Planning a Trip

Getting There

Sturbridge is at the intersection of the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) and I-84. Routes 20 and 131 are the main roads in town.

Visitor Information

The Sturbridge Tourist Information Center, 380 Main Street (Rte. 20 at the exit for Old Sturbridge Village; tel. 800/628-8379), is open daily 10am to 5pm. The Sturbridge Area Tourist Association is at www.sturbridge.org.

Special Events

Brimfield is a sleepy village just to the west of Sturbridge, but three times a year some 6,000 dealers gather along a mile of Route 20, the main drag through town, for the Brimfield Antique and Collectible Shows (tel. 800/628-8379; www.brimfieldshow.com). Shows run for up to 6 days (Tues-Sun) in mid-May, mid-July, and early September. (Most of the dealers and collectors stay in Sturbridge, so you'll need to reserve a room at least 6 months in advance during show periods.) If you're an antiques collector and visiting when the Brimfield show isn't going on, organizers recommend driving 25 miles south on Route 131 to Putnam, Connecticut. The small town has about a dozen antique shops.

In mid-March, a few dozen establishments participate over 2 weekends in Sturbridge Area Maple Days with maple-sugaring demonstrations, pancake breakfasts, and apple-dumpling sampling. Among them is the teeny family operation K. E. Farm, 317 Leadmine Road, a few miles past Old Sturbridge Village (tel. 508/347-9323; www.maplesugarhouse.com), where Ernie and his old wooden sugar shack turn gallons of sap into pints of liquid gold.