The website says, "this is the New England travelers truly hope to find." So, I'm asking is this really so? Is Deerfield worth a visit? What about the Deerfield Inn? to overnight? to eat? Would be grateful for any info.

Well, I'm not sure I'd go that far ("this is..."). We stopped in Deerfield for lunch and to look around on our way to Tanglewood one day last summer. It is indeed a beautifully restored New England village, and our lunch at the inn was good (not great). It certainly is worth a visit, but not a long one.

I haven't been to Deerfield in years but used to love getting off the highway to drive thru it when Iwas on my way from NYC to VT. Like the previous poster said, it's a beautifully restored village. It is definitely worth a visit but Idon;t think I would spend more than a few hours there.

Totally depends on you. If you're the kind of tourist who immediately heads for the gift shop, forget it. There's very little to buy in Deerfield.

What it is is a non-commercial restoration of a pre-Revolution town. Also home to Deerfield Academy, responsible for much of the restoration. Several of the buildings are open to visitors and it is a much favored destination for lovers of furniture and decoration of the period.

But if New England history and decorative arts are not among your interests, you'd probably not find much else to do.

Although the Old Deerfield Inn is the preferred destination for those on big budgets, it is a complete reconstruction after a fire several years ago.

If you still want to visit after all of that, I'd suggest staying and eating in Northampton, about twenty miles away with several good places to stay, lots of terrific restaurants, and a helpful website.

If you can wait till the last minute (i.e. less than a week in advance), The Deerfield Inn offers "leftover" rooms at a significant discount. (e.g. $150/night incl. tax vs. $250)
http://www.deerfieldinn.com/specialedeals/remnant.html.
Deerfield is a lovely museum-like town, but it's not a typical NE town of today