Location: Hadley
Top Things to do in Hadley
- 1. Smith College Botanic Garden
- 2. Emily Dickinson Museum
- 3. Mount Tom State Reservation
- 4. Skinner State Park
- 5. Puzzled Escape Games
- 6. Smith College Museum of Art
- 7. Amherst College Museum of Natural History
- 8. Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
- 9. Norwottuck Rail Trail
- 10. Yiddish Book Center
Top 10 Things to do in Hadley, United States
Hadley (/ˈhædli/ ( listen), HAD-lee) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,250 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area around the Hampshire and Mountain Farms Malls along Route 9 is a major shopping destination for the surrounding communities.
Restaurants in Hadley
1. Smith College Botanic Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 256 reviews
There are ten different garden types and a greenhouse in this Botanic Garden.
Reviewed By Richard_Harpum - Doncaster, United Kingdom
My wife and I visited the Botanic Garden of Smith College in Northampton, Connecticut, during a tour of New England. It is located on the campus of Smith College and because it is quite small, is quite easy to miss. Look for the large conservatories.
Entry is free. The Gardens consists of a fine selection of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. However, the majority of the garden is under glass with an excellent collection of warm-weather plants in a set of historic conservatories. There are also some interesting murals showing the development of the area from pre-Cambrian times.
Definitely worth a visit if you are in Northampton.
2. Emily Dickinson Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 236 reviews
Open for tours from March to mid-December, the birthplace of Emily Dickinson is registered as a National Historic Landmark.
Reviewed By Barbara M - Brooklyn, New York
If you appreciate Emily Dickinson’s poetry, you might find yourself close to tears when asking to purchase a ticket to Emily Dickinson's home — her world. It, and her brother's house across the garden, are beautiful and important. And obviously, it will be a moving experience to see the two places that mattered most to this most exquisite of poets. Dickinson was a "homebody": a gardener, a baker, a good friend; a woman who adored her family, cousins, and school chums; and a prolific writer of letters and verses that in their worldview and lyric subtlety knock your socks off.
Luckily, the young docent who led our tour brought out Dickinson's real persona (unlike the unfortunate film that came out last year). She had a wealth of poetry and letters memorized as well as a scholar’s knowledge of and passion for her subject.
I have found, however, that young docents are too often prone to running down the people who inhabited the homes they are privileged to serve, and this one did too. Dickinson's brother Austin's house, a modest Italianate, was not pretentious, but very much along the lines of Italianates up and down the Hudson Valley and in small New England towns. Nor was the floor button in the dining room a mark of social-climbing; it was a way to call a servant during or between courses so as not to disrupt conversation, and most upper-middle class women had them. As for bringing back souvenirs from trips abroad — who doesn’t? Is doing so a sign of showing off? Was Dickinson’s father's hope for a “rational” marriage a sign of sexual repression or of respect for his fiancée? He was, after all, penning a letter. As for Dickinson's telling the truth "slant": She was in that poem writing about gradually revealing a dazzling, "superb surprise" that, if told directly, would "blind" the hearer. So wider knowledge and greater tolerance for other, and older, ways are in order for the highly motivated, intelligent youngsters who are curating our American treasures. And they will acquire these as they live longer.
Despite my quibbles, kudos to the Emily Dickinson Museum and to its dedicated employees and volunteers who are bringing that world back to life.
3. Mount Tom State Reservation
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 85 reviews
Reviewed By ogogolby - Sutton, Massachusetts
I was first struck but the excellent road conditions throughout the reservation. Wish all Mass roads were so fine. Outstanding views of the Pioneer Valley abound in this destination. Drove in from the East Hampton entrance and ended up in Northampton. Well worth the trip.
4. Skinner State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 39 reviews
Reviewed By Zosia B - Mons, Belgium
I love climbing up to the summit of Mt. Holyoke on a clear day and taking in the views of the Valley below. On a clear day you can even see Vermont. Unfortunately the Summit House is closed for the foreseeable future but the wonderful rocking chairs on the porch remain.
5. Puzzled Escape Games
Overall Ratings
5 based on 87 reviews
Reviewed By Zhigie35 - Boston, Massachusetts
So much freakin fun!!!!! I went with five girl friends, only myself and one other have tried an escape room before. We were kind of nervous about us working as a team but the direction of the staff and clues helped us get started. The game we played (can't release the top secret info about the game) was very interactive, challenging, and fun. They are opening a wizard themed one which I am looking forward to and have a cafe to grab some munchies (and to celebrate victory or being so close). I highly recommend coming here to play one whether with family, friends, or other type of loved ones! It is also located in an old mill which adds to the mystery. The staff was amazing and really made you get into the game (ps I am a sore loser, didnt get to escape, and still want to go back!!).
6. Smith College Museum of Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 138 reviews
This museum features work by a number of art greats.
Reviewed By kzsull01 - Windsor, Connecticut
My husband and I visited the Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton, Mass. on Sunday, August 6th. It is worth visiting. The museum has four full floors of a very good selection of various types of art, including American, European, African, Asian, Ancient World and Modern. The art work on display is of high quality and includes pieces by Degas, Monet, Picasso, Whistler and Saint-Gauden. All the floors in the museum are organized by time period and have a very good lay-out with nicely done write-ups depicting the art on display. The special exhibit, ‘Leisure and Luxury in the Age of Nero, the Villas of Oplontis Near Pompeii’, depicts two Roman archaeological sites in the ancient town of Oplontis and has many interesting well preserved objects contained within it. This was a very impressive and well done exhibit. Visiting this museum was a very interesting experience and was worth the trip. Even the restrooms on the lower level have been designed with nice art work. The museum is located within Northampton, a very nice town to drive-through and perhaps visit with many shops and restaurants outlining its streets.
7. Amherst College Museum of Natural History
Overall Ratings
5 based on 81 reviews
Reviewed By kzsull01 - Windsor, Connecticut
My husband and I visited the Amherst College Museum of Natural History (the Beneski Museum) in Amherst, Mass. On Sunday, August 6th. The museum has three floors with an impressive and wide assortment of various types of natural history artifacts. It has a great collection of fossil skeletons of dinosaurs, other mammals and even fish. The impressive collection of dinosaur footprints and the petrified tree on the ground floor are quite unique. There is a very nice exhibit depicting the history of the local Connecticut River Valley landscape, including the evolution of the geological formations associated with the surrounding area with details about the Holyoke Range. The exhibit about the evolution of the horse is also quite informative. In addition, the many rocks and minerals on display are very interesting and educational.
We are very impressed with this museum, as we were a few years back (in 2013), but at the same time were disappointed with the small collection of items currently on exhibit at the nearby Mead Art Museum, in comparison with what the Mead had a few years ago. Visiting the Beneski Museum was worth the trip and is quite educational, including the informative write-ups describing the items on display, all nicely done. It is a museum with artifacts on exhibit that are very interesting and could be enjoyed by both adults as well as children. This museum is a hidden gem on the scenic Amherst College campus.
8. Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 19 reviews
Reviewed By greywall2017 - Hadley, Massachusetts
I often go to this refuge, because it offers a large variety of flora and fauna to see and hear, and many spots to stop and sit, relax along the way.
9. Norwottuck Rail Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 121 reviews
Ten-mile bike path on the old tracks of the Boston and Maine railroad.
Reviewed By goingforadrive - Erving
I had an excellent ride from Northhampton to Belchertown. The trail spans 11 miles, and there are plenty of great views of the Connecticut River, fields, swamps, towns and distant mountains. Plenty of access point along the trial with parking, benches scattered the length of the trai,l and porte-potties, too. Well maintained, mostly shaded, and flat.
Beautiful!
10. Yiddish Book Center
Overall Ratings
5 based on 76 reviews
The Book Center’s 37,000-square-foot heymish-modern building in Amherst, MA, is a lebedike velt – a lively world – featuring an open Yiddish book repository, theatres, art galleries, museum exhibitions about Yiddish language and culture, and programs in literature, music, art, film, and theater
Reviewed By barry01035 - Hadley, Massachusetts
This is the most amazing museum, really. A beautiful and innovative architecture by any standard that was built to protect and display the world's largest collection of Yiddish works, woven around the history of their times. An amazing experience for anyone of any religion and especially in the current xenophobic political administration and climate, important to be reminded of protecting our diverse cultures and importance of inclusiveness.
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