Northampton: Activities

Ok so this post is a long time coming (well, maybe five days?). As you can tell by the length of the list, Northampton and the surrounding area has plenty to do. Keep in mind that this is just a rundown of possible activities. I'll also cover lodging and restaurants in separate posts. Then, I'll choose a time of year or specific date and put together an itinerary of the entire trip. Enjoy!

1. The Botanic Garden at Smith College - Includes both the Lyman Plant House and Conservatory and the Campus Arboretum and Gardens. Both are self led with no tours, although an audio tour is available in the conservatory. The Conservatory is much like any other botanical gardens you may have visited, but holds some special sights like rice, sugar cane, coffee, and fig. The Campus Arboretum and Gardens are trees and specially cultivated areas around campus (the Gardens). These are spread around campus which make me think that an informal campus tour and a visit would be easy. Depending on what time of year you visit, a particular Garden may be more attractive. My initial picks would be The Systemics Garden and Perennial Border for its herbaceous plants and The Rock Garden for its dwarf plants. I also think The President's Residence Gardens would be interesting mainly due to the fact that they surround the college president's house, which was built in the 1920's.

2. Look Park - This park has it all: bumper boats, train, and reservable picnic tables. It boasts a theater, plenty of water and walk ways, and its own Visitor Center. The Northampton Bicycle Trail also passes alongside of the park and has two access points. Bonus: a children's zoo. Double bonus: they charge admission.

3. The Northampton Bikeway - I can't tell you how excited I am about this trail. Where I grew up, there was a bicycle trail that linked several larger cities together and it was great for an afternoon of exercise (I never actually used it to travel from town to town). I have such fond memories of that trail and I want to relive them.

4. Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum - This is a bit dry, I'll admit, but I've never been to a presidential library. Even if it's just for an hour on the way to something else, it might be worth it. Based on a cursory look at the website, it appears that one of Mr. Coolidge's campaign slogans was "Keep Cool-idge" - the words were being blown by a table fan. I suppose it gets the point across... One other fun fact with which you can impress, the building in which the library is housed is another library: Forbes Library. That building was made out of steel, slate, stone, and copper so as to make it fireproof.

5. Historic Northampton Museum and Education Center - A good place to start, perhaps, as it will give a history of the area.

6. Pioneer Valley Balloons - Now, normally I wouldn't include something like this (I'm sure it's expensive and technically it could be done anywhere), but I came across it enough times that I figured I would mention it. It must be really pretty countryside that should be viewed from above as well? It is also worth noting that the website is a little shady.

7. Smith College Museum of Art - This art museum also hosts children's events and occasional lectures.

8. Emily Dickinson Museum - The museum includes two homes (Emily's and her brother's) on three acres of land in the center of nearby Amherst.

9. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art - Do you remember The Very Hungry Caterpillar? I do and am so excited about this find! The museum is not just Eric Carle artwork, but picture book artwork in general (although there are Carle exhibitions, it appears).

10. 3 County Fair - While events such as horse shows are hosted year round at this fairground (located in the geographical center of New England), the historic 3 County Fair itself is the oldest agricultural fair in the United States. It runs over Labor Day weekend. Racing pigs? Yes, please!

11. Academy of Music - A performing arts theater: check it out to see if that musical you've always wanted to see is playing. "Into the Woods" is on the schedule for May 2012!

12. Six Flags New England - Unless your travel companions are teenagers or you yourself are a roller coaster junkie, this may not be for you. However, it's in the area (approximately 30 minutes from Northampton), and it's good to know that it's around.

13. Northampton Saturday, Tuesday, and Winter Markets - I am a huge fan of farmer's markets. I don't typically buy too much (unless I'm in Madison, Wisconsin, and then fresh cheese curds are an absolute must), but I like to mingle and see what the vendors have. Interesting fact: the winter market doubles SNAP food stamps up to $10 - this is a community that cares.
14. Arts Night Out - Ok, you may be art-ed out by now (it's not like we're actually going to do all this!), but Northampton has this awesome event the second Friday of every month. Studios, galleries, and boutiques stay open late this Friday to exhibit visual and performing arts. You can see from this map, they have a huge number of participants.

15. Thornes Marketplace - It took me a while to figure out what this actually is. Thornes is essentially a mall (but not a strip mall or a big suburban mall). We'll call it a boutique mall because those seem to be the types of stores inside. If you need to get some serious shopping in, stop at Thornes. If you want to just have a look around, there's a fresh ice cream shop where you could get some dessert while you window shop. I myself would hit up A Glimpse of Tibet and Cornucopia.

16. East Heaven - I have never heard of anything like this before...and you might think it's a little odd, too, but then you'll start to warm up to it and think, Hey, I could go for a late night hot tub dip! East Heaven is a spa that offers all massages and skin care services you may need, but it also allows users to rent a hot tub by the hour or half hour (two people are required for safety reasons). Don't worry - there are plenty of FAQs that will answer the questions I'm sure are forming in your mind. That's straight where I went the first time. East Heaven is open until midnight during the weekdays and 1 AM during the weekends. What a way to relax!

17. Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary - I have hiking in mind here. It's good to get out and see a bit of nature and Arcadia has five miles of hiking trails (we're not talking anything crazy here). There is plenty of wildlife to view (black bear!) and different ecosystems to explore. The website does mention something about canoeing, but I didn't see anything else regarding rentals.

I was really hoping that the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech might have an interesting seminar available to the public, but I didn't see anything on its website. I also figured there would be more river related activities (canoeing or kayaking), but couldn't find anything.

Thanks for reading!