The Fine Arts Center...7 miles
http://www.umass.edu/fac/
The UMass Fine Arts Center seeks to engage audiences in the arts, embrace diversity, and uphold the highest standards for arts education. Comprehensive in scope, the Center offers the region's only mix of classical music, dance, theater, jazz, Broadway, special events, and gallery exhibitions.
http://www.mullinscenter.com
Opened in 1993, the 9,000 seat Mullins Center is the University of Massachusetts state-of-the-art, multi-purpose facility. It contains an Olympic-size practice ice skating rink available to students for free skating. In addition to Ice Hockey, and the Men's and Women's basketball teams, the Mullins Center has hosted such diverse events as Sesame Street on Ice and David Copperfield; speakers Maya Angelou, Elie Wiesel, and Bill Cosby; and rock concerts ranging from Metallica and Smashing Pumpkins to Alanis Morisette, Phish, and the Indigo Girls.
Western Mass Blitzin Bears...9 miles
http://www.blitzenbears.com
Who Are the Western Mass Blitzin' Bears? Entering their sixth year, the Springfield Blitzin' Bears have become one of the premier Minor League Pro-Football teams in the New England area and on the East Coast. January of 2004, two prominent local business owners, formed the "Western Mass Blitzin' Bears" a community-oriented non-profit corporation. Their intention is to bring the highest caliber of football into Western Mass. The Blitzin' Bears are now in the NAFL, the largest league in North America.
http://www.nohoarts.org/
The Northampton Center for the Arts is dedicated to providing a place where people can dance, display art, make music, perform theatre and be immersed in the creative process. We try to make low-cost, high-value performance and exhibit space available to a wide range of artists and audiences in the community.
The Basketball Hall of Fame...13 miles
http://www.hoophall.com
The NEW Bigger, Better, Bouncier Basketball Hall of Fame includes 40,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, multi-media activities and basketball programs on three levels.
The Big E...16 miles
http://www.thebige.com
Each September, one million plus guests enjoy free entertainment, major exhibits, a Mardi Gras parade, The Big E Super Circus, the Avenue of States, Storrowton Village Museum, animals, rides, a daily parade, shopping and foods from around the world for 17 glorious days during New England's most colorful season.
The Iron Horse...across the street
http://www.iheg.com/iron_horse_main.asp
The Iron Horse Entertainment Group (IHEG) presents live music and performing arts events in Northampton, Massachusetts at The Iron Horse Music Hall, The Calvin Theatre and Performing Arts Center, Pearl Street Nightclub, and an outdoor summer series at The Pines Theater. Iron Horse Presents produces a regular schedule of concerts at other venues throughout New England.
The Emily Dickinson Homestead...8 miles
http://www.dickinsonhomestead.org/
The Dickinson Homestead, where Emily spent all but 15 years of her life, was mentioned frequently in her intensely idiosyncratic and strikingly modern poetry. Devoted Dickinson readers visit the Homestead and The Evergreens, the Italianate home built next door by Emily's brother Austin Dickinson, to walk today where Emily walked and to see what Emily saw.
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art...7 miles
http://www.picturebookart.org/home/index.asp
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is a new museum celebrating the art of the picture book. Founded by Eric Carle and his wife Barbara, the Museum is for visitors of all ages: children and families, teachers and librarians, scholars, and everyone interested in the art of the picture book.
Fall Foliage
Greater Springfield / Franklin County
The secondary roads of Rt. 116 and Rt. 9 wind through rolling countryside and hill towns. Rt. 116 passes through the picturesque towns of Conway and Ashfield; Rt. 9 leads through the village centers of Cummington and Goshen and the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. Scenic routes 143 and 112 travel through rolling New England countryside in the towns of Goshen, Chesterfield, Worthington and Huntington.
The Berkshires
Follow Rt. 7 North from Sheffield to Williamstown. Rt. 8 runs from Sandisfield to Dalton and is a superb route between two state forests. Rt. 183, from Great Barrington to Lenox, follows the Housatonic River and passes through small villages. Take Richmond Rd., off Rt. 183, just south of Tanglewood, and stop at the overlook for views of Stockbridge Bowl and the southern Berkshire Hills. Rt. 43 East, off Rt. 7, is the lower road to Williamstown, and passes through lovely farmland. Rt. 23, from Great Barrington to Monterey, and then right onto Tyringham Rd., takes you through the Tyringham Valley and eventually to Lee.
Mohawk Trail
http://www.mohawktrail.com
The Mohawk Trail, which runs 63 miles along Rt. 2 from Orange to North Adams, is one of the state's most popular foliage routes. Excellent "up-country" viewing sites include: the Whitcomb Summit; the hairpin turn before North Adams; the 10-mile drive to the summit of Mt. Greylock; the French King Bridge, Millers Falls; the Bissell Covered Bridge, Charlemont; and the enchanting Bridge of Flowers, Shelburne Falls.
The Hippodrome...12 miles
http://www.hdrome.com/index2.html
The Hippodrome is a multi-entertainment complex located in the former Paramount Theater in downtown Springfield and is the largest nightclub in western Massachusetts with a capaciltity of 2,450 people. Also available for private functions.
http://www.holyokemall.com/
Western Massachusetts' premier shopping location is home to over 200 specialty stores. Located convenientally off Interstate 91 exit 15, the Holyoke Mall is home to such great stores as Filenes, The Christmas Tree Shop, Target and H&M.
Jacob's Pillow...36 miles
http://www.jacobspillow.org
Celebrating its 70th season in 2002, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival attracts visitors from all over the world. Founded by dance pioneer Ted Shawn in the 30's, the Pillow was recognized as one of America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures, and named to the National Register of Historic Places. Jacob's Pillow is located in the Berkshires town of Becket in Western Massachusetts.
Jones Library...10 miles
http://joneslibrary.org
This unique public library serves local residents and visitors in a colonial style building opened in 1928 with its much loved "living room" atmosphere. Recently renovated, the Jones Library contains Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Robert Francis exhibits and a wealth of historical information about Amherst and the Pioneer Valley.
Look Park...3 miles
Look Park is located on the Berkshire Trail (Route 9) in the Florence section of Northampton, Massachusetts, in the heart of the Pioneer Valley. Look Park, consisting of over one hundred and fifty acres, is a gift to the City of Northampton from Mrs. Fannie Burr Look. This living memorial to Frank Newhall Look was first opened to the public in 1930.
http://www.magicwings.net
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens consists of a 14,400 square foot facility that includes a 4,000 sq. ft. glass conservatory filled with butterflies, moths and tropical vegetation. Walking into the conservatory on a cold wintry day is sheer joy. A peaceful sanctuary for all who enter.
Mass MoCA...45 miles
http://www.massmoca.org/
MASS MoCA exhibits some of the liveliest, most evocative - and provocative - art being made today in a beautifully restored 19th century factory. Critics have awarded MASS MoCA the nation's most coveted architectural and historic preservation honors for the breathtaking renovation of its 19th century factory buildings and its thought-provoking, visually stunning exhibitions have put it on the "must-see" list of art lovers from around the world.
The Museum of Fine Arts...14 miles
http://www.quadrangle.org/MFA.htm
The Museum of Fine Arts features 14 galleries of paintings, sculpture and works on paper. Six galleries are devoted to American art from the 18th through the 20th centuries. You'll also find European paintings from the 14th through the 20th centuries, including stunning works by Chardin, Tiepolo, Gericault, and Corot. The Impressionist Gallery boasts works by Degas, Pisarro, Gauguin and Monet. A fine Dutch and Flemish collection includes paintings by Ferdinand Bol and one of the earliest signed works by Jacob van Ruisdael.
The Paradise City Arts Festival...1 miles
http://www.paradise-city.com/october/homeoct.html
The Paradise City Arts Festival is a nationally acclaimed show offers a spectacular array of contemporary craft and fine art, set amongst the blazing fall foliage of western Massachusetts along the majestic Connecticut River. The high caliber of the contemporary craft, art and sculpture at Paradise City has set a new standard for quality and diversity.
http://www.iheg.com/pearl_street_main.asp
Pearl Street Nightclub features an upstairs Ballroom and a downstairs Clubroom, housed in a historic 16,000-square-foot brick building built in 1908. The club features a full bar.
Quadrangle...15 miles
http://www.quadrangle.org
Springfield Museums at the Quadrangle
Augustus Saint-Gaudens' statue, "The Puritan," welcomes visitors to the Quadrangle, home of four fine museums: the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Springfield Sceience Museum, and the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum.
http://www.sixflags.com/newengland
"New England's Thrill Capital!" Six Flags, located in Agawam, MA, between Hartford and Springfield, is the largest theme and water park in New England! Call 877-4-SIXFLAGS or visit our website for directions and operating hours.
Springfield Mass Mutual Center...14 miles
http://www.civic-center.com
The Mass Mutual Center features family events, sports, concerts, conventions, trade shows and a myriad of special events. Home of the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League.
The Springfield Science Museum...14 miles
http://www.quadrangle.org/SSM.htm
The museum features a Dinosaur Hall dominated by a life-sized replica of Tyrannosaurus rex; the multi-level R.E. Phelon African Hall with a mounted elephant, giraffe and other animals, as well as exhibits on African cultures; the Solutia Eco-Center, an aquarium and live animal center; Mineral Hall; hands-on exhibits investigating natural and physical science; Native American Hall; a 100-seat planetarium; an observatory; and an exhibit on the Springfield-based aviation pioneers, the Granville Brothers.
Tanglewood...56 miles
http://www.bso.org/armsOfBSO.jhtml?catName=Tanglewood&area=tgl
Tanglewood, the idyllic summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, offers classical, jazz and popular concerts daily June through Labor Day. Tanglewood is located in Lenox Massachusetts, which is in the heart of the famous Berkshires. Tanglewood attracts more than 300,000 visitors each season.
The Volleyball Hall of Fame...10 miles
http://www.volleyhall.org
The Volleyball Hall of Fame features the Walls of Fame, large panel graphics of the history of the sport, a regulation half court, displays and exhibits, a touch-screen video display and a gift shop. It holds two major events during the year - the Induction in October and the Morgan Classic Tournament in February at Springfield College. The Hall of Fame is located in Holyoke, Massachusetts. For more information call (413) 536-0926, e-mail
Yankee Candle...11 miles
http://www.yankeecandle.com
Our spectacular candle and Christmas shops in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, will transport you to an Old World setting, where it's Christmas everyday. Wander through the Bavarian Christmas Village, Kringle Market, Black Forest and Santa's toy Factory, where rooms are bursting with countless candles, accessories, ornaments and toys. Linger in the Candle emporium, where you have your choice of scented candles in more than 175 fragrances. You can dip you own candles, visit our Candlemaking Museum, snack at the Coffee Haus or Candlewick Cafe, or enjoy lunch or fine dining at Chandler's Restaurant. It's a day of fun for the entire family!
The Yiddish Book Center...9 miles
http://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/
The National Yiddish Book Center is a vibrant, non-profit organization working to rescue Yiddish and other modern Jewish books and celebrate the culture they contain. Supported by 30,000 members, we are now the largest and fastest-growing Jewish cultural organization in America.
The Zoo in Forest Park...22 miles
www.forestparkzoo.org
Come experience animals from backyards, barnyards and beyond. Get to know heritage breeds of livestock, see native wildlife and learn of creatures from far-off lands. Pack a picnic and enjoy the whole park.