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Pioneer Valley Attractions
Northampton
President Calvin Coolidge practiced law in Northampton, before and after his occupancy of the Oval Office. He lived in houses at 21 Massasoit St. and on Hampton Terrace, but these are not open to the public. However, the Forbes Library, 20 West St. (tel. 413/584-6037; www.forbeslibrary.org), maintains the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum, which is open to researchers. A number of Coolidge photos are posted at the Forbes website.
Amherst
The best strolling is within a few blocks any direction of the town green. At the northeast corner of the green is the Town Hall, a fortresslike Romanesque Revival creation of Boston's H. H. Richardson.
Deerfield
The main thoroughfare of Old Deerfield, simply called "The Street," is a mile long. The museum houses are located a few blocks either direction of the visitor center.
6 Results
- Landmark
Amherst College
Named for Baron Jeffery Amherst, a British general during the last of the French and Indian Wars, the illustrious liberal-arts college was founded in 1821. Robert Frost was a member of the faculty for more than a decade. Amherst's campus cuts through the heart of the town and makes… - Tour
Historic Deerfield Walking Tour
To stroll the main street and visit the properties open for viewing, park in one of the lots behind the Historic Deerfield visitor center (across the street from the teeny post office) or the Flynt Center of Early American Life. Begin with a visit to the Hall Tavern (the visitor…Deerfield
- Landmark
Historic Northampton
This education center used to allow visitors to tour the three 18th- and early-19th-century homes on its property, but no more (there's a chance the 1730 Parsons House might reopen at some point). For now a small museum displays items such as cradles and carved chests from the 1700s,…Northampton - Religious Site
National Yiddish Book Center
This airy complex on the Hampshire College campus is devoted to rescuing and redistributing Yiddish-language books and to celebrating Yiddish culture through films, lectures, and other public events. In addition to a large book depository, the center has four exhibition galleries, a…Amherst - Landmark
Smith College
Equal parts tranquil and heady, the Smith campus is a bucolic mélange of rolling hills, broad lawns, and Gothic, Greco-Roman, Renaissance, and medieval architecture. Visitors are as likely to hear undergrads who say "See you in glee club!" as they are to see the phrase "Patriarchy…Northampton - Tour
Yankee Candle Village
This emporium is outside the Old Deerfield neighborhood, back on Route 5. The Yankee Candle Company is an empire built on Americans' insatiable love for candles that are scented like cider donuts or vanilla cupcakes. This flagship locale, though, is way more than just a store: It…Deerfield
Pioneer Valley Shopping
Northampton
Northampton enjoys the most diverse shopping in the valley. Its half-mile-long Main Street, from Bridge Street at the eastern end to the Smith College campus on the western end, is rich with upscale restaurants, art galleries, acupuncture clinics, shops with hand-crafted jewelry, buskers, and clothing boutiques, and has become nearly chic over the past 20 years. It's as easy to find vegan chocolate and organic egg omelets here as Ugg boots and expensive glass artworks.
A former department store was reconfigured into Thorne's Marketplace, 150 Main St. (tel. 413/584-5582; www.thornesmarketplace.com), now containing more than 30 boutiques and casual eating places. Next to the side entrance is Herrell's, 7 Old South St. (tel. 413/586-9700; www.herrells.com), a celebrated New England super-premium ice-cream emporium, scooping a huge variety of flavors, including Malted Vanilla, Derby Chocolate Bourbon, and Pumpkin.
Burnishing the city's reputation as a small town with an unusually vigorous arts community is the prestigious R. Michelson Gallery, 132 Main St. (tel. 413/586-3964), which occupies a grand former bank.
And there are, of course, the used bookstores. "The Pioneer Valley is arguably the most author-saturated, book-cherishing, literature-celebrating place in the nation," wrote the New York Times. Nine independent bookstores in downtown vouch for it.
Amherst
The Jeffrey Amherst Bookshop, 55 S. Pleasant St. (tel. 413/253-3381; www.jeffbooks.com), specializes in Emily Dickinson books. Scandihoovians, 25 S. Pleasant St. (tel. 413/256-0004; www.scandihoovians.com), features Scandinavian housewares, clothing, jewelry, and Marimekko bags; the original store is in Northampton. Clay's, 32 Main St. (tel. 413/256-4200), has funky, flowing women's clothes in natural fibers; a small sign on the way to the dressing room says, "You are radiant & beautiful." Harlow, 196 Main St. (tel. 413/584-5233; www.harlowluggage.com) was founded in 1875 and sells suitcases, wallets, bags, and other travel items.
Pioneer Valley Nightlife
Northampton
Northampton is the nightlife magnet of the valley. For a rundown of what's happening, look for the free Valley Advocate (www.valleyadvocate.com).
An old favorite, the Iron Horse Music Hall, 20 Center St. (tel. 413/586-8686; www.iheg.com), hosts a wide variety of artists nearly nightly, from Bruce Cockburn and The Magnetic Fields to regional folk singers and grunge rockers. Cover for live acts is typically between $10 and $20. A sister venue, the Calvin Theatre and Performing Arts Center, 19 King St. (tel. 401/584-1444; www.iheg.com), offers performers as diverse as Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, and touring ballet companies.
Open since 1891, the Academy of Music, 274 Main St. (tel. 413/584-9032; www.academyofmusictheatre.com), shows art-house and foreign films and provides a venue for symphony concerts, children's shows, and local theater.
Bishop's Lounge, 41 Strong Ave. (tel. 413/586-8900; www.mulinos.com), a sophisticated update of the funky old Bay State Hotel, has live music of scattered identity 6 nights a week and karaoke on Sunday.
Classical and chamber music is the customary fare at Smith's Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage Hall (tel. 413/586-8686).
The renovated Pleasant Street Theater, 27 Pleasant St. (tel. 413/584-5848; www.pleasantstreettheater.com), is an independent art movie house. It was recently purchased by the independent Amherst Cinema Art Center, 28 Amity St., Amherst (tel. 413/253-2547; www.amherstcinema.org).
Amherst
Students and other young adults tend to gravitate toward the livelier music scene in Northampton, but Amherst does offer some nighttime entertainment. Close at hand is The Black Sheep, 79 Main St. (tel. 413/253-3442; www.blacksheepdeli.com), active with Celtic and bluegrass music. (The Black Sheep's cafe has sandwiches and a scrumptious dessert case.) At the Amherst Brewing Company, 24-36 N. Pleasant St. (tel. 413/253-4400; www.amherstbrewing.com), there's good homemade beer, as well as pool tables, foosball, and big TVs.
Amherst College's Buckley Recital Hall (tel. 413/542-2195) hosts chamber music performances that include classical quartets and solo pianists.
