There’s no mistaking Western Massachusetts. There are the eclectic communities. There’s the natural beauty. There’s the seemingly endless array of fun activities. It’s practically a world unto itself, yet it’s still distinctively Massachusetts.
Remarkably, it’s also a part of the state with something wonderful to offer in every one of its regions. Find family attractions in Greater Springfield. Enjoy the rural charm of Franklin County. Let the wonder of the Berkshires be your backdrop as you revel in diverse culture and sophisticated entertainment. Or take in the fall foliage along the Mohawk Trail—America’s first scenic automobile route. No matter what your interests, Western Massachusetts is where memories are made—all throughout the year.
Transportation:
By Train – Amtrak serves Pittsfield on the Lake Shore Limited which runs between Boston and Chicago and serves Springfield from New Haven and Boston.
By Bus – Peter Pan Bus Lines offers service to Pittsfield, Lenox, Lee, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Williamstown, Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, and Amherst/Northampton
Regional Transit Authorities– Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, FRTA Franklin Regional Transit Authority.
Events and Festivals:
Summer:
Sevenars Concerts
One of the only six best small music festivals in the USA (Time Magazine). Sevenars Concerts offers superb music in an historic Academy with an acoustic gem concert hall, air-conditioned comfort, cushioned seats, home-baked refreshments, idyllic setting beside a rushing stream and waterfall.
Green River Festival
This annual celebration combines music on multiple stages, delicious local food, crafts from a range of artisans, a dance tent, a wide array of kids’ activities, balloon illuminations and hot air balloon launches (weather permitting).
Spring:
Berkshire Theatre Festival
Founded in 1928, Berkshire Theatre Festival is one of the oldest professional regional theatres in the United States and the longest-running cultural organization in the Berkshires.
Summer:
Tanglewood
Join the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center at their summer home in the Berkshires. Enjoy classical, popular, and jazz performances.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
International dance companies on three stages, as well as 200+ free performances, talks, tours, events, and more.
Williamstown Theatre Festival
Tony Award-winner for Outstanding Regional Theatre.
Mohawk Trail Concerts
Since 1969, when violinist/composer Arnold Black discovered the charm and the superb acoustics of the Federated Church in Charlemont, Mohawk Trail Concerts has been bringing the best of music from many styles, periods, and places — performed by both internationally acclaimed and local artists — to the hills of Western Massachusetts.
Fall:
Annual Apple Squeeze
The “apple” and all its possibilities. Apple chili, apple turnovers, apple soup, apple dumplings, apple pancakes and even APPLE PIES and desserts.
North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival
Two days of peace, love, and garlic! The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival is a celebration of the artistic, agricultural and cultural bounty of the region. The festival emphasizes what is homegrown and high quality, as well as what helps preserve and support the environment. The festival is an engaging, fun and educational celebration for all ages.
Colrain Artisans Studio Tour
Colrain has long been a refuge for artists, artisans, and others, looking for a beautiful and affordable place to do their work. Twice a year Colrain’s artists hold a studio tour to exhibit their work.
The Big E
The Big E, the largest fair in the northeast, is a New England extravaganza with top name entertainment, The Big E Super Circus, the Avenue of States, Storrowton Village Museum, animals, competitive exhibits, rides, shopping, crafts, a daily parade and a Mardi Gras parade and foods from around the world for 17 days each September.
Paradise City Arts Festival
Voted among America’s Top Five Arts Festivals since 2004, Paradise City offers a weekend’s worth of America’s finest visual arts, sensational food and foot-stomping entertainment!
Old Deerfield Craft Fair
The Village of Old Deerfield, Massachusetts is the home site of “New England’s Most Beautiful Craft Fair!” As a juried craft fair, the Old Deerfield Craft Fair selects its exhibitors for their quality. The wonderful variety of crafts includes quilts, baskets, wood carvings, pottery, dolls, dried flower arrangements, teddy bears, decoys, tin, theorem, stenciling, jewelry and more!
CiderDays
CiderDays is a community event celebrating all things apples in Franklin County, Massachusetts. There will be two days of orchard tours, cidermaking and tastings, workshops and much more. This is for all who love apples, fresh or hard cider, apple cuisine, apple orchards or just being in New England in the fall.
Festival of Trees at the Berkshire Museum This annual event brings together more than one hundred festively minded individuals who decorate holiday trees based on a special theme.
Bay State Winter Games
The Bay State Winter Games provides quality Olympic-style athletic competitions and developmental programs for Massachusetts amateur athletes of all ages and abilities.
Bright Nights at Forest Park
Start a new holiday tradition with Bright Nights at Forest Park. Recognized by the American Bus Association as one of the top 100 events in North America, Bright Nights is the perfect addition to the holidays.
Amherst Railway Society/Amherst Railroad Hobby Show
The annual Amherst Railroad Hobby Show is held in January on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield.
Attractions:
For Fun:
Berkshire Scenic Treks & Canoe Tours
Lenox
413-442-2789
Guided canoe tours on the upper Housatonic River. Enjoy the natural beauty of this scenic Berkshire flat waterway.
Canterbury Farm Cross Country Skiing and Lodge
1986 Fred Snow Road
Becket
Cross country skiing, snow shoeing, hiking, and biking through 1,000-acre woodlands.
Natural Bridge State Park
McCauley Road, off Rte. 8
North Adams
(413) 663-6392
Examine the only naturally formed white marble arch and man-made white marble dam in North America, and tour an abandoned marble quarry. The bridge spans rushing Hudson Brook as it twists and tumbles through a steep 60-foot deep gorge.
Worthington Ballooning
Worthington
413-238-5514
Relax and escape on a hot air balloon ride; floating above the countryside for a sunrise or sunset flight.
Mohawk Trail/Mount Greylock Driving Tour
On a clear day, allow half a day for this scenic 26-mile tour up Mount Greylock, Massachusetts’ highest peak at 3,491 feet. This scenic tour starts one mile north of Lanesborough on Route 7.
The Bridge of Flowers
Shelburne Falls
The Bridge of Flowers is the only one of its kind in the world. Built in 1908 as a trolley bridge across the Deerfield River, between the towns of Shelburne and Buckland, the 400-foot, five arch concrete span was abandoned with the passing of the trolley line 1928. Antoinette and Walter Burnham’s vision of transforming the structure into a flower bridge became a reality in 1929. Over 500 varieties of annuals and perennials are planted and tended by local volunteers who work with the head gardener and her assistant to ensure continuous blooming throughout the season. Open from early spring through late fall.
Mohawk Trail State Forest
175 Mohawk Trail/Rte. 2
Charlemont
413-339-5504
A clear, cold river cascades through Mohawk Trail State Forest along a rocky streambed. One of the most scenic woodland areas in Massachusetts, the state forest offers visitors a taste of real wilderness in a rustic setting.
Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley
This Bowling alley is the second oldest bowling alley in America! Both beginners and experienced players welcome!
Memorial Drive, Shellbourne Falls
413 625-6179
Six Flags New England
Route 159, 1623 Main Street, Agawam
413-786-9300
New England’s #1 Travel Destination with more than 150 thrilling rides, shows, and attractions. From family rides to water slides, there is something for all ages.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
1000 West Columbus Ave., Springfield
413-231-5514
Since 1959, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has honored and celebrated the game’s greatest moments and brightest stars. Home to nearly three hundred inductees and more than 40,000 square feet of basketball history, the Hall of Fame stirs the spirits of basketball fans everywhere.
Volleyball Hall of Fame
444 Dwight Street, Holyoke
413-536-0926
William G. Morgan invented volleyball at the Holyoke, Massachusetts YMCA in 1895. In June, 1987, the Volleyball Hall of Fame opened a living memorial to the sport. Open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4:30 p.m. or by special pre-arranged appointments.
Yankee Candle Flagship Store
25 Greenfield Road
South Deerfield
877-636-7707
At the flagship store you’ll find 400,000 candles in more than 200 different famous Yankee scents. It’s a unique, entertaining world of New England charm, fairy tale fantasies, and hands-on, interactive candlemaking that’s fun for every age.
Shelburne Falls
Located on the scenic and historic Mohawk Trail in the Berkshire foothills, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts and the surrounding area is rich with natural beauty, talented artisans, four season recreation and an atmosphere that will make you feel right at home.
Zoar Outdoor
7 Main Street
Charlemont
800-532-7483
White water rafting trips, kayaking clinics, zip line canopy tours, canoeing instruction, rock climbing classes and bike rentals for adventurers of all abilities.
For Enrichment:
Arrowhead Home of Herman Melville
780 Holmes Road
Pittsfield
413-442-1793
Eighteenth Century National Historic Landmark where Herman Melville was inspired to write his masterpiece, Moby-Dick. Charming farmhouse, furnished in mid-19th century antiques.
The Ashley House
Cooper Hill Road
Ashley Falls
413-229-8600/413-298-3239
Oldest home in the Berkshires; African American Heritage Trail anchor site. Here, Mum Bett successfully sued for her freedom in 1781, helping end slavery in Massachusetts.
Hancock Shaker Village
Routes 20 & 41
Pittsfield
413-443-0188
Explore the Shakers’ City of Peace, with historic buildings, a working farm and featuring the premier Shaker artifact collection. Enjoy vibrant programs, tours, exhibitions, and activities for children.
Norman Rockwell Museum
9 Route 183
Stockbridge
413-298-4100
World’s largest collection of original Rockwell art; changing exhibitions by America’s finest illustrators. Rockwell’s Stockbridge studio, open seasonally
The Clark
225 South Street
Williamstown
413-458-2303
An art museum and a center for research and higher education, dedicated to advancing and extending the public understanding of art.
Mass MoCA
Housed on a restored 19th century factory campus, MASS MoCA exhibits some of the liveliest, most evocative – and provocative – art of our time. Open all year with a full schedule of performing arts events and film in addition to 120,000 square feet of gallery space.
413-664-4481 87 Marshall St., North Adams, 01247
Williams College Museum Of Art
One of the finest college art museums in the county, featuring a broad range of exhibitions, many drawn from its collection of over 12,000 paintings, sculptures, video art, and works on paper. The museum’s collection of more than 400 works by the artist-brothers Maurice and Charles Prendergast is the largest in any museum. Admission to the museum is always FREE as are a host of educational programs that are available to the public.
413-597-2429M
15 Lawrence Hall Drive
Williamstown, 01267
Williamstown Theatre Festival
The Williamstown Theatre Festival is located in one of the most beautiful parts of the country-the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Festival performances are held at the ?62 Center for Theatre and Dance of Williams College, 1000 Main St., on Route 2, Williamstown.
P.O. Box 517
Williamstown, 01267
Emily Dickinson Museum:The Homestead & The Evergreens
280 Main Street, Amherst
413-542-8161
Discover the roots of her enduring legacy as one of America’s pre-eminent poets. The Emily Dickinson Museum, made up of the Dickinson Homestead and The Evergreens on Main Street, in Amherst, Massachusetts, tells the story of a strikingly original writer and the world in which she lived.
Springfield Museums
21 Edwards Street, Springfield
800-625-7738
The Springfield Museums, located in the heart of downtown Springfield, is comprised of five world-class museums; the Michele & Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts., the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, the Springfield Science Museum, the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum and the Museum of Springfield History. The Museums Association is proud to be home to the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, a series of full–scale bronze sculptures of Dr. Seuss’s whimsical creations, honoring the birthplace of Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss.
Historic Deerfield
88 Old Main Street
Deerfield
413-775-7214
Step into early America as you tour Historic Deerfield’s eleven house museums. Explore hundreds of years of history along an original, mile-long street.