately the sale prices are still very close to the retail price. Booklink is such a lovely independent bookstore. You're guaranteed to find something new here!

Hearing the rational "We are a small independent establishment" to try to justify the creation of…read morenon-reasonable/non-friendly customer service policies is becoming very old. Booklink is an establishment with bothersome and questionable quirks. I visited this seller with the intention of purchasing a specific book. I examined the half dozen copies on the shelf to choose the one that was in the best gift quality condition. A bearded man (owner) suddenly approaches me with "Can I help you? (No, thank you); Do not disrupt our displays (I am not); What exactly are you doing? (My plan is to purchase a book). He walked away, I purchased the book from the associate at the counter, and I immediately felt like a fool for doing so. Never again will I purchase from Booklink. There are other independent bookstores in this town, nearby towns, and of course on-line.

Now THIS is a toy store! It had absolutely everything you could possible think of for kids toys…read more Even having some older kid variety and toddler items. The bathrooms were decorated with murals and were so entertaining. What I also loved is there is a section that they put our new toys for the kids to try out while they are there. Priced pretty well too!

This is the world's BEST toy store, bar none. Nice to see it hasn't changed much in 20+ years.read more